London, Ontario police have instructed five members of Canada’s 2018 world junior hockey team to surrender in relation to an alleged sexual assault following a gala event in London in June 2018. The accused players, including four who currently play professionally in the National Hockey League, have not yet been charged but are under a specified timeframe to turn themselves in.
The allegations arise from an incident in a London hotel room on June 19, 2018, subsequent to a Hockey Canada Foundation event. A woman identified only as E.M. asserted that she was assaulted by eight players during the event.
Originally closed by the London Police in 2019 without charges, the case was reopened in July 2022 due to public outcry. London Police Service sergeant David Younan recently filed a report to the Ontario Court of Justice, citing reasonable grounds to believe that five members of the 2018 world junior team committed criminal offenses.
Younan’s report detailed the alleged criminal actions, emphasizing E.M.’s explicit lack of consent. It also revealed an older man accompanying the Canadian players at a bar who allegedly encouraged the assault by pouring alcohol into E.M.’s mouth and instructing her to “take care” of the players. The report noted the victim’s discomfort and explicit requests to stop, followed by the players purportedly taking turns slapping her.
Hockey Canada, the governing body of Canadian junior hockey, reportedly settled civilly with E.M. for $3.55 million outside of court. This prompted scrutiny by Canada’s House of Commons into the organization’s use of “slush funds” for victim compensation, and subsequently, lead to the resignations of CEO Scott Smith, interim CEO Andrea Skinner, as well as the entire board of directors.
In the aftermath, Hockey Canada underwent significant changes, including the implementation of an Action Plan, the appointment of new CEO Katherine Henderson, and the selection of a new board. The organization faced strained relationships with provincial and regional governing bodies and the loss of major sponsors, such as Nike, Scotiabank, Bauer, Canadian Tire, and Tim Hortons. However, the Government of Canada resumed funding Hockey Canada in April 2023, and Bauer resumed sponsorship following Henderson’s appointment. Nike did not.
Although the names of the players ordered to surrender remain officially undisclosed, five professional hockey players from the 2018 Canadian world juniors team, four who currently play in the NHL, were put on indefinite leaves of absence this week: Cal Foote and Michael McLeod from the New Jersey Devils, Carter Hart from the Philadelphia Flyers, and Dylan Dubé who indicated that the leave was due to “mental health” concerns. Additionally, former Ottawa Senator Alex Formenton was put on leave from his Swiss club team to return to Canada.
NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daley has indicated that the league will not be making any statement at this time about the incident, but will remain in contact with the Ontario authorities.
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