Graham James (ice hockey)

Graham Michael James (born February 7, 1952) is a former Canadian junior ice hockey coach who was convicted of sexually abusing players on his teams.

For other people named Graham James, see Graham James (disambiguation).

Graham James
Born (1952-02-07) February 7, 1952
Summerside, PEI, Canada
OccupationIce hockey coach
Criminal statusConvicted and sentenced
Conviction(s)Sexual abuse
Criminal penalty5 years in prison

After coaching the Swift Current Broncos to the 1989 Memorial Cup championship, he was named Man of the Year by The Hockey News, an honour which was later revoked.[1] In 1994, James became the general manager and coach of the Calgary Hitmen.

James attracted national attention two years later when NHL player Sheldon Kennedy came forward to accuse him of sexually abusing him over a period of years as his junior league coach. Kennedy also mentioned that another NHL player had endured the same abuse, but refused to name him. James pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three and a half years in prison. After completing his sentence, James obtained a federal pardon and left the country, settling in Spain and Mexico. However, in 2009, Theoren Fleury published a book alleging he too had been abused by James in the 1980s, which James again acknowledged as true. In March 2012, he was sentenced to another two years in prison.

On May 25, 2015, it was reported that James was facing additional sexual assault charges in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. The case was adjourned by Judge Violet Meekma until June 19, when the case was to be heard in the Court of Queen's Bench.[2] The disgraced former junior hockey coach was granted full parole in September 2016.

Early life

Born in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, on February 7, 1952,[3] he played hockey until about the age of 18, when he stopped due to asthma attacks. He then allegedly graduated from university, and worked as a substitute teacher in St. James-Assiniboia School Division 2, Winnipeg, Manitoba. It wasn't until after he began his hockey coaching career that it became known that he hadn't graduated from university until after he completed the necessary courses for his B.A. while serving one of his prison sentences.[4]

Between 1979 and 1983, he coached Junior A Hockey, winning the Manitoba provincial title with the Fort Garry Blues. In 1984, he was head scout for the Winnipeg Warriors of the Western Hockey League, and recruited two future National Hockey League players to the team, Theoren Fleury and Sheldon Kennedy. The team later relocated to Moose Jaw as the Moose Jaw Warriors,[5] and in 1985 James was hired as head coach for the team.[3]

He was the coach and general manager of the Swift Current Broncos from 1986 to 1994, leading them to WHL titles in 1989 and 1993.[3] The team also won the Memorial Cup in 1989, and in the same year James was named Man of the Year by The Hockey News, the award subsequently being revoked by the magazine.[6] He was coach of the Broncos when four of their players were killed after the team bus overturned on December 30, 1986.[7] In 1994, James became the part owner, head coach and general manager of the expansion Calgary Hitmen, a new WHL franchise.[3] He resigned during the 1996–97 season and was replaced by Dean Clark.

Sexual abuse

In 1996, Sheldon Kennedy and another unnamed player came forward with complaints about sexual abuse they had suffered between 1984 and 1995,[6] and on November 22, 1996, Calgary Police Service charged James with sexual assault.[3][8] On January 2, 1997, James pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault involving more than 350 encounters with two underage players over a span of 10 years, and was sentenced to three and a half years in jail. He was paroled in 2001.[3][6] The players referred to whomever James targeted as "Graham's new favourite". James was charismatic and consistently successful as a coach. Even during his investigation, he was able to secure character references from respected hockey people and former players. He claimed that his relationship with Sheldon Kennedy was consensual and it was not illegal or immoral.[9] James noted that he was attracted to males, primarily between the ages of 15 and 25, but kept these feelings closeted.[10]

In 1999, a civil lawsuit against James, the Canadian Hockey Association, the Western Hockey League and other hockey organizations was filed by an unnamed victim of James and his parents. It was settled out of court in 2003.[3]

James was given a lifetime ban from coaching by the Canadian Hockey Association.[6] When the CHA learned that James was coaching in Spain, it complained to European ice hockey officials, and he was fired.[6][11] His subsequent whereabouts were unclear, though there were some rumours that he was living in Montreal.[6] In May 2010, he was located by a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation investigative reporter, living in Guadalajara, Mexico.[6]

