For Martin's father, Imants,
"Martin has become the Monument and his destiny
of making a difference in the lives of others lives
on by becoming intertwined with the legacy of the Monument."
Just
One Person
Martin Arnold Kruze
Quilt squares
and writing on the column below are contributed by
survivors victimized by the men of the sex ring working
out of Maple Leaf Garden's from the late 1960's up
to the mid 1980's.
Martin's Hope
Martin Arnold Kruze
1962-1987
Speaking at the "Men
of Courage Conference" Dr. Irving stated, "I
am proud to have cast Martin's hand, sculpt his
portrait and provide him a kind of immortality through
the monument as is happening for all of the brave
monument participants. "
In the1960's through
into the 1980's a "sex ring" operated
out of a variety of sports venues and schools in
Toronto. These cowards inflicted harm on children
from every walk of life. Most were twelve or thirteen
at the time of their assaults.
Martin Arnold Kruze
was one of the children groomed and taken in by
this sex ring. At 32 years old he was one of the
first courageous men to break the bond of shame
and go the the Garden's officials with the tragic
story of innocence stolen from him in childhood.
He was seeking some way to deal with the ongoing
suffering it left him with.
Initially Martin Kruze settled with
Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment in 1993 for
$60,000 in an agreement that also forced him into
the silence of confidentiality about being molested
by Hannah and Stuckless. Martin continued to suffer
with the pain of child abuse and depression.
Breaking
the Silence
After Swift Current
Broncos' coach Graham James' conviction of molesting
Sheldon Kennedy Martin changed his mind about keeping
his abuse hidden. Speaking out seemed like the best
way to move forward and reach out to help and protect
others. In February 1997 Martin Kruze told the world
that he had been sexually abused as a youth at Maple
Leaf Gardens.
Martin wanted to help
others deal with the pain they had suffered and
he wanted to raise awareness about abuse. “If
I can help just one person, he would say, “Then
I’ll have done my job.” In stepping
forward Martin Kruze initiated the falling of a
cascade of dominoes that prevented the harm to many
other children and helped many survivors of this
sex ring to come forward and seek help.
The media response
was unprecedented. Soon 60 men and two women came
forward to the police to tell the secrets that they
had pledged never to tell. Many lives were profoundly
touched in ways that Martin would never know. The
story began to unfold of a ring of perpetrators
at Canada's Hockey Shrine providing hockey pucks,
sticks, memorabilia, game and concert tickets and
access to the back rooms of Maple Leaf Gardens to
little boys in return for sex.
There were claims that
Gordon Stuckless, John Paul Roby and George Hannah
and the sex ring they were associated cruely touched
the lives of hundreds more children at a variety
of sports settings in Toronto.
I am reaching out
to save the children
of the future.
Brian
HOUSE OF PAIN
The House of Pain is where it began
Feeling the pain of another man’s hand.
Stolen trust ripped from our souls
made us lose our self control.
Bring back that child that was hurt so bad
Make him believe he could be a good lad!
Derrick B.
CHILDHOOD CRIES
Childhood cries cannot be heard
Reaching out for a whole new world
The pain inside will never go away
Make me believe in tomorrow, today.
Power and trust is what was broken
If I had the knowledge, I would have spoken.
Time has passed, how can it be
That I have no life, I have no dreams.
Life to me seems so unreal
Reaching out, only to feel
The boy inside is no longer real
Derrick B.
MY FRIEND, MY HERO
My friend,
my hero
Climb out of your shell
Make us believe
We’re not in hell
You’re the one who cleaned the ice
Because of you, I’m full of life
I thank you, Sir
I will never forget
The man who gave
The Gardens fits!
God Bless you Martin. We all
thank you and will never forget
the inspiration you showed us.
God Bless!
Derrick B.
An
Incomprehensible Sentence
Martin wrote in his
victim impact statement for Stuckless's sentencing
hearing: "I've been full of anger, rage, guilt,
shame, loneliness, terror and self-hatred"?
