Harvard is making changes to its women’s hockey program after allegations of player abuse

Harvard is trying to improve the culture of its women’s hockey program following the retirement of longtime head coach Katey Stone. Harvard athletic director Erin McDermott said the school is trying to improve the program months later reported that there was a culture of obfuscation and exploitation under Stone.

Former players accused Stone of verbal abuse, tolerating hazing rituals and pressuring them to return from injury before they were ready. Stone never addressed the allegations directly, but he retired in June after 27 seasons on the job.

In a statement, McDermott said the women’s team never “promoted a culture of hazing,” but the school is taking steps to ensure incidents of mistreatment are no longer an issue in the future.

“Our current women’s hockey team has not fostered a culture of hazing,” McDermott said in a statement. “However, it is clear that some of the traditions of the past few years have been experienced differently by different people and not everyone was happy to express their concerns about that activity or program. Now we have an opportunity to end team traditions that are harmful to team culture and that are against the norms of our community.”

Reports of player abuse under Stone included shady rituals such as “Naked Skate” and “Initiation Week”. Following these and other allegations, Harvard hired an independent law firm to conduct an investigation, but the results have not been made public.

Stone took over the women’s hockey team in 1994 and led the Crimson to an overall record of 523-284-58. Under Stone’s watch, Harvard won seven ECAC titles and one national championship in 1999.

Despite the program’s historic success under Stone, Harvard did not record an NCAA Tournament win in his last seven years on the job.