Latest news with #HockeyCanada
Toronto Star
38 minutes ago
- Sport
- Toronto Star
As a female defence lawyer, I'm not betraying women when I represent clients accused of sexual crimes
The recent Hockey Canada trial, which ended last Thursday when five former Canadian junior players — some of whom were represented in court by female defence lawyers — were found not guilty of sexual assault, has prompted renewed conversations about how our justice system handles these complicated cases. Those conversations are important and ongoing, but they've led some commentators to wonder skeptically why female defence lawyers would choose to represent clients accused of sexual offences against women in the first place, as Star columnist Heather Mallick did last week.
Time of India
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
'A non-starter for the Edmonton Oilers': Carter Hart's NHL comeback faces major hurdle despite acquittal, says insider
Despite being cleared of criminal charges in the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial, former Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Carter Hart's return is far from guaranteed. According to insider Frank Seravalli, Hart remains a 'non-starter' for the Edmonton Oilers and, troublingly, for the rest of the league as well. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now NHL insider reveals league-wide hesitation toward Carter Hart despite court ruling In a revealing appearance on B/R Open Ice, Frank Seravalli explained that Hart's legal acquittal has not translated into NHL eligibility. 'I was told that Carter Hart is a non-starter for the Edmonton Oilers, and beyond that, he's a non-starter for everyone right now, coming off of his acquittal in the Hockey Canada sexual assault case in court in London, Ontario, as ruled upon last week,' Seravalli said. Hart, along with four other former NHLers, was found not guilty in court. However, Seravalli clarified that the league continues to treat them as 'ineligible,' with the NHL Commissioner's office still reviewing the file. 'Look, he's - him and the other four former NHL players have been labeled by the NHL as ineligible, and they're going to continue to review the file before determining next steps in the commissioner's office…' he added. NHL's decision lies with Gary Bettman , not the courts Even though Hart could technically sign with any team once cleared, the power lies squarely with Commissioner Gary Bettman. The court may have dismissed criminal charges, but it did not absolve the players of actions the league deems 'detrimental.' As Seravalli emphasized, '…so until they are cleared to play, it's not even really a conversation worth having, even though the NHLPA has strongly voiced their objection to how the NHL has viewed this situation.' The critical detail here is that the NHL's collective bargaining agreement gives Bettman sweeping authority to determine a player's eligibility, irrespective of courtroom outcomes. That means unless the Commissioner changes his stance, Hart's NHL career may remain indefinitely on pause. Also Read: FAQs 1. Can Carter Hart sign with any NHL team now? No, not until he's officially cleared to play by the NHL. 2. Was Carter Hart found guilty in the Hockey Canada case? No, he was acquitted of all criminal charges in court. 3. Who decides Carter Hart's eligibility to return? NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has final say over his playing status.
National Post
a day ago
- Sport
- National Post
Jamie Sarkonak: Hockey Canada judge believed in truth, not 'believe all women'
Article content She didn't leave happy, though: towards the end, McLeod asked her if she had STDs, and whether she was going to be leaving soon, which she felt was rude. E.M. also testified that McLeod also seemed annoyed at her when she returned to the room to search for a lost ring; she took an Uber home and was found crying in the shower by her mother, who 'took it upon herself' to report a sexual assault to police. Article content E.M. later explained to the court that her actions were driven by fear — fear that she never mentioned until she filed a civil suit against Hockey Canada, four years after the fact. Her mind 'separated' from her body to cope, she claimed. The judge didn't buy her story: important details had changed over time, and E.M.'s own concept of truth was uncomfortably fuzzy. Plus, E.M. initially told police that she didn't think the men would have physically forced her to stay. Article content The judge didn't hypothesize the complainant's actual feelings about what happened, but I suspect E.M. was quite miserable. She may have felt shame and regret for cheating on her boyfriend, as the defence argued during the trial. The little oral sex that was had was awkward and not erotic at all. The STD question may have felt like an accusation. Article content Article content Pop culture tells women that consensual sex is a neutral to empowering act, and good feminists will tell their friends that there's nothing to be ashamed about in sex. Slut shaming, we all knew in the good year 2018, was bad. But missing from that intense belief in female agency was the other side of the coin: that women can consent to something and wish they hadn't. Article content And certainly, the men regret it too. Their evidence suggested they took care to ensure consent was given at the time, and even that wasn't enough to keep an investigation from pausing, perhaps snuffing out, their NHL careers. McLeod and Foote were put on indefinite leave last year by the New Jersey Devils, as was Hart by the Philadelphia Flyers and Dubé by the Calgary Flames. And in 2022, Formenton may have lost out on a new contract with the Ottawa Senators due to the allegations; he played in Sweden until the charges were laid in 2024, and now works in construction. As for the future of these five men, the ball is still in the Ontario Crown's court. Prosecutors will have to decide in the next month whether to appeal for another shot at securing convictions; there's still a way this can drag out for years. Article content Supporters of E.M. will say the acquittals amount to a terrible outcome for women and sexual assault survivors, but they're the opposite. If sexual assault is to be taken seriously, it needs to mean something. It's to the actual victims' benefit that Carroccia didn't bend the rules to acrobatically extend the concept of sexual assault to new frontiers of apparently regretful intercourse, as courts have done in the past; doing so would have cheapened the concept to dollar store levels. Article content So, now what? After the decision was read, E.M.'s lawyer, Karen Bellehumeur, immediately took to calling for reform. 