This Teen Hockey Player Says “Nothing Was Done” After She Got Rape Threats On The Ice
She was the only girl playing on her boys hockey league team.
After 10 years of playing hockey, Kaitlyn Byers is used to trash talk on the ice. But she didn't expect that to cross over to rape threats.
Kaitlyn Byers
Byers, 18, spent last season playing for the Spruce Grove Highlanders in Edmonton. She was the only girl on the team and though her teammates and coach were completely supportive, she says boys on other teams targeted her for harassment.
Kaitlyn Byers
On Nov. 1, Byers was playing against another team within the Edmonton Minor Hockey League. It started with the opposing players being particularly physical, but then one player started telling her "I want to fuck you." Then it turned into "I'm going to fuck you."
Eventually, Byers said he pinned her to the ice and kept repeating "I will fuck you whether you like it or not."
"I get called filthy names all the time and I can take it," Byers told BuzzFeed Canada. "But this was beyond trash talk."
She immediately skated to the bench and told her coach what happened, who then went to the referee. But, Byers said, the referee said there was nothing he could do. Her coach actually ended up getting suspended for two games after getting upset with the referee.
Her parents were also upset, and started contacting the league and Hockey Alberta — the governing body for amateur hockey in the province.
But once again, said Byers, no one was willing to help them.
"We were told there was no sexual harassment in place," said Byers. "They pretty much said there was nothing they could do or that they were willing to do."
The incident left her shaken, but she refused to be scared off the ice. Her teammates and coach stuck by her side, walking her to the changeroom at games.
Kaitlyn Byers