The damage Stuckless did to scores of children was
appalling. Stuckless was sentenced to less than
two years imprisonment for a conviction of abusing
24 youth. Martin, like many victims of child abuse,
was devastated by the low value that seemed to be
placed on the loss of his childhood and innocence.
Distraught by the wrongfully light sentencing Martin
Kruze jumped to his death off the Bloor Viaduct
three days later.
Martin paid the ultimate
price with his life. The cost of abuse is high in
so many ways. Martin's last words to his partner
Jayne, who saw his torment in adult life, was that
he was going for a long walk and a final, 'I love
you.'
Imants Kruze, Martin's father looks at his son's
memorial portrait sculpted by Dr. Michael C. Irving
Kruze
Family Responds
Martin’s family
put out a short statement and asked that it be placed
on the Monument web site:
“The family
is devastated over the loss of a wonderful son and
brother. It is a tragedy that should never have
happened.
We are extremely
proud that Martin came forward to tell his story
about his years of sexual abuse and that he was
able to help so many other people come forward to
tell their stories and begin to deal with their
own tragedies.
In the end, we
feel that Justice was not served and unfortunately,
Martin paid the biggest price of all – with
his own life.”
The Kruze
Family
Grooming
Vulnerable Children
The tragedy is that
the family let Martin Arnold go downtown to the
Garden's because they though it was a particularly
safe and inspiring place for young boys to spend
time at. The family was strongly interested in their
three boy being immersed in sports -- hockey, basketball
and soccer. At the time, the doors of the Maple
Leaf Garden's premises, as a "Hockey Shrine",
were like Churches of the time never locked.
Around age 13 Martin
was introduced by his older brother to the incredible
access to the Gardens, he got pulled into the allure
when experienced "grooming" staff promised
him a tryout with the Maple Leaf's junior team,
the Marlies. In an interview before his death Martin
stated,
"I kept coming
back because I wanted that Marlie tryout. I kept
coming back because I could get onto the Leaf
bench ... I was a pedophile's dream,"
The Maple Leaf's equipment
manager George Hannah groomed Martin in the Leaf's
dressing room during and after games with praise
of calling him his "Number 1 boy." Martin
got to sit in Ballard's private booth and watch
the games with Hannah. The boys were selectively
privileged to skate on the Toronto Maple Leaf ice
after games or early in the morning.
The allure of being special at Canada's Hockey Shrine
was intoxicating for young boys in the 1960's and
1970's.
Martin Reaches
Out To Dr. Irving
Martin met Dr. Irving in the spring
of 1997 at a press conference to launch the CAST
booklet "When a Child or Youth is Sexually
Abused... A Guide for Youth, Parents and Caregivers."
Martin was acknowledged in the booklet and was actively
working to raise money for more printing runs.
Over several conversations Martin
saw the Monument as something he could instantly
become part of and that would be a vision for change
for generations to come. The monument was bigger
than life and would definitely make a difference
in the lives of other. To Martin the Monument was
a vehicle to inspire others.
Early on Martin booked for a quilt
square workshop for the fall. Unfortunately the
workshop start time was close to Stuckless's sentencing
hearing. Martin called Dr. Irving and said he was
too stressed to attend the upcoming workshops and
could he begin his sculpting his quilt square after
the hearing was over. Sadly Martin never was able
to attend a Monument quilt square workshop.
Pray's Freedom
Kruze Family
Contact Dr. Irving
After his death by suicide the Kruze
family approached Dr. Michael Irving and said Martin
was greatly inspired and impressed by what he saw
as, "An epic memorial monument Dr. Irving was
creating." The family requested that Martin's
wish of being part of the "Reaching Out Child
Abuse Monument" be fulfilled.
Dr. Irving arranged for making a
death mask of Martin through a cast of his hand.
Martin's brothers, Gary and Ronald, assisted Dr.
Irving in taking the cast of Martin's hand while
Martin was resting in the casket. His brothers spent
the morning speaking to Martin while Dr. Irving
was carrying on Martin's wish of being part of something
that would live on. Later the brothers were to say,
"It was the most profound experience of their
lives."
