Cale Makar comments on alleged 2018 Hockey Canada incident.
Cale Makar, who was a member of Canada's 2018 World Juniors team, sounds off on the recent scandal.
It's hard not to feel bad for Colorado Avalanche star defenseman Cale Makar in this situation.
For months now the hockey world has been consumed by a story involving a number of players from Canada's 2018 World Junior Championship squad, a squad that Makar was himself a part of. A number of players from that team stand accused of sexual assault and in fact later today London, Ontario police are expected to make a number of announcements in that regard.
Makar however has never been accused or alleged to have been involved in the incident, but in spite of that he has been forced to face questions on the topic due to his involvement with the team itself. Last week, the National Hockey League All-Star was once again asked about the ugly situation, and Makar once again stressed that he was in no way involved in the alleged incident.
“It’s tough. I’ve been told not to comment on that ongoing investigation. I’ve been straightforward from the start. I wasn’t there,” said Makar as per the Denver Post. “It was a very fortunate bounce to not obviously be a part of something like that. I’m just going to leave it to the people who are handling the work right now. I can’t stress enough that I wasn’t part of that.”
It's not just his reputation that has suffered as a result of this scandal either. Makar revealed that he was unable to participate in the IIHF's World Championship in 2023 as a result of the ongoing investigation, this again in spite of the fact that Makar has not been accused of being involved in the alleged incident.
“It was a little bit weird,” Makar said. “I wasn’t eligible to play in that. Even having that in the back of my mind and it not being possible, it was tough. At the end of the day, actions have consequences. That’s kind of what I was taught growing up, regardless of the that situation that’s going on now. I’m just going to defer back to what’s been said. I don’t know too much of any of the details.”
Makar, like many of us, will no doubt be watching today's announcement from London, Ontario police very closely.