Johnny Garland was so closely identified with Westmount hockey, that the program he led for 34 years was informally known as "Johnny's League" from 1953 to 1987.
But sadly, Garland - who died in 2012 - allegedly sexually abused at least two boys who were devastated by the experience and now cope with great difficulty due to profound psychological trauma they were forced to endure.
Garland, as we have mentioned, was a lifelong bachelor who lived either alone or with his mother at Sherbrooke and Grosvenor.
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I have confirmations of two separate cases of sexual abuse, experiences which devastated the young men and deeply undermined their mental health and well-being.
One former player observed the culture Garland cultivated among the elite players.
Both victims were from good and caring families who also ended up sharing much of the terrible damage wrought by this awful selfishness.
Of course with those two stories sprouting from within a five year time-span, one must wonder about the possibilities of others in the other 29 years. Please write me if you have any other information at megaforce@gmail.com
But sadly, Garland - who died in 2012 - allegedly sexually abused at least two boys who were devastated by the experience and now cope with great difficulty due to profound psychological trauma they were forced to endure.
Garland, as we have mentioned, was a lifelong bachelor who lived either alone or with his mother at Sherbrooke and Grosvenor.
I have confirmations of two separate cases of sexual abuse, experiences which devastated the young men and deeply undermined their mental health and well-being.One former player observed the culture Garland cultivated among the elite players.
What I've heard is dark and deeply disturbing,. I've heard these rumours periodically for 20 plus years.
The most persistent rumours I've heard involve a great athlete; easily the best hockey player in my age group in Westmount. He probably had the talent to go pretty far. He was also known as being one of John Garland's favourites. However, he basically disappeared from the Westmount sports scene when I was about 13 years old. He was in drug rehab at 14 years old.
I recall a story from when I was playing Atom hockey. In our first game after the Christmas/New Year's break, a few kids on my team talked about having gone to a New Year's Eve party of John Garland's place. I specifically recall that they talked of being served alcohol and getting drunk. These were 10-year-old boys. As far as I could tell, there was no other adult supervision at the party. In and of itself this would prove nothing other than that he may have had poor judgment, but the story has always stuck with me because even as a 10 year old it seemed creepy to me.I have since received confirmation that the individual described was indeed sexually molested and have separate confirmation of a similar story with a slightly older victim involved.
Both victims were from good and caring families who also ended up sharing much of the terrible damage wrought by this awful selfishness.
Of course with those two stories sprouting from within a five year time-span, one must wonder about the possibilities of others in the other 29 years. Please write me if you have any other information at megaforce@gmail.com