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Friday, February 12, 1999
Maple Leaf Gardens' memories
The Maple Leafs' last game at historic Maple Leaf Gardens represents an opportunity to look back, to remember the good times of one's formative years.
But for some, any mention of the Gardens brings not joy, but intense pain. A group of unfortunate youths had their innocence ripped from them within the hockey shrine's hallowed halls.
The vast majority of the public blissfully was unaware of the horrifying sexual abuse that had taken place at the Gardens until a troubled but brave man by the name of Martin Kruze stepped forward in February 1997.
The years of mental anguish finally pushed Kruze, then 34, to talk to police. The story he told would forever change the way people looked at those faded yellow walls at the corner of Church and Carlton.
Kruze said certain Gardens employees regularly abused young boys from the mid 1970s through the early 1980s, luring them with promises of such things as free tickets, autographs and souvenirs. Kruze said he personally was abused from 1975 to 1982.
"Maple Leaf Gardens was a sex haven for pedophiles," Kruze said. "They robbed me of my innocence. It's time for me -- for my healing."
Longtime Leafs supporters and Gardens patrons felt waves of conflicting emotions upon hearing Kruze's allegations.
On the one hand, Kruze told a convincing tale, even going so far as to provide photographs of the Gardens rooms in which the attacks took place.
On the other hand, people simply didn't want to believe it. Thinking of the Gardens as a den of evil simply didn't mesh with most people's rose-coloured childhood memories. Even Gardens management and ownership didn't react particularly swiftly or sensitively when Kruze went public.
But Kruze and police had urged others with similar stories to come forward. The floodgates opened and the public was forced to deal emotionally with the reality of a tragic situation.
Dozens of victims emerged. Most had been 12 or 13 years old at the time of the attacks.
This couldn't be swept under the carpet any more.
The scandal led to charges against two longtime Gardens employees -- Gordon Stuckless and John Paul Roby -- and allegations that at least two other men, now deceased, were involved. Currently, two years after Martin Kruze first stepped forward, the legal battles still aren't over.
Most considered Kruze to be a hero. It was because of him that other victims gained the strength to face their pasts. In fact, it was Kruze's bravery in the face of obvious emotional distress that convinced some of the other victims that they simply had to speak out, to back up Kruze's story.
But Martin Kruze never felt like a hero to himself.
The sexual abuse of children goes far beyond physical trauma. Kruze's chaotic post-assault life was a virtual blizzard of drugs, alcohol and confusion. Like most sexual-assault victims, he was haunted by an unreasonable yet undeniable feeling of guilt.
Perhaps Kruze believed that if he stopped hiding his story, the pain would go away. Instead, his despair intensified.
It all became too overwhelming for Kruze on Oct. 30, 1997, just three days after Stuckless pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years less a day.
Kruze killed himself, jumping from the Bloor St. Viaduct.
Even though Ken Dryden hadn't been the Leafs president for very long, he asked the Kruze family if he could attend the funeral. In subsequent months, Dryden made the Gardens available as a meeting place for those who wanted to try to extract some good from a tragedy.
Various initiatives ultimately were undertaken. Prime among them was the two-day Martin Arnold Kruze Memorial Forum at the Gardens last September, featuring seminars on abuse and information for parents and coaches.
Also, in conjunction with the Canadian Centre For Abuse Awareness, a memorial fund has been created in Kruze's name. To make a donation, call 416-226-1635.
The fact Martin Kruze had to die to find peace has served as a reminder to everyone of the horrors of sexual abuse and the importance of the fight against it.
TOMORROW:
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Schedule of events:
Doors open 4 p.m.
Pre-game skate 5:55 p.m.
Pre-game ceremony 6:20 p.m.
Game start 6:40 p.m.
Post-game ceremony 10 p.m.
(Time of post-game ceremonies are approximate. There will a half-hour down time from the time the game ends to the start of the ceremonies.)