'While the accused's rights are important, those protections should not come at the expense of survivors' well-being,' she told a media scrum late Thursday. She expressed frustration with the fact that E.M. had to testify for nine days and was subject to 'insulting, unfair, mocking and disrespectful' cross-examination. 'She's really never experienced not being believed like this before.' Nine days of careful scrutiny is a very modest ask when a man is facing jail for an apparently consensual act that didn't pass the initial police sniff test. Article content
Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Vicky Sunohara returns as head coach of Canadian women's under-18 hockey team
CALGARY - Vicky Sunohara returns as head coach of the Canadian women's under-18 hockey team, and Alison Domenico will coach the women's development team a second straight year. Toronto's Sunohara, a two-time Olympic gold medallist who was inducted into the International Ice Hockey Hall of Fame this year, coached the under-18 team to a world championship gold medal in Finland in January. Ottawa's Domenico, who was an assistant coach on the national women's team that won both Olympic and world championship gold medals in 2022, navigated the under-22 team to silver in last year's Women's Euro Hockey Tour, and a 1-1-1 record in a three-game series against the U.S. There isn't an IIHF world junior championship for women, but Hockey Canada runs an under-22 program of some international games to develop players for the national squad. An under-18 selection camp Aug. 6-9 in Calgary will determine a roster for a three-game series Aug. 13-16 against the United States in Lake Placid, N.Y., Hockey Canada announced Monday. Canada will also attempt to defend its world under-18 title Jan. 8-18, 2026, in Sydney and Membertou, N.S. The development team will train in Montreal before a three-game series Aug. 13-16 against its American counterparts in Lake Placid. Sunohara has coached the University of Toronto women's team for 15 years. Domenico is in her second year behind the University of Ottawa's bench. 'Vicky and Alison have displayed incredible passion for our women's program, and we are thrilled to have both return to our under-18 and development teams this year,' said Hockey Canada's senior manager of hockey operations Dylan Rockwell in a statement Monday. 'These teams are crucial steps in our women's program and demand a high-level of dedication from the coaching staffs who will assist our athletes in their development. We are excited to announce the coaches and support staff who will provide the necessary skills and guidance to our teams on the international stage this season.' Amanda Benoit-Wark, a former national-team player, and Marc-Andre Cote join Sunohara on the under-18 coaching staff as her assistants, along with goalie coach Sheldon Goertzen and video coach Carlee Campbell. Matt Desrosiers and Chris MacKenzie will be Domenico's assistants on the development squad, with Brad Fogal serving as goalie coach and Josh Bell as video coach. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Vicky Sunohara returns as head coach of Canadian women's under-18 hockey team
CALGARY – Vicky Sunohara returns as head coach of the Canadian women's under-18 hockey team, and Alison Domenico will coach the women's development team a second straight year. Toronto's Sunohara, a two-time Olympic gold medallist who was inducted into the International Ice Hockey Hall of Fame this year, coached the under-18 team to a world championship gold medal in Finland in January. Ottawa's Domenico, who was an assistant coach on the national women's team that won both Olympic and world championship gold medals in 2022, navigated the under-22 team to silver in last year's Women's Euro Hockey Tour, and a 1-1-1 record in a three-game series against the U.S. There isn't an IIHF world junior championship for women, but Hockey Canada runs an under-22 program of some international games to develop players for the national squad. An under-18 selection camp Aug. 6-9 in Calgary will determine a roster for a three-game series Aug. 13-16 against the United States in Lake Placid, N.Y., Hockey Canada announced Monday. Canada will also attempt to defend its world under-18 title Jan. 8-18, 2026, in Sydney and Membertou, N.S. The development team will train in Montreal before a three-game series Aug. 13-16 against its American counterparts in Lake Placid. Sunohara has coached the University of Toronto women's team for 15 years. Domenico is in her second year behind the University of Ottawa's bench. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. 'Vicky and Alison have displayed incredible passion for our women's program, and we are thrilled to have both return to our under-18 and development teams this year,' said Hockey Canada's senior manager of hockey operations Dylan Rockwell in a statement Monday. 'These teams are crucial steps in our women's program and demand a high-level of dedication from the coaching staffs who will assist our athletes in their development. We are excited to announce the coaches and support staff who will provide the necessary skills and guidance to our teams on the international stage this season.' Amanda Benoit-Wark, a former national-team player, and Marc-Andre Cote join Sunohara on the under-18 coaching staff as her assistants, along with goalie coach Sheldon Goertzen and video coach Carlee Campbell. Matt Desrosiers and Chris MacKenzie will be Domenico's assistants on the development squad, with Brad Fogal serving as goalie coach and Josh Bell as video coach. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2025.
