Florida takes 3-1 series lead into game 5 against Carolina
Florida Panthers (47-31-4, in the Atlantic Division) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (47-30-5, in the Metropolitan Division)
Raleigh, North Carolina; Wednesday, 8 p.m. EDT
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Panthers -127, Hurricanes +107; over/under is 5.5
STANLEY CUP SEMIFINALS: Panthers lead series 3-1
BOTTOM LINE: The Florida Panthers visit the Carolina Hurricanes in the third round of the NHL Playoffs with a 3-1 lead in the series. The teams meet Monday for the eighth time this season. The Hurricanes won 3-0 in the previous meeting.
Carolina has a 47-30-5 record overall and a 36-11-1 record in home games. The Hurricanes are ninth in the league with 266 total goals (averaging 3.2 per game).
Florida is 47-31-4 overall and 27-21-2 on the road. The Panthers lead league play serving 10.3 penalty minutes per game.
TOP PERFORMERS: Seth Jarvis has 32 goals and 35 assists for the Hurricanes. Sebastian Aho has four goals and four assists over the past 10 games.
Sam Reinhart has 39 goals and 42 assists for the Panthers. Aleksander Barkov Jr. has scored five goals and added five assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Hurricanes: 6-4-0, averaging 2.7 goals, 4.4 assists, 3.9 penalties and 8.8 penalty minutes while giving up 2.6 goals per game.
Panthers: 7-3-0, averaging 3.8 goals, 6.8 assists, 5.4 penalties and 18.3 penalty minutes while giving up 1.7 goals per game.
INJURIES: Hurricanes: None listed.
Panthers: None listed.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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CTV News
10 hours ago
- CTV News
NHLPA pushes back after NHL says five players acquitted of sexual assault ineligible
The NHL logo is seen on a goal at a Nashville Predators practice rink in Nashville, Tenn. on Sept. 17, 2012. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Mark Humphrey The five former members of Canada's 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'll be able to resume their NHL careers. A few hours after the judge's decision, the NHL said Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dubé and Cal Foote would be ineligible to play while the league reviews the findings. The NHLPA responded that its players should 'have the opportunity to return to work.' 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. The NHL stated the allegations in the case were 'very disturbing,' even if not deemed criminal. The league also called the behaviour of the players 'unacceptable.' 'We will be reviewing and considering the judge's findings,' the statement read. 'While we conduct that analysis and determine next steps, the players charged in this case are ineligible to play in the league.' 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. 'Dillon Dube, Cal Foote, Alex Formenton, Carter Hart, and Michael McLeod were acquitted of all charges by Justice Carroccia of the Ontario Superior Court,' the NHLPA's statement read. 'After missing more than a full season of their respective NHL careers, they should now have the opportunity to return to work. The NHL's declaration that the Players are 'ineligible' to play pending its further analysis of the Court's findings is inconsistent with the discipline procedures set forth in the CBA. 'We are addressing this dispute with the League and will have no further comment at this time.' McLeod, Hart, Dubé 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. At the time of the incident in 2018, Formenton had played one NHL game, while Foote, McLeod and Dubé had brief stints with their clubs' American Hockey League affiliates. While the NHL's review is taking place, experts believe it's possible players will eventually return to the NHL ice. 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. She added that teams would evaluate whether the benefits of a player's talent outweigh the risks of fan backlash and potential loss of sponsors. 'Hockey has a very different culture and has a lot more, I would say, latitude in the way that they look at individuals' personal behaviours,' Pegoraro said. 'Do I think they'll end up back on teams? I think if their skills are good enough, some teams — not all teams — but some teams will look the other way and put them back on rosters if they can contribute to the team.' 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. 'I've seen that in many sexual harassment type situations, and it doesn't just disappear because the case is over,' said McLaren, who's also a labour and commercial arbitrator and mediator with McKenzie Lake Lawyers LLP. There are recent examples of people returning to the NHL despite being at the centre of sexual assault controversies. 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. Stan Bowman and Joel Quenneville — the general manager and head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks scandal in 2010 — are both back in the NHL after failing to act on Kyle Beach's claims that video coach Brad Aldrich had sexually assaulted him. 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. 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. While Hart and Formenton did not play professionally during the 2024-25 season, McLeod and Dubé spent last season in the Kontinental Hockey League, playing for teams based in Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. Foote, meanwhile, played a season in Slovakia. McLaren said those countries are more removed from scandals surrounding the accusations, while NHL teams are more likely to consider the optics. 'They operate a lot like businesses or corporations these days,' he said. 'They're going to look at how a player's 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. 'And what the impact of all this would be on their ticket sales. Those would be the kind of things that they'd be looking at.' Mac Ross, a fellow at Saint Mary's 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. 'They'd face a lot more scrutiny from the Canadian public,' he said. 'I think they probably could play again. And especially if you consider that the vast majority of the NHL is in the United States, there's a pretty significant cultural shift going on down there where the rights of women are under attack.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2025. Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press
Winnipeg Free Press
