Latest news with #hockeyculture
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
'We've got a long way to go': Public reaction grows after Canada's former World Junior Hockey players acquitted of sexual assault
Five members of Canada's 2018 world junior team charged with sexual assault were acquitted, but they likely won't find themselves back in the NHL anytime soon Ont-Hockey Canada-Sexual Assault 20250724 The verdict of a widely publicized sexual assault trial involving five former NHL players has ignited a complex national conversation with Canadians weighing the outcome through lenses of accountability, justice and hockey's cultural grip. Members of Canada's World Junior Hockey squad — Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Cal Foote, and Dillon Dube — were charged with sexually assaulting E.M., a woman whose identity is protected under a standard publication ban, in a hotel room in 2018 while the team was gathering to celebrate its gold medal win months before. On Thursday, following eight weeks of trial, Ontario Superior Court justice Maria Carroccia found all of the accused men not guilty on all charges. Judge did not find complainant's evidence to be 'credible or reliable' As part of her judgment on Thursday, Justice Carroccia stated that she found the evidence submitted by the prosecution to be unreliable, before going ahead and sharing the reasoning behind her decision. Going through each defendant one-by-one, Justice Carroccia said the Crown had failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the complainant in the case, E.M., had not given consent. Hour-after-hour on Thursday, Justice Carroccia laid out a number of issues she found with the evidence and E.M's "reliability and credibility." Carroccia noted several "gaps in E.M.'s memory and discrepancies between her statements to London police and her civil settlement in 2022 compared to her recollections under cross-examination," according to the CBC. Justice Carroccia also told the court that the complainant 'exaggerated her intoxication' on the night the alleged acts took place, while rejecting the Crown's argument that E.M. had only participated in the sexual because she was afraid of the group of men in the hotel room. 'We've got a long way to go': Canadians react to Justice Carroccia's ruling Following the acquittal of each former NHLer, many social media users expressed their dissatisfaction with the verdict, while offering support to E.M. Outside the courthouse in London, Ont., on Thursday, Lawyer Karen Bellehumeur told reporters her client, E.M., faced "insulting mocking and unfair treatment" during cross-examination as she went on to reflect on the judgment. 'She's obviously very disappointed with the verdict and very disappointed with her Honour's assessment of her honesty and reliability' said Bellehumeur. Where does the NHL stand on the players' future in the league? Per insider John Shannon, it's still unknown whether the five acquitted players will ever be allowed to make their way back to the NHL, despite being found innocent by Justice Carroccia. The NHL released a statement confirming Shannon's report: "The allegations made in this case, even if not determined to have been criminal, were very disturbing and the behaviour at issue was unacceptable. 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." Crown has 30 days to appeal the verdict Following Thursday's verdict, assistant Crown attorney Meaghan Cunningham spoke to reporters outside the courthouse as supporters of E.M. cheered. 'A successful prosecution is not measured solely by whether or not there are guilty verdicts at the end,' Cunningham said. Cunningham added the Crown will 'carefully review' Carroccia's decisions but won't comment further because "this case is still within the appeal period."
CTV News
4 days ago
- Sport
- CTV News
In the wake of the World Junior verdict, one survivor shares her quest to change hockey culture
Following not guilty verdicts in the World Juniors sex assault trial, questions remain about hockey culture and the meaning of consent. Adrian Ghobrial reports.