It would take another two years for
Dr. Irving and Martin's father, Imants, to design
a monument quilt square appropriate to Martin's
vision and legacy. Dr. Irving engraved the message
Imants chose, "Martin's Hope" and sculpted
a portrait from a special family photo of Martin
in a visionary pose.
Derrick B. credits Martin Kruze's courage with helping
him to come out and heal from the wounds of Maple
Leaf Gardens
"We were trying to find the right kind of response
to the problem of child abuse at Maple Leaf Gardens.
It is an important reminder to us of the problems
that happend at Maple Leaf Gardens, but I think the
second part of it is the unique power of the monument.
All of those squares talk about really disturbing
stories and yet for me, and most people looking at
it, the impact of the monument is one of inspiration.
Ken Dryden
Reaches Out to Kruze Family
At the time of Martin's death Ken
Dryden had only recently become President of Maple
Leaf Sports and Entertainment. The flag was lowered
at Maple Leaf Gardens. Ken Dryden phoned the Kruze
family from the USA and took the courageous step
of asking the Kruze family if he could attend the
funeral, which he did.
A few weeks later Dryden had an already
scheduled meeting with Dr. Irving about the Child
Abuse Survivor Monument Project. He asked the Kruze
family to attend this meeting with Dr. Irving as
a way to exploring bringing about some good from
the terrible loss and tragedy at hand.
Maple Leaf
Gardens' Forum on Child Abuse
A key idea for the Monument Project
was to find in road events and activities into the
community that will further child abuse healing,
awareness and prevention. These concepts coalesced
with the desires of the Kruze family. Further agencies
and groups addressing concerns of abuse were brought
into ongoing meetings over the next few months with
the result of a variety of innovative initiatives
being undertaken.
Monument staff were principles in
organizing a two-day Martin Arnold Kruze Memorial
Forum at the Gardens the following Spring. The Forum
included seminars on abuse and information for parents,
teachers, coaches and children. Over a hundred organizations
came from coast to coast across Canada.
A major display of the "Reaching
Out Child Abuse Monument" was the feature exhibit
filling a third of the ice space of Maple Leaf Gardens.
At the Forum a special press conference
was held by the Maple Leafs Management and an official
apology from the owners and heads of the organization
was given to the Kruze family.
A forum in memory of Martin
Kruze was held at Maple Leaf Gardens to get people
to talk about the terrible crime of child abuse.
Our voices and stories must be heard. Derek D.
SHATTERED
My trust has been…
My faith has been…
My belief in most humans has been…
My love for myself has been…
My will to live at times has been…
My desire has been…
My faith in justice has been…
My dignity has been…
My family has been…
Most of all my childhood memories
Have been… SHATTERED
Derek D.
At a two day Forum in memory of Martin Arnold Kruze
Derek Dukalow comes out about his terrible experience
of sexual abuse as a boy at Toronto’s Maple
Leaf Gardens and encourages others to do the same.
"Reaching Out Child Abuse Monument" Quilt
Squares
and Information Highlights at the
Martin Arnold Kruze Memorial Forum
In Memory of Martin Arnold Kruze
as a Hero by Derek Dukalow
With broken bones, cuts and
scraps, the pain goes away and the bones mend
in a short period of time. With child sexual abuse,
the pain and emotional scars sometimes never go
away and you never forget about it; EVER!!
Children are our future. We
must do whatever it takes to protect them from
all types of predators and dangers that are out
there and even right here next to us.
Martin, you are my hero, my
strength, my reason to carry on the fight to bring
awareness of child sexual abuse. If it was not
for you I can say that I probably never would
have come forward about what had happened to me
so many years ago. There is not a day that goes
by that I don’t think of you with great
admiration and yet sorrow at the same time to
see such a great and powerful man die so young
and tragically.
I can say I have felt your
pain to some degree. I have been to that point
of no return, but fortunately or unfortunately
which ever you want to look at it, I was unsuccessful.
It was a pleasure just to have known you, even
though it was only for a short period of time.
GOD BLESS YOU MARTIN KRUZE.