14 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Calls for hockey culture change continue after decision in sexual assault trial
The spotlight on Canadian hockey culture dimming with the acquittal of five players of sexual assault charges is potentially part of the fallout from Thursday's verdict. Hockey Canada vowed in 2022 to tackle 'the toxic behaviour that exists in many corners of the game.' At that time, the organization was under fire for its handling of sexual assault allegations against members of the 2018 Canadian junior men's hockey team, and for using a portion of registration fees to settle lawsuits. Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dubé and Cal Foote were acquitted of all charges Thursday in courtroom in London, Ont. Four of the five were NHL players when they were arrested in 2024. The case had sent shock waves across Canadian hockey and reached the House of Commons, where members of Parliament grilled Hockey Canada executives on what they knew and did. Does all the talk of changing hockey culture get walked back with the judge's decision Thursday? 'The concern is that the community will see this decision, and they'll say hockey culture doesn't need to change, because these guys did nothing wrong,' said Greg Gilhooly, a lawyer and survivor of sexual abuse by hockey coach Graham James. 'The legal system doesn't address something more fundamental, and that's what should the guys have done in that room. If there's one thing that is undeniable, it's that in that room that night, there was an absence of leadership. There was an absence of character. Nobody said at any time, 'I don't care what she's saying, this is wrong. We need to be better than this. Stop.' 'Does a failure of character mean that someone should go to jail? It does not. The hope that I have is that coming out of this, hockey, and society at large, will realize that you need to think about your actions and avoid putting yourselves in situations like this and act with character, not act as the situation allows you to act. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.' When TSN reported the allegations and a civil settlement stemming from them in 2022, Hockey Canada's feet were held to the fire not only because players were at its gala on the night in question to celebrate the team's win in the 2018 world junior championship. The revelations lifted the lid on other hockey issues such as racism, hazing, discrimination and homophobia. Sponsors left Hockey Canada in the aftermath, but some have since returned. Scott Smith resigned as president and chief executive officer and was eventually replaced in 2023 by Katherine Henderson. Hockey Canada published a slate of reforms in 2022, including mandatory training for athletes and staff on sexual violence and consent. The organization held a 2023 summit in Calgary to address toxic masculinity in hockey, and another in Ottawa in 2024 analyzing unhealthy outcomes in hockey. 'The problem absolutely will be that coming out of this decision, there will be a reaction saying that 'Hockey Canada had it right all along, the board shouldn't have stepped down, these guys did nothing wrong,'' Gilhooly said. 'That's not what this decision says. This decision says those boys are not guilty of the crimes they've been charged. That's it. All of the good change that is taking place within the sporting community and society at large is good and it is needed and it needs to be emphasized and the change needs to continue. 'Absolutely, there will be a real fear now that that change won't be pressed forward as much as it should be.' Hockey Canada said Henderson wasn't available for an interview Thursday, and offered a list of changes and reforms enacted from its action plan. 'While important progress has been made since 2022, there is still more work to be done and we will continue to be transparent and accountable to Canadians as we drive systemic change within our National Winter Sport,' it said in a statement. The author of 'Crossing The Line; Violence and Sexual Assault in Canada's National Sport' was at the courthouse in London. Laura Robinson's 1998 book examined sexual assault and hazing in junior hockey culture. 'I don't think much has changed,' she said. Robinson points out that while men are involved in decision making around women's national teams, the coaches and managers Hockey Canada assigns to the men's under-20 teams are exclusively male and from junior men's leagues. 'If Hockey Canada really wanted to really change things, you need to have a change in leadership everywhere,' Robinson said. 'Is there no woman in Canada who could coach or be on the coaching staff at Hockey Canada for the world juniors or at the Olympics? 'I'm sure they're going to have women with the women's team, but it's the guys that need to change. We don't have this happening with female athletes.' A 2022 open letter to Canada's sports minister and a parliamentary committee signed by 28 sport academics from 21 universities stated 'sexual violence and misogyny are deeply rooted problems in men's ice hockey.' Thursday's decision didn't alter Toronto Metropolitan University associate professor Laurel Walzak's belief that culture change is needed in hockey. 'I'm still really concerned as I was in 2022, probably the same concern,' she said. 'I signed the letter as a very concerned person related to hockey in Canada. 'I go back to this letter and I feel like another letter needs to be written. We can copy and paste it, actually. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. 'We need to continue to keep a really close eye on Hockey Canada from a national level, provincial level, local level, all the levels and questioning what's happening. We cannot forget the amount of money that Hockey Canada had in its power to be able to hide and keep things secret.' An advocacy group for abuse survivors in sport stated Thursday's legal decision 'risks reinforcing the very culture of silence and impunity that survivors of sexual violence in sport have long fought to dismantle.' 'We are concerned this verdict will have a chilling effect,' said Athletes Empowered managing director and former gymnast Amelia Cline in a statement. 'Survivors watching this case unfold may now feel even more reluctant to speak up, fearing that their pain will be minimized, their experiences invalidated, and justice nearly impossible to achieve.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2025.
