Parents of young player who died struggle to find answers within hockey's code of silence
When I was approached about this story, I was reluctant.
Not because it wasn鈥檛 compelling, it was. I was reluctant mostly because I knew it would be emotionally difficult and because it was about a teenage boy who played AA rep hockey.
Every day I look at my teenage son. I run him to the hockey rink, I take him to team dinners, team building events and tournaments. I engage with other hockey parents and his coaches. I live the exact same sport parent life that Susan and Greg Teague were living with their son Ben in 2019.
My teenage son also plays rep hockey. I have witnessed positive coaching and great experiences in the sport and cultural practices that involve alcohol at sporting events.
When we met with Susan and Greg in December 2022 to hear their story, I looked around their warm home. Their Christmas tree was up, they had photos of their youngest son Ben gathered on the shelf, they were putting together a wall of family photos.
This would be the fourth Christmas they wouldn鈥檛 have with Ben, who died suddenly at a team building camp with his hockey team in September 2019.
When W5 met with Ben Teague's parents in December 2022, it would be the third Christmas they wouldn't have with their son. (Supplied photo)
We interviewed Susan and Greg separately. Susan was nervous. She told us she wanted to make sure that what happened to Ben didn鈥檛 happen again and that the culture of 鈥榳hat happens on the team stays within the team鈥 stops. She wanted to keep investigating to find out what happened to her youngest son.
Greg spoke on camera for well over an hour, a conversation that allowed him to share his fondest moments of Ben, as a six-year-old learning to skate, and his darkest moment learning that Ben had passed. The process of interviewing parents who have lost a loved one is deeply moving and never fades.
The Teagues have mounted a great effort. They have independently interviewed many of Ben鈥檚 teammates with their parents and have learned that at the 2019 camp there was a party, allegedly with drinking, vapes, and drugs in electronic vaporizers called dab pens and that the boys had all chipped in.
She also learned there was a maze at the camp where in the previous year the senior boys chased the rookies naked in a game of manhunt and that, in 2018, Ben had won.
FRUSTRATION OVER INVESTIGATIONS
They are frustrated with the police investigation, the medical investigation, and what they see as the lack of accountability by coaches. They say they believe that valuable evidence has been lost in the more than three years since Ben died.
While working through the visual elements we鈥檇 need to tell this story, I asked the Teagues if they had been to a hockey rink together since Ben had died. They hadn鈥檛. It took them great courage to do that for this story.
I felt it would be too triggering for them to enter a rink where Ben would have played so we found a location in another city. We stood back to let them take in the empty rink we had rented.
The parents of young Ontario hockey player Ben Teague have been searching for answers since he died while at a team retreat in 2019. The mystery about what happened and the code of silence in hockey culture is explored in 'What Happened to Ben'
A week or so later, I realized I would need visuals of a teen player skating on the ice, I knew we鈥檇 want to capture images that represent Ben鈥檚 jersey, his stick, his skates.
I realized how valuable those memories are of their son and that Ben鈥檚 Oakville Ranger鈥檚 uniform should not be worn again.
I asked my teenage son, who, like Ben, plays defence, if he would help me with these shots and that he could wear just a plain jersey -- no logos, no numbers.
He said, 鈥淥f course mom.鈥 I showed him Ben鈥檚 picture and a video clip of Ben skating. He said 鈥淢om, he鈥檚 really great.鈥 I said, 鈥測es.鈥 It wasn鈥檛 lost on either of us that on Saturday when this episode airs, we鈥檒l be in an arena at a playoff game.
Watch W5's documentary 'What Happened to Ben" on CTV, Saturday at 7 p.m.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Israel launches strikes on military targets in Iran, escalating Mideast wars
Israel pounded Iran with a series of airstrikes early Saturday, saying it was targeting military targets in retaliation for the barrage of ballistic missiles the Islamic Republic fired upon Israel earlier this month. Explosions could be heard in the Iranian capital, Tehran, though there was no immediate information on damage or casualties.
Canada Post driver Rick Harper recounts how he and others helped save a woman from a Tesla that caught fire after crashing into a guardrail on Lake Shore Boulevard.
An abrupt goodbye to a guerilla goldfish aquarium beneath a leaky Brooklyn fire hydrant
A makeshift aquarium that popped up this summer in a puddle beneath a leaky fire hydrant in New York City has been paved over, to the dismay of neighbours who turned the area into a hangout spot and goldfish shrine.
Scotiabank confirms outage for mobile, online banking resolved
Scotiabank has confirmed outages affecting mobile and online banking services, according to a statement published to its X account.
Mother who beat and starved her 5-year-old son to death sentenced to over 50 years in prison
A New Hampshire woman was sentenced Friday to 53 years to life in prison in the death of her 5-year-old son, who was beaten, starved and exposed to drugs before his 19-pound body was found buried in a Massachusetts park in 2021.
Pizza inadvertently infused with THC sickens dozens in Wisconsin
Pizza inadvertently laced with THC has apparently sickened dozens of people in Wisconsin.
'Get away from your inner circle': Liberal MP 'shocked' PM didn't take more time to reflect on calls to resign
Longtime Liberal MP Wayne Long says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should give more weight to the views of his backbenchers in determining his future leading the Party, rather than relying on those in his immediate orbit.
Mom and child jumped from a window to escape a Las Vegas fire that killed 2 children and 2 adults
Two adults and two children were found dead in the charred rubble of a house fire after a mother and another child jumped from a third-floor window to escape flames in a southwest Las Vegas neighborhood, authorities said.
Four arrested in Poland over alleged plot to send explosives via courier to Canada, U.S.
Polish authorities have arrested four individuals they allege planned to send parcels containing camouflaged explosives and dangerous materials to Canada and the United States, according to Poland鈥檚 government website.
Local Spotlight
A new resident at a Manitoba animal rescue has waddled her way into people's hearts.
Hundreds of people ran to the music of German composer and pianist Beethoven Wednesday night in a unique race in Halifax.
He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.
A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.
Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.
A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.
A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.
A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.
Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.