Who Controls The Team?

One question that seldom gets asked or even answered is “who is in charge of the players of any sport when they are on a road trip?”

One would have to say publicly that it would be the teams coaching staff as they are the ones that have been placed in charge by the Association they belong to.

True they can not keep track of all the players all the time and it’s easy to mention that in most out of town trips there is either little or no damage caused by the team.

Now we are hearing of a team from the Abbotsford Association that it’s reported to have caused more than $200,000 in damage to the Mountain Retreat Hotel & Suites in Squamish.

It’s reported by the hotel owner that a lawsuit has been filed stating that some of the team players kicked or pushed an ice machine and ruptured a water line.

The hotel (Coastal Hospitality) is apparently suing the Abbotsford Minor Hockey Association, Coach James Young and 60 of his unidentified players and parents for the (alleged) Feb. 6, 2016 incident.

The company officially filed a notice of civil claim in BC Supreme court Jan. 9, nearly two years after the hockey team stayed at its hotel during a local tournament.

The court documents do not specify any of the ages of the players but there was an Atom A3 Family Day tournament scheduled in Squamish.

This was at the same time of the Abbotsford team’s visit and the Coastal Hotel says the players were unsupervised when one or more of them damaged the ice machine rupturing the Hotel water line that eventually leaked and poured water into the hallway as well as down the elevator shafts.

It’s reported that the water damaged the structure and contents of the hotel and its elevators that in the long run cost the hotel lost business and revenue that the hospitality company says could cost it more than $200,000.

Coastal says the players, coach and parents all failed in the “duty of care” they owed the hotel.

It states that the Parents and Coach (James Young) should have been supervising the players or had proper supervision arranged and they failed to report the ruptured line “promptly.”

Coastal is seeking general damages, special damages, costs and “such other relief this honorable court deems appropriate.”

According to Greg Tucker, one of the company’s lawyers, Coastal has had ongoing discussions with AMHA’s liability insurers over the last two years.

He stated “the matter was not going to be solved within the two-year limit for litigation and the lawsuit was therefore necessary and no one wants to sue unless they have to, but resolution is always preferable.”

No doubt this is an ongoing issue and a major concern that has the attention of the Abbotsford MHA and the governing body of hockey in the lower mainland, the Pacific Coast Amateur Hockey Association.

The claims have not been proven in court. Representatives from AMHA have not responded to phone calls and emails.

The photo on the front page is NOT the official photo from the hotel!!