Garden's Survivors
Join Dr. Irving
My hand is strong so you can't see
the fear of the child inside of me,
So touch my hand and feel my pain,
And promise to never let it happen
again.
Allan
For Allan his hand represents being free to admit
what happened at Maple Leaf Gardens. It is his way
of putting something out to say, "I am here."
His quilt square was made in a workshop with other
survivors from the Maple Leaf Garden’s sex abuse
tragedy.
The Hand
A hand of wax
A hand of clay.
Making it takes
Some of the pain away
A hand of bronze
Or steel or gold
Keeps the memory young
As we grow old.
The hands around me
That form this quilt,
Are hands of strength
Not hands of guilt.
We stood up
For those who can’t
A brother, a sister,
An uncle, an aunt.
So touch my hand
And feel my pain
And promise to never
Let it happen again.
Allan
The next winter a group of men
who had been abused as children at the Maple Leaf
Gardens attended healing arts workshops in Dr.
Irving's studio. They made sculpted quilt squares,
writings and poetry that can be found in the column
on the right side of this web page.
The Garden's survivor became active
volunteers in Dr. Irving's studio and have made
important contributions to seeing the "Reaching
Out Child Abuse Monument" become a reality.
Dr. Irving painting patina on cast paper
edition of Martin Kruze sculpted quilt square.
Bronze cast of Martin Kruze quilt square
on "Reaching Out Child Abuse Monument"
Hockey Community Responds
Martin Kruze and Sheldon
Kennedy spoke out together at a number of functions
including the Oprah Show.
Canadian Hockey organizations
have have shown remarkable strength in directly
responding to the concerns of abuse.
Toronto Maple Leaf
Sports and Entertainment have provided a variety
of types of participation, support and sponsorship
of child abuse awareness and prevention activities
and programs.
When the Maple Leaf
Gardens officially closed in 1999 Larry Tanenbaum
had to courage and vision to offer a donation of
10 percent of the proceeds of the auction of historical
memorabilia from the Maple Leaf Gardens to the "Reaching
Out" The Child Abuse Survivor Monument.
Larry Tanenbaum at the "Reaching Out
Child Abuse Monument display on the ice
of Maple Leaf Gardens
In response to the abuse
of hockey player Sheldon Kennedy, the Canadian Hockey
League had the courage to bring a variety of Canadian
experts together to create an in depth report that
is of value to sports and youth organizations in
protecting children against abuse.
Martin Kruze first broke the silence and told
police and Canadians about the sexual abuse of young
boys at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens. It was
a revelation that shocked the hockey community and
eventually lead to Martin Kruze’s death.
Sheldon Kennedy at the Maple Leaf Gardens exhibit
of the Child Abuses Survivor Monument art, poetry
and information highlights. After his skate across
Canada, Sheldon donated an incredible 1 million
dollars to Canadian Red Cross Abuse Prevention Services.
Michael painting the patina
on Sheldon Kennedy's cast
paper quilt square. The squares has a map of
Canada with the route of Sheldon's skate along with
the question, "Are we there yet?"
A
disturbing but honest account of the sexual abuse
at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, told through the
story of Martin Kruze.
Cathy
Vine and Paul Challen tell the story of Martin Kruze,
one of the victims of sexual abuse at Maple Leaf
Gardens in the 1970s. In 1997, in a dramatic TV
interview, Kruze revealed that as a young hockey
player he had been sexually abused at Maple Leaf
Gardens by Gordon Stuckless, an employee at the
Gardens. Stuckless was eventually convicted and
sentenced to two years less a day in prison. Three
days after the sentencing, Martin Kruze jumped off
a bridge to his death.
Kruze’s
story is interspersed with the voices of other victims,
who were compelled by Kruze’s disclosure to
come forward with their own stories.
This
powerful and moving account is both an expose of
a shameful chapter in the history of Canadian sport
and a testament to the human spirit.
Derek Dukalow holds back tears about being sexual abused
as a boy at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens at a
forum honouring Martin Arnold Kruze.
Kathy Vine
Martin
Kruze Remembered Cathy Vine, M.S.W., November 15,
1999.
