CHICAGO, IL - JUNE 15: Patrick Kane #88 of the Chicago Blackhawks stands on the ice and acknowledges the crowd after his team defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-0 to win Game Six of the 2015 NHL Stanley Cup Final and the Stanley Cup at the United Center on June 15, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)

Two years ago, it was Semyon Varlamov, arrested after allegedly having assaulted his then-girlfriend. Prosecutors eventually dropped the domestic violence charges when they couldn’t prove them beyond a reasonable doubt.

Then it was Slava Voynov, arrested and charged with a felony count of corporal injury to a spouse. He would plead “no contest” to domestic violence charges and get 90 days in jail, along with a prolonged suspension from the NHL.

Most recently it was Patrick Kane, currently under investigation by Buffalo police after being accused by a local woman of sexually assaulting her in his home.

Through the years, it’s been dozens of other players at every level of competitive hockey with similar charges and accusations. (Read the list -- it's shocking.) The words “hockey” and “rape culture” have become regrettably synonymous in the minds of many fans.

None of this is unique to hockey, and all of it seems to run counter to what we assume organized sports can, or should, accomplish with young men: Instilling discipline; preaching selflessness; establishing some semblance of morality, or at, a minimum, humanity.

The NHL and the NHLPA try to play that role with their players. They offer substance abuse rehabilitation. They offer counseling. They offer any number of support services throughout each season, and every preseason they offer guidance to players on how to conduct themselves as celebrities, role models and representatives of the league.

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“A specialist will come in and speak about identity theft and fraud, and stuff like that. So, how to protect yourself,” said a current NHL player, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “A group of guys come in and talk about substance abuse, things you can do to have teammates watch out for. Things you can and can’t take.”

But what, if anything, does the league tell these players about rape? About sexual assault? About domestic violence? Does the League do enough? Does it have an effective approach?

“A lot of time, they’ll talk about social issues like that. They have a lot of research available for you,” said the player. “But that specifically – sexual abuse – there’s not a whole lot of conversation about that.”

SCARED STRAIGHT

The first time the NHL and the NHLPA address players about sexual assault and domestic abuse is during rookie orientation camps for top prospects in the summer. According to another current NHL player, that’s where the most in-depth discussions on sexual assault and violence take place.

But the glut of that orientation is dedicated to the leap they’re about to make from junior league players to millionaire pros – about the financial and security issues in front of them, as well as the services available from the league and the PA regarding substance abuse and other aspects of mental health.

Once they enter the NHL, players revisit these issues every preseason in two different seminars presented by the league and the Players’ Association. (We asked both for materials related to these briefings, and both said there weren't any to share as they're "discussions.")

The first challenge in these early season meetings: trying to engage with an audience whose minds are on other matters, or still in offseason mode.

“It’s tough. It’s one of those things that is part of the CBA. Guys, to be real honest, aren’t real excited about that. Usually it’s at the end of a practice day or between game days or at some point during the season,” said one veteran player, again speaking on the condition of anonymity. “There’s usually a whole lot of other things on your mind, it’s one of those things you know is important but at the same time it’s mandated by the league and the PA so you have to go and everybody approaches it differently. But it’s one of those things that you’re not super excited to go to.”

The NHL presentation during training camp is handled by League or team security officers – usually ex-cops, gruff and matter-of-fact about the issues at hand.

(We’ve also heard some teams bring in detectives and district attorneys to speak to the players.)

This presentation is sort of a “scared straight” thing – talking about law enforcement and consequences, and presenting the players with some common sense guidelines to life. (For example, if you’re still at the bar at 2 a.m., there’s probably no good that’ll come from it.) Many of the topics are evergreen; some are stressed more than others depending on the news of the day.

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