All 22 members of Canada’s 2018 national junior hockey team will remain suspended from participating in the Olympics and world championships pending the completion of an appeal of the findings of Hockey Canada’s sexual assault investigation, the organization said Monday.
The announcement confirms a Globe and Mail report last week that the blanket suspension would remain in place against the entire roster, including players not accused of wrongdoing in the alleged 2018 incident. Police in London, Ont., laid sexual assault charges against five of the team’s players last week.
“Pending the completion of the appeal process, all players from the 2018 National Junior Team remain suspended by Hockey Canada, and are ineligible to play, coach, officiate or volunteer with Hockey Canada-sanctioned programs,” the organization said in a statement.
“The appeal process remains ongoing and out of respect for it and the legal process, we are unable to comment further at this time.”
The appeal relates to the findings of Hockey Canada’s investigation into the alleged assault, which is separate from the police investigation.
Hockey Canada has referred the findings of its probe to an adjudication panel, which is examining if players violated the organization’s code of conduct. The panel will determine what, if any, sanctions will be imposed in association with the incident.
London police chief apologizes to woman at centre of Hockey Canada sex-assault case
A young woman alleges that she was sexually assaulted by several of the team’s players in a hotel room after a Hockey Canada fundraiser in London in June, 2018. She reported the incident to police immediately, but an initial criminal investigation was closed without charges in 2019.
The police investigation was reopened in 2022. The five players charged with sexual assault last week are Michael McLeod and Cal Foote of the New Jersey Devils; Carter Hart of the Philadelphia Flyers; Dillon Dubé of the Calgary Flames; and Alex Formenton, a former member of the Ottawa Senators who has played the past two seasons in Switzerland. Mr. McLeod also faces a second charge of being a party to sexual assault.
Lawyers for each of the men have issued statements saying the players deny wrongdoing and will fight the allegations in court. All of them have taken leaves from their teams.
Members of the 2018 team not accused of wrongdoing must now await the completion of the appeal of Hockey Canada’s findings for the suspension to be lifted.
The 2024 IIHF World Championship, which begins May 10, is the next event that would be affected, were the suspension to stay in place.
National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman announced last week that the league would allow its players to return to the Olympics in 2026, for the first time in more than a decade. It is not expected that the suspension would remain in place until then, or that the appeal would take that long to resolve.
The NHL is also holding a four-nations tournament in 2025, with teams from Canada, the United States, Sweden and Finland. That event, run by the NHL, would not be subject to the blanket suspension.
In its statement, Hockey Canada reiterated the steps it has taken since the allegations came to light in 2022, after the young woman brought a $3.55-million lawsuit against Hockey Canada, the Canadian Hockey League and eight players, which was later settled for an undisclosed amount.
Those steps include requiring all national team athletes, coaches and staff to undergo enhanced screening and training on sexual violence and consent; implementing the recommendations from a governance review that called for an overhaul of Hockey Canada’s board and policies; and adopting a universal code of conduct to prevent maltreatment in sport.
“We are committed to being transparent and accountable to Canadians as we drive these important changes forward and empower victims of maltreatment to feel comfortable to bring forward their complaints in a process that is victim-centred and trauma-informed,” the statement said.
Grant Robertson