Rankin Inlet (Nov 08/06) - A volunteer hockey coach is fighting his two-year ban from all Hockey Canada sanctioned events after being accused of smoking marijuana at a territorial championship in Rankin Inlet.

Stanley Porter, of Gjoa Haven, accompanied his community's entry to the 2006 Nunavut midget territorial hockey championship as a coach and chaperon.

Hockey Nunavut president Dale Smith of Cambridge Bay takes a stern view of inappropriate behaviour by coaches and chaperons involved with Nunavut's minor hockey players. - Darrell Greer/NNSL photo

Claiming to have seen Porter smoking dope in the athletes-village area of Simon Alaittuq school, an event supervisor alerted the Rankin Inlet Minor Hockey Association (RIMHA).

The association hosted the event.

Porter was confronted shortly afterwards by RIMHA president Justin Merritt and vice-president Ron Roach.

Merritt said he asked Porter if he'd been smoking weed in the school.

"His first response was to deny it, but then he admitted it and said he had a problem," said Merritt.

"He said he was addicted to it and couldn't leave the stuff alone. You could still smell it off of him when we arrived."

Roach said there is no doubt in his mind Porter knew what he was being asked.

"He was asked straight forward if he was smoking drugs in the school and he admitted to us that he was," said Roach.

"I was right there for the entire conversation between them (Porter and Merritt) and the bottom line is he said he was smoking it in the school.

"This is the way it goes too often here. Nobody takes responsibility for enforcing the rules and when you do it, you're called a liar."

Porter, 22, has a different recollection of what happened at the school.

He said he was smoking a cigarette by the door of the school when, the next thing he knew, he was being accused of smoking drugs.

"It all happened so fast, I wasn't sure what was going on," said Porter. "First a supervisor is accusing me of smoking dope in the school and then two guys are asking me questions.

"I'm like, what's going on here? I told them I smoke dope, yes. I'm addicted to it like some people are with cigarettes, or whatever. But I didn't smoke it in the school. I didn't smoke any while I was in Rankin."

Porter said he thought the matter was settled and was shocked to receive a suspension letter seven months later.

He said nobody told him a complaint was filed and, when he returned to Rankin for the Junior C program, everything seemed normal.

"Donald Clark (Junior C coach) never said a word to me about it, neither did anyone else, then I receive a letter telling me I was suspended."

Hockey Nunavut (HN) was made aware of the incident - listed as a major infraction under its conduct and discipline code - within 72 hours via a fax from Merritt.

The letter was also sent to Sport Nunavut.

Hockey North did not deal with the matter until its AGM in Iqaluit this past September.

Zone president Dale Smith of Cambridge Bay said the two-year suspension is binding across Canada.

"The suspension will be recorded in the registry of Hockey Canada," said Smith.

"Mr. Porter can still play pickup hockey, but cannot participate at a sanctioned HN or Hockey Canada event, in any capacity, for two years."

Smith said a number of factors came into play in regards to the time it took for Porter's official letter of suspension to be issued.

He said Merritt presented the RIMHA letter again at the AGM and inquired as to why the board still had not acted upon it.

"I was not president of HN the first time the letter was submitted, so I'm not comfortable commenting on it.

"It's my understanding the police were never notified because the host association didn't want that kind of bad publicity at the time.

"It was felt the matter was best dealt with internally at the zone level."

Smith said HN expects to hear from some parents, now that the incident has been made public. He said parents can be assured that HN has zero tolerance for this type of behaviour.

"Hockey is all about developing good character and we will not allow coaches or chaperons to damage that by giving kids the impression this type of behaviour is acceptable," Smith said.

"We expect everyone to live up to the contracts, or code of conduct, they sign to take part in these events.

"We take these matters seriously, as the suspension in this case shows."