CTV News
14 hours ago
- CTV News
Gasps and tears in courtroom as former junior hockey players found not guilty
Hugs, tears and sighs of relief filled a London, Ont. courtroom as five former members of Canada's junior hockey team on trial for sexual assault were found not guilty. Family members of the defendants filled the first row of seating in courtroom 21, while Justice Maria Carroccia read her opening remarks. She said the complainant in the case, known as E.M., did not present credible testimony and that prosecutors could not meet the onus of proof for the charges against Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube and Callan Foote. When those remarks were made, family members of the defendants audibly gasped and tears began flowing. As the verdicts were being read, McLeod and Hart's mothers could be seen in the front row of the courtroom holding hands. All five players pleaded not guilty to sexual assault after an encounter that took place in a London, Ont., hotel room in the early hours of June 19, 2018. Years of speculation regarding the allegations — fueled by a lawsuit settlement, parliamentary hearings and revived investigations by the police and Hockey Canada, along with an NHL investigation — all preceded a complex trial earlier this year that included a mistrial and the dismissal of the jury, leaving the verdict to Carroccia. Over the course of about five hours, Carroccia explained her reasoning for the acquittals in detail, highlighting the complainant's 'tendency to blame others' for inconsistencies in her allegations. 'For instance, she said that Det. Newtown spoke over her and cut her off when he took a statement, so that impacted on her answers. She also blamed her civil lawyers for inconsistencies and failing to catch the quote errors in her July 2022 statement — evidence that specifically contradicts the evidence of the complainant. Some of the complainant's testimony in chief was proven to be wrong once compared to legal evidence,' said Carroccia. She also said the woman went to 'great lengths' to point out that she was really drunk through the course of the night, but that is not supported by surveillance video from a bar and hotel that night and the testimony of others. 'In my view, the complainant [EM] exaggerated her intoxication. When confronted with inconsistencies or when she was unable to explain why she acted in a certain way, and defaulted to say It was because she was drunk,' Carroccia added. Michael McLeod faced an additional charge of 'party to the offense,' which was dismissed. The players, who are now between the ages of 25 and 27, were in London at the time of the events in question for a gala and golf tournament marking their 2018 World Junior Championship victory. E.M. testified in May that she was naked, drunk and scared when four of the men showed up unexpectedly in her room at the Delta Hotel London Armouries and felt the only 'safe' option was to do what they wanted. Prosecutors argued the players did what they wanted without taking steps to ensure she was voluntarily consenting to sexual acts. 'I made the choice to dance with them and drink at the bar, I did not make the choice to have them do what they did back at the hotel,' she testified. Defense attorneys cross-examined her for days and suggested she actively participated in or initiated sexual activity because she wanted a 'wild night.' Two short videos of the complainant taken by McLeod the night of the encounter were played in court. In one, the woman says it was 'all consensual,' though she told the court that wasn't how she truly felt. As it relates to the videos, Carroccia said 'While speaking on the video, E.M. does not display any signs of intoxication. She has no difficulty speaking. … She is not slurring her words and speaks clearly and coherently.' Protesters gathered outside a packed London courthouse on Thursday morning, holding signs that signaled support for the complainant. The public didn't learn of the allegations for years. Police closed their initial investigation without charges in early 2019, but the complainant sued Hockey Canada in 2022. The organization settled the lawsuit amid intense scrutiny that cost it sponsors, but police reopened their investigation. The players' identities were made public when they were charged in early 2024. At the time, four of them played in the NHL — Dube for the Calgary Flames, Hart for the Philadelphia Flyers, and McLeod and Foote for the New Jersey Devils. Formenton had previously played for the Ottawa Senators before joining a Swiss team. All went on indefinite leave, and none is on an NHL roster or has an active contract with a team in the league. The NHL launched its own investigation in 2022. Officials pledged to release the findings, though Commissioner Gary Bettman said in February that would depend on what the league can say given legal proceedings. The London Police Service acknowledges the verdict delivered today by Ontario Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia in the sexual assault trial involving five former members of Canada's 2018 National Junior Hockey Team. As a police service, our role in the justice system is… — LPS Chief Thai Truong (@LPSChiefTruong) July 24, 2025 — With files from The Canadian Press