On
February 18, 1997 Martin Kruze stepped forward and
told Canadians across the country that he was a
survivor of sexual abuse. This kind of telling is
rare for survivors. Some tell a trusted friend,
family member, or therapist--the majority never
tell anyone. Instead, the oath of silence consumes
them from within, absorbing their thoughts and weighing
down their hearts for lifetimes.
What
was it about Martin Kruze that compelled him to
take the unusual step of speaking out? What was
it that set him apart from so many, and in particular,
beckoned the media to his door?
We
need to ask these questions and attempt their answers
so that we can continue to learn from Martin Kruze,
Survivor--as he so proudly called himself--and the
many women and men to whom Martin spoke most directly
when he came forward. Although others have spoken
publicly about their victimization--former NHL player
Sheldon Kennedy revealed his abuse just a month
before Martin--the media response to Martin's words
was unprecedented.
Was
it because the media cared about the sexual abuse
of yet one more young person? Perhaps. Was it more
likely that they responded in such force because
of the setting in which the abuse took place? Without
a doubt. In February 1997, Martin Kruze told the
media that Gordon Stuckless and George Hannah had
sexually abused him as a youth at Maple Leaf Gardens.
Martin then told them that he did not want his identity
protected as is the usual practice. Instead, he
hoped that by putting himself forward, others would
feel encouraged to do the same.
Pictures
and stories flashed across the country through newspapers,
magazines, television and radio. Canadians were
shocked that this kind of gross misconduct could
have taken place in their cathedral of hockey--the
repository of everyone's dreams about getting close
to, if not experiencing, fame and success through
the national pastime. A visit to Maple Leaf Gardens
was like stepping into the dreamworlds of many Canadian
children and adults, for it epitomized the aspirations
of anyone in our country who had ever handled a
hockey stick.
Along
with shock and outrage, disbelief and criticism
greeted Martin's revelations as well. Some questioned
the veracity of his telling: Could this really have
happened? How could it have gone on for so long?
Years earlier, Martin had sued Maple Leaf Gardens
and reached a financial settlement with them. What
was he doing coming forward now?
Thousands
of Canadians who themselves have endured sexual
abuse shook their heads in recognition, relief,
admiration and fear, for here it was, once again,
all of the attendant ugliness of sexual abuse being
raised out of the depths of silence. When you don't
tell, the only judge you have to face is yourself.
When you do tell, you become the lightning rod for
everyone's discomfort, apprehension and blame.
The
media's obsession with this news story veered along
several tendencies: celebrating Kruze's courage,
questioning the integrity and circumstances surrounding
his allegations and lambasting the management of
Maple Leaf Gardens. As the airwaves and print media
stamped out the news updates, a chain reaction was
beginning to take place across the country: hundreds
of men and a number of women were stopping in their
tracks because what they were hearing and seeing
in public was a mirror of their very own private
hells. Yes, they too had been abused by these same
men--and by others. One way or another,
Martin's
decision to make his abuse public compelled them
to do something about theirs. Hundreds stepped forward
and contacted the police, others told someone they
knew and still others lived a new version of their
secret. Whatever the decision, there probably isn't
one who didn't think about what exactly it would
have taken to step forward in the way that Martin
did.
And
this is what was so compelling about Martin Kruze.
He was a man of tremendous energy, strength, compassion
and conviction. He was also a man with a taste for
irony and humour. He was irrepressible and impatient.
His blond hair, sweet smile, dapper suit and polished
shoes were everywhere for a time.
Martin
was a man on a mission and it was a deceptively
simple one. Martin wanted to help others deal with
the pain they had suffered and he wanted to raise
awareness about abuse. "If I can help just
one person," he would say, "then I'll
have done my job." Martin did do his job. He
gave countless interviews and was forthright about
his abuse experiences and the effects on his life.
