Todd: Gary Bettman has NHL fate of five acquitted former junior stars in his hands
Over to you, Gary.
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With the help of a roomful of pricey legal eagles, Michael McLeod, Dillon Dubé, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton and Cal Foote might managed to skate past Ontario Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia last week — but they're going to have to get past a tougher and less pliable judge if they wish to return to the National Hockey League.
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Early indications are, it's going to take more than some fancy stickwork if you want to slip by the most powerful individual in hockey, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.
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The NHL statement, issued immediately after Justice Carroccia delivered her not guilty verdicts in the trial of the five members of the 2018 World Junior championship team charged in connection with the alleged sexual assault in a London hotel room, was unequivocal.
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'The allegations made in this case, even if not determined to have been criminal, were very disturbing and the behaviour at issue was unacceptable,' the statement read. 'We will be reviewing and considering the judge's findings. While we conduct that analysis and determine next steps, the players charged in this case are ineligible to play in the league.'
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Predictably, the NHLPA begged to differ. The union never has a problem with the miscreants in its ranks, whether they're putting other union members in jeopardy on the ice or bringing the game into disrepute away from it.
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That won't trouble Bettman in the least. His career record against the NHLPA is roughly 117-0, so if they want to tangle with the Queens bulldog they're welcome to try. Bettman understands that in this case there is a wide gulf between 'not guilty' and 'innocent' and he clearly wishes to set a higher standard for player behaviour going forward.
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The league will take its time. Ultimately, I would expect the players to be suspended for at least another year and to have to satisfy Bettman that they have some degree of remorse and a desire to be better before they will be allowed to return — following the pattern that saw Stan Bowman and Joel Quenneville back in the league.
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Individual teams will also have a say with players who will be free agents when and if they are reinstated. The Calgary Flames embarrassed themselves by lying about the reason Dubé left the club in the first place, claiming it was for mental health reasons. Would they want to taint their image further by trying to re-sign Dubé, whose contract with Dinamo Minsk expired in May? Doubtful.
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