Five Canadian hockey players, including four current NHL players, were charged with sexual assault by police in London, Ont., on Tuesday. The arrest comes after a years-long police investigation stemming from allegations at a Hockey Canada benefit event in 2018 that have since shocked not only the NHL but Hockey Canada as a whole. giving.
These investigations may be focused on this alleged 2018 incident, but the investigation reveals the rabbit hole goes much deeper and Hockey Canada is rotten to its core. Became.
The following contains detailed descriptions of sexual assault that may be difficult for some readers.
What allegedly happened in 2018?
On June 18, 2018, Hockey Canada hosted a charity golf event in London, Ontario, attended by members of the Canadian team that won gold at the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.
A woman, whose name has not been released, met the athlete at the hotel bar shortly after the event. The player, referred to in court documents as “John Doe 1,” is said to have given the woman multiple drinks throughout the night, reaching a state of extreme intoxication..
The woman returned to John Doe 1’s room and the two allegedly engaged in sexual activity. Shortly after, John Doe 1 allegedly left the room without the woman’s knowledge or consent and returned with four other players. Over the next several hours, John Does 1-5 allegedly sexually assaulted her, prevented her from leaving her room, and demanded that he videotape her in the shower, claiming she was sober. she insists.
On June 19, the day after the alleged incident, the woman claims she reported what happened to Hockey Canada. The investigation into what happened is still ongoing at this point, but there are reports that Hockey Canada has reported the incident to police and has also launched an independent investigation.
Who are the players participating?
As of now, the names of five players have been announced.
- Dillon Dube (Calgary Flames)
- Cal Foote and Michael McLeod (new jersey devils)
- Carter Hart (Philadelphia Flyers)
- Alex Formenton (formerly ottawa senator)
All five players have denied any wrongdoing.
Hockey Canada’s response and government investigation
The complainant in the 2018 incident claimed his report to Hockey Canada was ignored, but there is also evidence that it was escalated to police. However, London police closed the investigation in early 2019 due to a lack of evidence to continue the investigation.
In April 2020, the woman filed a lawsuit against Hockey Canada and the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) stemming from the incident, and TSN resolved the lawsuit in April 2022 before the organization went to court. He reportedly agreed.
The settlement launched a broader investigation into Hockey Canada as a whole. Although Hockey Canada is not directly run by the government, most of its funding comes from taxpayer dollars. In June 2022, Sports Minister Pascal St-Onge called for a parliamentary inquiry to find out whether tax money was used to settle sexual assault cases.. As part of this fact-finding investigation, it was revealed that Hockey Canada diverted player registration fees into a $15 million “national equity fund” that was used directly to settle a long-standing sexual assault lawsuit without attracting attention. Became. of the government or Hockey Canada’s insurance company.
Since the fund was established in 1989, a total of 21 different sexual abuse lawsuits are said to have been settled using the fund’s $6.8 million.
Hockey Canada, which caught the attention of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, insisted it would no longer use the fund to resolve sexual abuse cases. This happened after a number of sponsors decided to pull advertising with Hockey Canada and government funding for the organization was stopped.
On August 6, 2022, Hockey Canada President Michael Brind’Amour resigned. This was followed in September by CEO Scott Smith and the entire Hockey Canada board of directors.
The positions of Ms. Brind’Amour and Ms. Smith will be permanently replaced in July 2023 by Katherine Henderson, Hockey Canada’s first female president and CEO. Following this, the Canadian government said it was satisfied with the steps the organization had taken to rectify the Hockey Canada issue. Funding was resumed after sponsors returned to the organization after sexual abuse within Hockey Canada became an issue.
What is happening now?
The five players named are currently facing criminal trials and are widely expected to no longer be members of their respective NHL teams, although the organizations have not publicly commented on the arrests.
The NHL has not released a statement, but commissioner Gary Bettman is scheduled to speak as part of NHL All-Star weekend, where he will comment on the arrests and whether the NHL has a plan to combat sexual abuse. Inside a sport that is supposed to be pressurized.