While
Martin's initial celebrity derived from his shameful
link to Maple Leaf Gardens, Martin's continued willingness
to express feelings and describe experiences so
rarely declared in public created a new kind of
celebrity--a hero for survivors. He was someone
who could have really been anyone. He talked again
and again about living with confusion, pain and
fear. He spoke about his addiction to drugs and
to sex. He spoke about feeling worthless and hopeless
and wanting to die.
To
this day, many call Martin Kruze their inspiration;
many credit him with saving their lives. While some
call him hero, others remember too well the dangers
of heroizing important people in their lives. Martin
was flattered by the attention and it meant a great
deal to him to be making a difference to others.
Inspiration and hope abounded.
When
the media flurry began to pass, he focused on what
he could do next to help. Martin Kruze became a
volunteer. He brought his energy and passion to
the Central Agencies Sexual Abuse Treatment Program
in Toronto and helped launch a handbook for parents
and youth coping with sexual abuse. "If I had
had this kind of information when I was younger,"
he said, "I would have had somewhere to reach
out to."
Martin
supported the Gatehouse in Etobicoke when it was
still a dream living in a broken building. His own
goal was to build a centre for abused boys. But
in the meantime, he made himself available to help
in any way that he could. He sent faxes of information
on sexual abuse to anyone who took an interest,
each arrival announced by his cover sheet: a giant
hand drawn 'happy face' placed under his title,
"Survivor". Martin created this role for
himself and he carried it out every day that he
could.
Along
with all of his life-charging qualities, however,
Martin was also a man who had been profoundly violated
and wounded. In spite of all that he continued to
do for himself and for others, and the clear benefits
of years of therapy and support, he still hurt.
Even though so many of us got to meet survivor Martin
Kruze through his interviews, television appearances
and volunteer work, we really only ever knew the
Martin that he invited us to know.
When
the high from his goodwill mission began to unravel,
he hid his troubles from the many who cared for
him, just as he had hidden his abuse for so many
years before. He could no longer numb or wash away
the hurt, let alone repair it fast enough to make
his life livable. The public persona, which so many
had come to admire, could not defeat the anguish
that he continued to endure so privately.
Throughout
the time he opened this window into his life, the
trial and sentencing of one of his offenders proceeded.
Once again, there was significant media attention
when an alarmingly short sentence was given to Gordon
Stuckless. Although Martin was only one of twenty-four
men whose victimization was being addressed through
this trial, many of Martin's fellow survivors felt
that the brevity of the sentence was an affront
to Martin in particular.
On
October 30, 1997, Martin Kruze committed suicide.
His departure was as public and as intentional as
his arrival had been. Hearts broke and the barely
mended lives of the men who were most affected by
him were shattered. As ugly and painful as the act
of suicide may be, it needs to be included in our
memories of Martin Kruze.
Martin
was only one of the many survivors who have found
themselves at suicide's door--and characteristically,
Martin did publicly what thousands have considered,
attempted or carried out privately. As a public
figure, Martin's death by suicide became front page
and lead story news. The media was responding to
Martin Kruze again. Any other survivor's death,
let alone daily plight, would likely have gone unnoticed
and unreported.
First
Martin Kruze needed to be heard. Now he needs to
be remembered. If we don't remember and learn from
a man who stepped courageously forward in all of
his goodness and brokenness, how can we acknowledge
and honour each and every child and adult, whose
lives are profoundly, quietly affected by sexual
abuse? Martin spoke about sexual abuse when the
silence surrounding it was deafening. Martin made
public what so many experience in shame and fear.
Martin
was one person who made a difference. His individual
efforts and actions were magnified a thousand times
through the media. Many others carry out their own
efforts each day, facing the same risks, and sometimes
experiencing the satisfaction of knowing that they
too have helped someone. Whatever the means and
aspirations, the personal costs can be tremendous.
Comprehensive
efforts and initiatives are needed to bolster what
survivors continue to do, often alone. They've already
lived alone with abuse for too long. The individual
and collective steps we keep taking to create greater
safety for children and survivors will be the truest
legacy of Martin Kruze.
Martin
Kruze Remembered by Cathy Vine, M.S.W., November
15, 1999.
