On Saturday, Sport Express ran an interview between reporter Evgeny Belousov and Russian forward Yaroslav Alexeyev. In the interview, Alexeyev discusses hazing rituals in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League that include sexual assault.

Please note that this story contains explicit details that some readers may find upsetting.

Now playing for Saimaan Pallo in Finland, Alexeyev discusses his previous experiences in the QMJHL, including his playing performance and his hosting billet family.

Then the conversation turns to hazing. Alexeyev describes ritualized humiliation and sexual abuse towards the team’s younger players. As translated by RMNB’s Igor Kleyner:

Sport Express: What other rough stuff was going on in Canada? Alexeyev: Oh, the most important one: the rookie party. I was smart to pay off right away for twenty dollars. Then they handed out to all rookies adult diapers, and they wore them at home for the whole day, but that was just the beginning. The first round — everybody drank five beers, and then the last one had to do five shots of vodka. The worst was yet to come, they made everybody put a cookie in their anus and race around the building. During the race the older guys jumped out of the bushes and pushed people in the back. The last one had to eat his cookie. And in the end — they forced everybody. Sport Express: What else? Alexeyev: I really didn’t like the party the next year. They put every guy in a g-string, gave them a little crown, and gathered everybody in a small shack. One of the older guys put on a black apron, a bandit mask, cleaning gloves, he had a broom with a condom on the end of the broomstick. He called everybody one at a time, and shoved the broom up the guys ass, so that he would scream and frighten everybody else. Such inadequate nonsense.

Alexeyev played for the QMJHL’s Sherbrooke Phoenix in the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons before moving to Baie-Comeau Drakkar for 2018-19.

There has been no comment from Sherbrooke or the QMJHL as of publication time.

Alexeyev, 20, remains eligible for the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.

If you need to speak with a trained professional about sexual abuse, you can call RAINN at any time at 800.656.HOPE (4673) or chat online.

Headline photo: Vincent L.Rousseau / Phoenix de Sherbrooke