Todd Tisdale shares his story of the alleged abuse he experienced as a young hockey player in 1986 (Photo Courtesy Derek Brade)

By Teagan Rasche

'It was quite traumatic'

Part One: Hatter shares story of alleged hockey abuse hoping to help other victims

Apr 12, 2022 | 2:28 PM

WARNING: THIS STORY CONTAINS GRAPHIC CONTENT

MEDICINE HAT, AB – As Todd Tisdale walks around an outdoor rink in Medicine Hat, he’s flooded with memories.

Todd grew up in Swift Current, Sask. and started playing hockey when he was just four years old. While he wasn’t the most gifted player, Todd had his eyes set on attending Athol Murray College of Notre Dame in Wilcox, Sask., following in the footsteps of his older brother Tim.

“They have better coaching, they’ve got better practices, they’ve got the whole system that creates NHL players,” Todd said.

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So in 1986, an apprehensive 15-year-old Todd arrived to a dorm room of 200 other teenage boys.

Todd says the decision to chase his hockey dreams at the school took a dark turn he is finally speaking publicly about.

“Hearing about all the hazing and stuff that goes on there, I was kind of wondering what I got myself into,” Todd said.

Todd says hazing started right away with punches to the chest and he claims it got progressively worse.

“I was forced to eat some of that Kraft Dinner which they made with their own urine,” he recalls. “Other stuff that had happened to me, I was choked until I passed out.”

But one of the most traumatizing incidents he says he endured at school was sexual.

“I was told to go into a room where there was already a boy standing there with his privates hanging out and this shoestring tied around them and they did the same thing to me, tied a string around my privates,” he said. “We were stuck in the middle of the room and we had to pull like a tug of war and not using your hands or anything, just using your privates and the first person to get their back to the wall was the winner. The winner got to go. The loser had to stay and endure more of that. It was quite traumatic.”

Todd says he would go to the nurse once or twice a week with bruises, scrapes and cuts.

“It was simply sluffed off so my parents were never notified,” he said.

Todd says the incidents all happened in the short six weeks he attended the school.

After leaving campus one night to go to his girlfriend’s place in Regina without permission, he was expelled but he remained quiet about what happened for several years.

“I never talked about it at all until I was about 24,” Todd said.

After suffering a nervous breakdown, Todd made two attempts over a five-year period to reach out to the school hoping for an apology but never got one.

“I struggle with depression for sure, I struggle with self-esteem, I struggle with trust, I have major trust issues,” Todd said. “I have trouble with relationships, employment.”

Todd launched a civil lawsuit against Notre Dame in 2018 and the school has declined to speak publicly as the matter is before the court.

If you or someone you know needs help, the Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services has toll-free talk, text and chat services available at 1-866-403-800.

In Part Two of this story, coming on Wednesday, we’ll hear from two of Todd’s classmates at Notre Dame.