- Sheldon Kennedy
Sheldon Kennedy (born
June 15 , 1969 in Brandon,Manitoba ) played professionalice hockey in theNational Hockey League (NHL).He is currently working with theCanadian Red Cross on their Respect-Ed abuse prevention programs.Kennedy is best known for his 1996 revelation of
sexual abuse by his former coach in juniors, Graham James. Kennedy spearheaded a campaign to raise awareness of sexual abuse of children inCanada , including a cross-Canada trek oninline skates which ended in controversy.His hockey career began in 1984 when he played Major Junior hockey for the
Moose Jaw Warriors of theWestern Hockey League . In 1986, he was traded to another WHL team, theSwift Current Broncos . Kennedy spent three seasons there before being selected by theDetroit Red Wings in the fourth round (80th pick) of the NHL entry draft.After spending one year with the now defunct
Adirondack Red Wings of theAmerican Hockey League (AHL), Kennedy made his debut with Detroit in the 1989–90 season, scoring two goals and adding seven assists in twenty games. Prior to the 1994–95 season, the Red Wings traded Kennedy to theWinnipeg Jets , but he was later picked up on waivers by theCalgary Flames . Kennedy spent two seasons in Calgary, then the Flames decided not to renew his contract in 1996, shortly after his sexual abuse revelation. He signed as a free agent with theBoston Bruins for the 1996–97 season but also spent time with theProvidence Bruins , Boston's AHL affiliate. The 1996–97 season was Kennedy's last campaign in the NHL but he later resurfaced in the 1998–99 season with theManitoba Moose of the now-defunct International Hockey League. Kennedy also played for EV Landshut of theDeutsche Eishockey-Liga inGermany during the 1998–99 season.A television movie about Kennedy's life and campaign, "
The Sheldon Kennedy Story ", aired on CTV in 1999.Jonathan Scarfe starred as Kennedy.In 2006 Kennedy released his autobiography, "Why I Didn't Say Anything - The Sheldon Kennedy Story". In the book he revealed that nightmares of James still continue to plague him. He also wrote frankly about his battles with
cocaine addiction. [ [http://winnipegsun.com/Sports/Hockey/2006/04/06/1522114-sun.html winnipegsun.com - Hockey - Kennedy book tells tale of despair after sex abuse ] ]Awards & Achievements
*WHL East Second All-Star Team (1989)
*Memorial Cup Tournament All-Star Team (1989)
*Memorial Cup Championships (1989)References
*hockeydb|724
*legendsofhockey|10774
* [http://www.sheldonkennedy.ca Sheldon Kennedy's official web site]
* [http://www.redcross.ca/article.asp?id=000305&tid=030 Canadian Red Cross Respect-Ed programs]
* [http://www.insomniacpress.com/author.php?id=148 Kennedy's publishing profile]
*imdb title|title=The Sheldon Kennedy Story|id=0192598
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