What should the Oilers and NHL do about Carter Hart? The most difficult thing of all
Former Philadelphia Flyers goalie Carter Hart is charged along with four other pro hockey players with sexual assault for an incident that allegedly took place in 2018. Their trial played out in recent months in a London, Ontario courtroom. The verdict and decision of Justice Maria Carroccia is expected in ten days, on July 24.
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The London Police Service announced the charge on February 5, 2024, following a reopened investigation that began in 2022 after new evidence was collected in regards to the 2018 incident.
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Hart, Dillon Dubé, Michael McLeod, Cal Foote, and Alex Formenton all face similar charges stemming from that incident. Each of the five players plead not guilty and fought hard against the charges in court.
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But in the next ten days comes the hardest part for all of us, for anyone in the public, with the NHL or with an NHL team, trying to make up their mind about the case and the future of the players.
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The hardest thing is to wait and to withhold making any firm conclusions about Hart and the four other players, their guilt or innocence, or their post-trial futures.
We all love to make quick and firm judgements based on our intuition, our own background, psychology, interest and worldview. But the charges in this matter are such a serious matter for all parties involved, it will do us well not to think fast here, but to think slow, to take our time, read over Justice Carroccia's ruling, think about her reading of the case, her findings of fact, and then make our own assessment.
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I say this even as rumour and speculation is heated in regards to the players, the incident, and the possibility of the NHL suspending the players, as well as the possibility that if the players are found not guilty they'll return to the NHL, with Carter Hart linked in speculative fashion to the Oilers a few weeks ago by NHL insider Kevin Weeks on TSN.
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More speculation came from NHL insider David Pagnotta of the Fourth Period talking on the Big Show with Rusic & Rose this week: 'There are clubs that from a purely hockey perspective are keeping tabs on this and want to see how things go, and with respect to Carter Hart, he's been training, like a lot of the guys. Most of those guys were still on the ice in some capacity. You know, he's been training, and certainly would love an opportunity to resume, re-ignite his career, providing he's able to do so. And yeah, I do think there are teams that are keeping an eye on it.'
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