Author of the article:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Published Jul 24, 2025 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 4 minute read<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n You can save this article by registering for free here<\/a>. Or sign-in<\/a> if you have an account.<\/p>\n By Daniel Rainbird<\/p>\n Advertisement 2<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Exclusive columns by Ryan Stelter, Paul Friesen, Ted Wyman, Scott Billeck, Lorrie Goldstein, Warren Kinsella and others. Plus newsletters: Gimme Stelter for your beat on the city, The Exit Row for all your Jets news and On the Rocks for curling.Unlimited online access to Winnipeg Sun and 15 news sites with one account.Winnipeg Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.<\/p>\n SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Exclusive columns by Ryan Stelter, Paul Friesen, Ted Wyman, Scott Billeck, Lorrie Goldstein, Warren Kinsella and others. Plus newsletters: Gimme Stelter for your beat on the city, The Exit Row for all your Jets news and On the Rocks for curling.Unlimited online access to Winnipeg Sun and 15 news sites with one account.Winnipeg Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.<\/p>\n REGISTER \/ SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.<\/p>\n THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an Account<\/p>\n or<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n The five former members of Canada\u2019s world junior hockey team were acquitted in the high-profile London, Ont., sexual assault trial Thursday, but the jury is still out on whether or not they\u2019ll be able to resume their NHL careers.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Recommended Videos<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n A few hours after the judge\u2019s decision, the NHL said Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube and Cal Foote would be ineligible to play while the league reviews the findings.<\/p>\n The NHLPA responded that its players should \u201chave the opportunity to return to work.\u201d<\/p>\n The players were found not guilty of all charges in an encounter with a woman in a hotel room seven years ago, Ontario Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia ruled.<\/p>\n The NHL stated the allegations in the case were \u201cvery disturbing,\u201d even if not deemed criminal. The league also called the behaviour of the players \u201cunacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cWe will be reviewing and considering the judge\u2019s findings,\u201d the statement read. \u201cWhile we conduct that analysis and determine next steps, the players charged in this case are ineligible to play in the league.\u201d<\/p>\n The NHLPA said ruling the players ineligible while the NHL further evaluates the case does not align with the terms of their collective bargaining agreement.<\/p>\n \u201cDillon Dube, Cal Foote, Alex Formenton, Carter Hart, and Michael McLeod were acquitted of all charges by Justice Carroccia of the Ontario Superior Court,\u201d the NHLPA\u2019s statement read. \u201cAfter missing more than a full season of their respective NHL careers, they should now have the opportunity to return to work. The NHL\u2019s declaration that the Players are \u2018ineligible\u2019 to play pending its further analysis of the Court\u2019s findings is inconsistent with the discipline procedures set forth in the CBA.<\/p>\n The Winnipeg Sun’s Daily Headline News<\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cWe are addressing this dispute with the League and will have no further comment at this time.\u201d<\/p>\n McLeod, Hart, Dube and Foote were active NHL players at the time of their 2024 arrests, which came days after all four players were granted leave from their clubs. Formenton, an Ottawa Senators draft pick, has not played in the NHL since 2022.<\/p>\n At the time of the incident in 2018, Formenton had played one NHL game, while Foote, McLeod and Dube had brief stints with their clubs\u2019 American Hockey League affiliates.<\/p>\n While the NHL\u2019s review is taking place, experts believe it\u2019s possible players will eventually return to the NHL ice.<\/p>\n Ann Pegoraro, a sport management professor at the University of Guelph, said the NHL has not often come down hard on cases of sexual assault or domestic violence.<\/p>\n Advertisement 5<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n She added that teams would evaluate whether the benefits of a player\u2019s talent outweigh the risks of fan backlash and potential loss of sponsors.<\/p>\n \u201cHockey has a very different culture and has a lot more, I would say, latitude in the way that they look at individuals\u2019 personal behaviours,\u201d Pegoraro said. \u201cDo I think they\u2019ll end up back on teams? I think if their skills are good enough, some teams _ not all teams \u2014 but some teams will look the other way and put them back on rosters if they can contribute to the team.\u201d<\/p>\n Though the players were not convicted, their reputations may still carry the weight of the allegations, said Richard McLaren, a law professor at Western University and a longtime member of the International Court of Arbitration for Sport.<\/p>\n Advertisement 6<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve seen that in many sexual harassment type situations, and it doesn\u2019t just disappear because the case is over,\u201d said McLaren, who\u2019s also a labour and commercial arbitrator and mediator with McKenzie Lake Lawyers LLP.<\/p>\n There are recent examples of people returning to the NHL despite being at the centre of sexual assault controversies.<\/p>\n In 2022, the Edmonton Oilers signed Jake Virtanen to a professional tryout less than two months after the former Vancouver Canuck was found not guilty in a sexual assault trial in Vancouver. The Oilers ultimately released Virtanen, who resumed his career in Europe.<\/p>\n Stan Bowman and Joel Quenneville \u2014 the general manager and head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks scandal in 2010 \u2014 are both back in the NHL after failing to act on Kyle Beach\u2019s claims that video coach Brad Aldrich had sexually assaulted him.<\/p>\n Advertisement 7<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Bowman became the Oilers GM last year and Quenneville was hired as head coach of the Anaheim Ducks in May. Both needed to be reinstated by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.<\/p>\n The NHL did suspend Los Angeles Kings defenceman Slava Voynov for the entire 2019-20 season and playoffs after determining he committed acts of domestic violence.<\/p>\n While Hart and Formenton did not play professionally during the 2024-25 season, McLeod and Dube spent last season in the Kontinental Hockey League, playing for teams based in Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.<\/p>\n Foote, meanwhile, played a season in Slovakia.<\/p>\n McLaren said those countries are more removed from scandals surrounding the accusations, while NHL teams are more likely to consider the optics.<\/p>\n Advertisement 8<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cThey operate a lot like businesses or corporations these days,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re going to look at how a player\u2019s history is going to affect the sponsorship organizations at the club level as well as at the NHL level. Also, the community relations that clubs have with their community are important.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd what the impact of all this would be on their ticket sales. Those would be the kind of things that they\u2019d be looking at.\u201d<\/p>\n Mac Ross, a fellow at Saint Mary\u2019s University who researches sport and communication, said American teams are more likely to consider signing a player than in Canada, where the story has been under a sharper spotlight.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019d face a lot more scrutiny from the Canadian public,\u201d he said. \u201cI think they probably could play again. And especially if you consider that the vast majority of the NHL is in the United States, there\u2019s a pretty significant cultural shift going on down there where the rights of women are under attack.\u201d<\/p>\n This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2025.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Share this article in your social network<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Breadcrumb Trail Links PMN Author of the article: Published Jul 24, 2025 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 4 minute read You can…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21846,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[433],"tags":[49,48,448,82],"class_list":["post-21845","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nhl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21845","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21845"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21845\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21846"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21845"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/6882b2a3612ae83333601c7ejpeg.jpg\")
A composite image of five photographs show former members of Canada’s 2018 World Juniors hockey team, left to right, Alex Formenton, Cal Foote, Michael McLeod, Dillon Dube and Carter Hart as they individually arrived to court in London, Ont., Wednesday, April 30, 2025. Photo by Nicole Osborne \/THE CANADIAN PRESSArticle content<\/p>\n![\"Winnipeg](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/19.1.5\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-wsun-new.svg\"){kind=logo}
<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/19.1.5\/websites\/images\/newsletters\/icon-sun-headlineNews.svg\"\/){kind=icon}
<\/p>\n