SJHN Daily: Sharks Sued for Child Abuse Cover-Up

The San Jose Sharks are being sued for covering up a Jr. Sharks coach’s alleged grooming and sexual abuse of his players.

According to San Jose Spotlight, “At the center of the allegations is Kevin Whitmer, a former San Jose Jr. Sharks hockey coach who the lawsuit accuses of inappropriately touching players under the guise of medical evaluations, asking for photos of kids’ bodies and taking them to the locker room alone in April 2021 at the Sharks Ice skating rink — the official training facility for the National Hockey League team.”

The family of a 12-year-old is alleging “direct abuse” by Whitmer, while other Jr. Sharks parents complained to the organization about Whitmer.

The lawsuit also states that a Sharks Ice employee was ignored and fired after raising concerns about Whitmer to management.

San Jose Hockey Now has reached out to the Sharks for comment. The Sharks released this statement about Whitmer in November.

“We were made aware that a former Jr. Sharks youth hockey coach has been arrested by the San Jose Police Department. This individual has not coached in our program since May 2023 and none of these extremely serious allegations were brought forth to our organization while he was involved with the program. All of the coaches in our youth programs are pre-screened and SafeSport Certified as required by the governing body USA Hockey, and undergo a criminal background check. The safety and well-being of all of our youth participants and their families is our top priority and we intend to cooperate fully and completely with any investigation into this matter.”

SJHN Daily: Ex-Jr. Sharks Coach Kevin Whitmer Arrested for Sexual Assault on Minor

Anyone with information about this case or similar cases is asked to contact Detective Zanotto #3657 of the San José Police Department Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce via email: 3657@sanjoseca.gov or 408-900-6564, or Sergeant Pierce at 408-537-1397 or 3415@sanjoseca.gov.

Submit crime tips and remain anonymous by using the P3TIPS mobile app, or by calling the tip line at (408) 947-STOP. If the information you submit leads to an arrest, you are eligible for a cash reward from the Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers Program

AT SAN JOSE HOCKEY NOW…

San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier shared his thoughts on a wild NHL trade deadline, which included…

A blockbuster deal sending star forward Tomas Hertl to the Vegas Golden Knights for a package including prospect David Edstrom and a first-round pick.

A goalie swap with the New Jersey Devils which sent Kaapo Kahkonen to the Garden State and Vitek Vanecek to San Jose.

Anthony Duclair being traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

And defensemen Nikita Okhotiuk and Radim Simek found new homes in Calgary and Detroit respectively.

Sheng liked what he saw from the San Jose Sharks at this year’s trade deadline.

Logan Couture told San Jose media that he is done for the season, and his focus has shifted towards playing hockey again at all.

IN OTHER SHARKS NEWS…

The San Jose Sharks trading Tomas Hertl to the Vegas Golden Knights sent shockwaves across the hockey community.

Many around the hockey world are annoyed with the Golden Knights’ usage of LTIR to make blockbuster deals like the Hertl deal.

I hate the Vegas Golden Knights pic.twitter.com/sP464n9IR8

— Ryan Whitney (@ryanwhitney6) March 8, 2024

The Athletic’s Jesse Granger said that Vegas’ bold strategy for roster construction deserves some respect.

Hertl gave Sharks fans a heartfelt thank you for his time in San Jose.

Sheng rated all of San Jose’s trade deadline moves for NBC Sports Bay Area.

AROUND THE NHL…

The first-place Florida Panthers bolstered their already deep roster with Vladimir Tarasenko and Kyle Okposo without having to give up any major assets.

Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas said a “major makeover” is set to happen in the Steel City this summer. It started with Jake Guentzel getting sent to Carolina.

The New York Rangers were one of the winners of the day with savvy moves to add to their depth.

Boston Bruins goalie Linus Ullmark reportedly nixed a trade to the Los Angeles Kings.

The Athletic provided grades for every move made at this year’s NHL trade deadline.

Sending Sean Monahan to the Winnipeg Jets a month before the trade deadline ended up paying off for the Montreal Canadiens.

The Chicago Blackhawks stayed quiet at the trade deadline, but could they start wheeling and dealing in the offseason?

A year and a half removed from a promising-looking re-tool, the Calgary Flames sold hard at the trade deadline.