WINNIPEG - Former NHLer Sheldon Kennedy and ex-junior hockey player Greg Gilhooly both plan to be in a Winnipeg courtroom today to witness the sentencing hearing of their one-time junior hockey coach, Graham James.
James pleaded guilty in December to repeated sexual assaults against two former players, Theo Fleury and a man who cannot be named under court order.
Fleury has said he won't attend, though his victim impact statement will be entered at court and he will hold a news conference in Vancouver to talk about the case.
"I have already moved past and I am the victor over sexual abuse," Fleury told The Canadian Press earlier this week. "My sole focus and sole purpose in my life — and for the remainder of my life — is to support other victims who have come forth, or are yet to come forth, and have started the journey and the path to healing."
Gilhooly had also levelled accusations against James, but those charges were stayed. Despite that, Gilhooly said he wanted to be at today's hearing to face James for the first time in 30 years.
He said it's important to him to prove to himself that James has no power over him anymore.
Kennedy, who previously saw James serve a 3 1/2-year sentence for his abuse, said he wanted to be at the hearing to support Gilhooly.
But he also predicted in front of a Senate committee on Tuesday that James won't do more jail time.
Kennedy was appearing before the committee to support proposed new mandatory-minimum sentences for sex offences against minors.
He said he expects James to receive a conditional sentence.
"You know, Graham James is going to walk — again. That's not right."
Gilhooly has said he's steeling himself for that possibility.
"In many ways Graham is no different than (serial child killer) Clifford Olson, except that Graham decided to leave his victims alive at the very end after doing what he did with them," he said.
"Graham is a serial pedophile, who picked and chose his victim, and then moved on to the next, and the next, and the next. If our court system believes that the sentence he received the first time is adequate, I say the court system is an ass."
Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version wrongly said Gilhooly was a former NHLer.
© The Canadian Press, 2012