Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl make surprise appearance at Newmarket beer league game but lose
The game took place at Newmarket's Magna Centre on Wednesday night.
McDavid and Draisaitl were both seen wearing what appeared to be Oilers practice jerseys during the game.
Footage posted to social media by TSN's BarDown showed at least one prime scoring chance for McDavid but the NHL star couldn't beat the goalie, who came up with a big glove save.
McDavid and Draisaitl ultimately 6-2 with no goals between the two of them
WATCH THE FULL VIDEO: McDavid and Draisaitl take the ice in Newmarket.
In an interview after the game with BarDown one of the referees called it 'incredible' to see McDavid and Draisaitl 'coming down the ice.'
'It's nothing like you ever seen,' he said.
Another referee said it was 'just really cool to be on the ice with them.'
'Kind of starstruck at the end of the day,' he said.
That referee went on to say that he was 'not too shocked' about the lack of goals from the NHL players.
'That goalie stood on his head out there,' he said.
McDavid grew up in Newmarket and regularly returns to the area during the NHL offseason. In May, the town temporarily renamed Riverwalk Commons to 'Connor McDavid Square' for the duration of the Stanley Cup Finals.
Despite the Oiler's inability to win the cup, losing for two years in a row to the Florida Panthers, Maple Leafs fans are no doubt holding their breath with hopes that they might one day see McDavid take the ice at Soctiabank Arena in a Leafs jersey. McDavid is set to enter free agency in 2026.
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CTV News
8 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
Edmonton Journal
11 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
'Public narrative was one-sided': Hockey Canada sex assault defence lawyers respond to verdict
Five former Canadian world junior hockey players were found not guilty in a high-profile sexual assault trial related to a 2018 incident in London, Ont. The case had sparked a national reckoning over hockey culture, and what is and what isn't considered consent. Here's how the lawyers for Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube and Callan Foote reacted to Ontario Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia's verdict, which was delivered in a London courtroom on Thursday. Article content Article content Article content Mr. McLeod will not be speaking to the media, and I understand the other players will not be speaking to the media. I will not be taking questions and other counsel who come to address you, they will not be taking any questions. Article content Mr. McLeod had confidence in the Justice process, and he welcomes Justice Carrocia's decision, confirming that he and his co defendants are not guilty of sexual assault. Justice Carrocia's carefully reasoned decision represents a resounding vindication for Mr. McLeod and for his co defendants. Justice Carrocia's found that the complainant's testimony was incredible and was unreliable. Article content For years, public perception was shaped by a one-sided narrative from a civil lawsuit that went unchallenged. In large part because hockey Canada settled the claim without first informing or consulting the players. The decision was made unilaterally, and the players were only told of the lawsuit and the settlement after the fact. Had they been consulted, they would have refused to settle, and they would have vigorously contested EM's allegations. Article content Article content That version of events dominated headlines and created a lasting and, a false, a false impression of guilt. It was only through this criminal trial that the allegations were fully and finally tested. The court compared the complainant's 2018 statements to the police, which rightly resulted in no charges with the later conflicting civil claim. Key elements of EM's story were contradicted by the evidence, exposing serious falsehood and leading to today's clear and just verdict of not guilty. Justice Carrocia rejected EM's claims of fear and her claims of non consent. That should be the takeaway from today's judgment. Article content Article content The damage to Mr. McLeod's reputation and his career has been significant. But today's decision begins to restore what was very unfairly taken away from him. Mr. McLeod is deeply grateful to his family, friends, his agent, and everybody who stood by him.
Winnipeg Free Press
12 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.