Sick Perpetrators
John Paul Roby
Gordon Stuckless
In 1988, Stuckless pleaded guilty
to assaulting a boy and received a short jail sentence.
In 1989 the Garden's became aware Stuckless was
a convicted pedophile. When Stuckless was arrested
for abusing boys at Maple Leaf Gardens he on probation,
following 14 months incarceration for sexual assaults
in the early 1990's on several children in York
Region.
In 1997 Stuckless pleaded guilty
to 24 counts of sexual and indecent assault associated
with abuse at Maple Leaf Gardens and was sentenced
to 2 years less a day. There was Martin's suicide
and other public outrage about this ridiculous light
sentencing.
Sentence — Sexual offences
— Accused pleading guilty to 24 charges
of indecent and sexual assault — Offences
taking place over 30-year period and involving
boys between 10 and 15 years of age — Acts
involving oral sex and masturbation — Impact
on victims severe — Accused having purposefully
established relationships of trust with victims
for own sexual gratification — Trial judge
erred in principle in characterizing offences
as being at lower end of spectrum by virtue of
absence of force or violence — Trial judge
also erred in principle in concluding that general
deterrence had no role in sentencing of pedophiles
— Sentence of two years less one day and
three years' probation unfit — While fit
sentence would be total of six years' imprisonment,
sentence of five years' imprisonment imposed to
take account of eight months' pre-trial custody.
With this appeal ruling Stuckless's
sentence was increased to five years. After serving
two-thirds of his sentence he was paroled in February
2001, which was again followed by great public outrage.
Roby was convicted in 1999 of sexually
molesting 26 boys and one girl over a period of
three decades, more than half of the 57 charges
against him. While in prison he was declared a dangerous
offender, which allowed the Crown to leave him in
prison indefinitely. At 58 a pathetic Roby was found
dead in his cell at Kingston Penitentiary in Ontario.
George Hanna, a long time equipment
manager with the Toronto Marlboros, died in 1985
before the abuse came to public light. Even though
he was dead at the time of the Garden's trials the
courts found while convicting Gordon Stuckless that
at Maple Leaf Gardens Stuckless was:
...having the boys perform sexual
acts with each other in front of him and his Maple
Leaf Gardens supervisor, George Hanna, while he
and Hanna masturbated; having the boys perform
oral sex on George Hanna; and participating with
Hanna in group sex with the boys.
Kruze Family
Tackles Suicide Magnet
The Danforth-Bloor Viaduct Bridge
was becoming recognized as a "suicide magnet"
that had a high incidence of suicides. To give further
meaning to Martin's courage and struggles the Kruze
family worked diligently to see that a suicide barrier,
six crisis help phones and signage would be installed
at the Danforth-Bloor Viaduct Bridge.
Teresa and Gary Kruze appeared before
the Urban Environment and Development Committee
in connection the suicide project at the Bloor Street
Viaduct. They made submissions along with the Bridge
Committee of the Schizophrenia Society of Ontario
and the Bloor Viaduct Project Steering Committee
On May 11 and 12, 1999, the Toronto
City Council authorized an increase funding by $1.0
million for the Prince Edward Viaduct Suicide Deterrent
that would allow the $5.5 million project to proceed.
The Bloor Viaduct had averaged one suicide every
three weeks. No reported deaths have occurred since
the suicide barrier went up that the Kruze family
so diligently fought for on behalf of the memory
of Martin Arnold Kruze.
Danforth-Bloor Viaduct "Suicide Magnet"
protected by installation of Suicide Deterrent.
Abuse Still
Coming to Light
A decade after Martin came forward
men are still reporting abuse by the sex
ring working out of Maple Leaf Garden's in the
1970's.
Ten Year Anniversary
of Martin's Death
In recognition of Child Abuse Awareness
Month and in tribute to the memory of Martin Arnold
his Sister-in-Law, Teresa Kruze,
wrote, produced and narrated a sensitive one-hour
documentary show, Voice
of Courage – The Martin Arnold Kruze Story,
for OMNI1 in the fall of 2007. Martin's father Imants
provided remarkable archival super 8 film for this
documentary.