In a memoir entitled Playing with Fire: The Theo Fleury Story, retired NHL player Theo Fleury alleged that from the age of 14 James had molested him for years during his time on the Moose Jaw Warrior team.[6][12] On January 6, 2010, Fleury filed a criminal complaint with the City of Winnipeg police.[5][6] "I have been reflecting on this a long time", said Fleury. "I wanted to make the biggest impact on preventing this kind of thing from happening in the future."[5] James pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting Fleury's cousin Todd Holt and Fleury, saying he had assaulted both of his former players hundreds of times over the course of many years while they were teenagers. A third victim, Greg Gilhooly, also filed a complaint with the police. James refused to plead guilty to the charges relating to Gilhooly's assault and, consequently, the Gilhooly charges were stayed.[13] James was sentenced to two years' imprisonment for these crimes.[14]

New charges

On December 7, 2011, James pleaded guilty to sexual assaults involving two of his former players, former NHL star Theoren Fleury and Todd Holt, a cousin of Fleury's.

On March 20, 2012, he was sentenced to two years in prison,[15] submitting DNA sample to national sex offender registry, and a lifetime ban on "volunteering in a position of trust to children".[16] The new charges arose from Theoren Fleury's autobiography in which he describes the abuse.[17]

Pardon

On April 4, 2010, it was revealed in the media that James had been issued a pardon by the Canadian National Parole Board in 2007. News of the pardon came to light only when an unidentified Winnipeg man brought an allegation of abuse against him.[18] The situation surrounding the pardon provoked outrage, and has led to proposed changes to the Canadian pardon system.[6]

On October 25, 2010, James was taken into custody at Pearson International Airport in Toronto. He was wanted in Winnipeg on nine counts of sexual assault,[19] and was released on bail in December of that same year.[20]

Crown appeal

On February 15, 2013, the Manitoba Court of Appeal revised James' sentence from two years to five years, after the Crown successfully argued Judge Catherine Carlson erred in sentencing principles on March 20, 2012, by putting too much weight into James' previous sentence of 3 1/2 years served in 1997.[21]

See also
  • Jean Bégin, Canadian junior ice hockey coach convicted of sexual assault

References
  1. Kay, Jason. "Graham James not The Hockey News 1989 Man of the Year". The Hockey News. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
  2. "Graham James faces more sexual abuse charges". Sportsnet. May 25, 2015. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  3. "Timeline: Graham James". Calgary Herald. October 10, 2009. Archived from the original on April 8, 2010. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
  4. "Search". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. March 16, 2012.
  5. George Johnson (April 5, 2010). "Theo Fleury files criminal complaint against former coach". Calgary Herald. Archived from the original on January 16, 2010. Retrieved April 26, 2010.
  6. "Graham James found in Mexico". CBC.ca. May 13, 2010. Archived from the original on May 14, 2010. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
  7. Eric Francis (April 9, 2018). "Swift Current survivors determined to give help they were denied". www.Macleans.ca. Retrieved March 10, 2019. Their mission is to help, something Graham James wouldn't let people do following their team's tragic bus crash.
  8. "Timeline of Graham James' legal history following decision to grant him full parole". www.citynews1130.com. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  9. "CTV Edmonton - Another person files claim against former hockey coach". CTV News. April 5, 2010. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
  10. Sports (March 3, 2012). "Graham James was in love with his victims: forensic report". National Post. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  11. "Graham James coaching in Spain". CBC News. April 26, 2001. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  12. "Fleury tell-all book chronicles sexual abuse". CBC News. October 9, 2009. Retrieved April 26, 2010.
  13. "Search". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. March 16, 2012.
  14. Waldie, Paul (March 20, 2012). "Graham James sentenced to two years in prison in sex assault case". Toronto. Archived from the original on March 20, 2012. Former junior hockey coach Graham James has been sentenced to two years in prison for sexually assaulting two of his former players.
  15. "Graham James sentenced to 2 years for sex assaults". ctvnews.ca. March 20, 2012. Archived from the original on March 21, 2012. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
  16. "Sex offender Graham James gets 2 years in prison". CBC News. March 20, 2012. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
  17. Herald News (December 7, 2011). "Graham James pleads guilty to hockey player sex assaults". thechronicleherald.ca. Retrieved December 7, 2011.
  18. "Fleury shocked by James' pardon". Calgary. April 5, 2010. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  19. Associated Press (October 28, 2010). "Convicted sex offender surrenders". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  20. Associated Press (December 13, 2010). "Coach charged with abuse out on bail". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  21. "Sex offender Graham James's sentence extended to 5 years". CBC.ca. February 15, 2013. Archived from the original on February 16, 2013. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
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