Graham James Graham Michael James ( born February 7 , 1952 ) is an ice hockey coach best known for his conviction , incarceration and pardon for sexually abusing two of his former players : one unnamed victim and retired NHL player Sheldon Kennedy . Several other former junior hockey players , including retired NHL player Theo Fleury , have filed complaints with police in Manitoba and Alberta alleging sexual assaults by James when he coached them . In 2010 , James was living in Guadalajara , Mexico . Biography . Early life . Born on Prince Edward Island , Canada on 7 February 1952 , he played hockey until about the age of eighteen when he stopped due to asthma attacks . He graduated from university , and worked as a substitute teacher in St . James - Assiniboia School Division 2 , Winnipeg , Manitoba , and began his coaching career . Between 1979 and 1983 he coached Junior A Hockey , including the Fort Garry Blues with whom he won the Manitoba provincial title . In 1984 , he was head scout for the Winnipeg Warriors of the Western Hockey League , and recruited two future National Hockey League players to the team , Theoren Fleury and Sheldon Kennedy . The team later relocated to Moose Jaw as the Moose Jaw Warriors , and in 1985 James was hired as head coach for the team . He was the coach and general manager of the Swift Current Broncos from 1986 – 1994 , leading them to two WHL titles in 1989 and 1993 . The team also won the Memorial Cup in 1989 , and in the same year James was named Man of the Year by The Hockey News . He was also coach of the Broncos when four of its players were killed when the team bus overturned on December 30 , 1986 . In 1994 , James became the part owner , head coach and general manager of the expansion Calgary Hitmen . He resigned during the 1996 - 97 season and was replaced by Dean Clark . Sexual abuse . In 1996 , Sheldon Kennedy and unnamed other player came forward with complaints about sexual abuse they had suffered between 1984 and 1995 , and in November 1996 , James was charged with sexual assault . On January 2 , 1997 , James pleaded guilty to 350 sexual assaults against the two players , and was sentenced to three and a half years in jail . He was paroled in 2001 . The players referred to whomever James targeted as " Graham ' s new favorite . " James was charismatic and consistently successful as a coach . Even during his investigation , he was able to secure character references from respected hockey persons and former players . James had an unpredictable personality ; on the surface appearing to be a ' players ' coach , ' but often going to great lengths to ruin the sports experience of many young hockey players who had fallen out of his grace . Parents and hockey management preferred to ignore the rumors concerning James ' private life . He claimed that his relationship with Sheldon Kennedy was consensual and it was not illegal or immoral . In 1999 , a civil lawsuit against James , the Canadian Hockey Association , the Western Hockey League and other hockey organizations was filed by an unnamed victim of James and his parents . It was settled out of court in 2003 . James was given a lifetime ban from coaching by the Canadian Hockey Association . When the CHA learned that James was coaching in Spain , it complained to European ice hockey officials , and he was fired . His subsequent whereabouts were unclear , though there were some rumours that he was living in Montreal . In May 2010 , he was located by the media living in Guadalajara , Mexico . In a memoir entitled " Playing with Fire " NHL player Theo Fleury alleged that from the age of 14 James had molested him for years during his time on the Moose Jaw Warriors team . On January 6 , 2010 , Fleury filed a criminal complaint with the City of Winnipeg police . " I have been reflecting on this a long time , " said Fleury . " I wanted to make the biggest impact on preventing this kind of thing from happening in the future . " Three other of James ' former players have also filed police complaints ; investigations have been made but no further charges have been laid . Pardon . On April 4 , 2010 , it was revealed in the media that James had been issued a pardon by the Canadian National Parole Board in 2007 . News of the pardon only came to light when an unidentified Winnipeg man brought an allegation of abuse against him . The pardon provoked outrage , and have led to proposed changes to the Canadian pardon system .