NHL players get ruled out as suspects: Hockey Canada is called to release alleged sexual assault report

Last week, the National Hockey League was advised of a lawsuit involving sexual allegations filed against eight unnamed members of the 2018 Canadian World Junior hockey team. A woman who alleged she was sexually assaulted by eight Canadian Hockey League players, including members of Canada’s gold medal-winning 2017-18 World Junior team, agreed to drop a lawsuit against the players, Hockey Canada, and the CHL after reaching a settlement. Per TSN’s Rick Westhead, the woman, whose allegations are detailed in court records filed in Ontario Superior Court in London, Ont., on Apr. 20, claimed she was assaulted by players for hours while intoxicated in a hotel room following a Hockey Canada Foundation gala and golf event in the city in June of 2018. The players were not identified in court documents and the allegations were never proven.

Over the weekend, NHL journalist Ken Campbell spoke with Brian Bartlett, who represents Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar, and Bartlett defended his client. According to Campbell, the agent informed him that not only was Makar not involved in the alleged sexual assault that took place in 2018, but added that his client had cooperated with the investigation into the matter. Other players were also ruled out, following Campbell’s research:

When the report came out, one reporter, Laurie Couture-Dallaire decided to research which players attended the golf tournament and exposed them on social media.

According to her, from the roster, 19 of the 22 players were present at the tournament. Per her observations, Victor Mete, Jordan Kyrou and Kale Clague are absent from the event.

The victim, now 24, also alleged in the statement of claim that Hockey Canada was made aware of the alleged assaults and failed to investigate or sanction the players involved. And former NHL player and abuse survivor Sheldon Kennedy cannot believe it and says Hockey Canada should publicly disclose the findings of its investigation into these allegations.

“My question is why does Hockey Canada feel this is not important for the public to know?” Kennedy said in an interview with TSN.

“These players who were allegedly involved, John Does 1 to 8, were at the Hockey Canada awards gala. These are the young men who are the elite of the elite. In today’s world, how is it that not one of those eight players had the courage or the care or the clarity to stand up and say, ‘No. This is not happening.’ Even if some of them did not participate, they were bystanders. Why didn’t anyone say anything? There was this fear to stand up and say, ‘We better not do this, guys.’”

“Covering it up, burying it, and saying, ‘No comment’ when people ask about this is not the way to handle this,” Kennedy added. “You would think we have learned this by now.”

Once the report was made by TSN on the agreed settlement, the NHL confirmed that it would conduct its own investigation of the allegations.

According to Westhead, two people familiar with the matter said that because many players on the 2017-18 Canadian World Juniors team had already signed NHL contracts by June of 2018. The investigation could be tricky.

Kennedy now leads the Respect Group, an organization dedicated to ending abuse, harassment, bullying and discrimination. Back in 1996, Kennedy revealed that he had been repeatedly sexually abused by coach Graham James while playing in the Western Hockey League during the 1980s. He’s been fighting to help victims and expose assailants. That why he wants the investigation findings and recommendations to be made public.

“Hockey Canada commissioned a report to find out what happened, and in my world, a report is something meant to educate so you can learn from it moving forward,”

Some star players - after all this situation allegedly involves eight unnamed members of the 2018 Canadian World Junior hockey team - could be exposed and will hopefully face consequences for their actions.

Let’s see if Kennedy’s word is heard.