CTV News
5 days ago
- Sport
- CTV News
Manitobans react following acquittal of hockey players in sexual assault trial
This sketch from London, Ont., shows five former members of Canada's world junior hockey team look on as Justice Maria Carroccia delivers her ruling in their sexual assault trial on Thursday, July 24. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Alexandra Newbould Reaction in Manitoba is pouring in following a trial involving five former members of Canada's World Junior hockey team. Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube and Callan Foote were all acquitted on charges of sexual assault following a trial in London, Ont. The five players were accused of sexually assaulting a woman in a hotel room in June 2018. In her decision read Thursday, Ontario Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia said the accuser's testimony was not credible during the trial. 'Everyone should understand that what happens in court is specific to a certain set of facts, and that's it.' said lawyer and sexual abuse survivor Greg Gilhooly. Gilhooly, who as a teenager was also a victim of disgraced hockey coach Graham James, said in his opinion, the incident in the hotel room was concerning. 'What that room required was character, and there was an absence of character in that room that night,' he said. 'Somebody needed to step up and say, 'Guys, I don't care what she's saying, this is wrong. We're better than this. This has to stop. We got to get her out of here. We got to get ourselves out of this. This is not right.'' Gilhooly added the verdict shows hockey culture has a long way to go before changes are made. 'Hockey culture needs to change, and it will change, but hockey culture will also only change as quickly as society as a whole changes and moves forward, understands consent, takes to heart that sentiment of just because you can, doesn't mean you should,' he said. Klinic Community Health, an organization that offers crisis counselling and support to sexual assault victims, said the trial could cause some victims to avoid coming forward. 'We truly stand in solidarity and in support of those impacted by sexual violence and impacted when decisions and outcomes occur that continue to normalize sexual violence and discredit and silence persons who experience sexual violence,' said Richelle Ready, manager of crisis support services with Klinic. Ready notes there are places other than the criminal justice system that can help people who have experienced sexual violence. 'You are not defined by systems who normalize sexual violence,' Ready said. 'You are not defined by systems that discredit and silence your experience and your voice. And it's also important if you've experienced sexual violence or someone close to you has experienced sexual violence, to find someone safe, to talk to.' If you or someone you know is struggling with sexual assault or trauma, the following resources are available to support people in crisis: The Winnipeg Police Service Victim Services line can be reached at 204-986-6350. The Klinic Sexual Assault Crisis Line can also be accessed at 204-786-8631.
CTV News
5 days ago
- Sport
- CTV News
Conservation around hockey culture, consent continues as high-profile trial closes
The high-profile trial involving five former junior hockey players sparks a conversation about hockey culture. A high-profile court case has closed but the national conversation around hockey culture and consent is far from over. The five former Hockey Canada World Junior players accused of sexually assaulting a woman in a London, Ont., hotel room in 2018 were acquitted of all charges on Thursday. The trial, which began eight weeks ago, closed with the Ontario Supreme Court judge finding the complainant's testimony was 'not reliable or credible.' All five players had pleaded not guilty to the charges. Legal expert and Dalhousie emeritus professor of law Wayne MacKay says the not guilty verdict doesn't mean the players' behaviour wasn't harmful or offensive. 'They (the judge) say not guilty of sexual assault for a reason but it certainly doesn't say they are innocent of bad conduct,' said MacKay. 'In fact, I think most people would say they did engage in bad conduct.' Regardless of the verdict, the high-profile case has once again turned the spotlight on elite hockey culture and the institutions that oversee and shape them. 'I think there is a reconciliation, a justice, a healing and accountability that needs to happen,' said Miia Suokonautio, CEO of the Halifax YWCA and a hockey parent. 'And that's separate from a judicial process and we put a lot of eggs into the basket.' Suokonautio says while elite level sports are hyper focused on player performance, more focus needs to be put on character development and behavior off the ice. And the trial is helping spark that conversation. 'To start talking about what's actually happening,' said Suokonautio. 'And not just having a session with players but every coach and every parent has a responsibility.' Though cleared in court, the players remain under suspension by both Hockey Canada and the NHL. While the complainant E.M. and her supporters may have lost the legal battle, MacKay says the trial's impacts are far from over. 'I'm sure it doesn't feel like that to E.M. or her supporters but in one sense they did win,' said MacKay. 'Because they raised the profile of the problem in a real way and it's really an extension of the MeToo movement.'
CBC
5 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
The Sunday Magazine for July 27, 2025
This week on The Sunday Magazine with guest host David Common: How world junior sexual assault trial may influence the future of hockey culture On Thursday, a judge found five former world junior hockey players not guilty of sexual assault after a high-profile trial focused on a 2018 group sexual encounter in London, Ont. The case follows years of reckoning in the sport over instances of sexual violence, bullying and hazing. Common speaks with CBC Sports senior contributor Shireen Ahmed, and Dan Robson, a senior writer at The Athletic, about what this case reveals about hockey culture, efforts at reform, and where the sport goes from here. Is private life disappearing before our eyes? Questions surrounding the line between private and public lives were among the many raised earlier this month when a video of a tech CEO and his company's HR manager embracing at a Coldplay concert went viral. In her book Strangers and Intimates, cultural historian Tiffany Jenkins explores the relatively short history of the notion of a private life. She joins Common to explain how the phenomenon came to be, the value she thinks it holds, and why she fears it may be disappearing as technology continues to erase the line between private and public. Trade talks, domestic projects define first ministers' meeting U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war with Canada and efforts to boost our national economy took centre stage at this past week's first ministers' meeting in Huntsville, Ont. Prime Minister Mark Carney seemed to downplay the chance of reaching a deal with the U.S. by Aug. 1, while some premiers heaped praise on Carney for his efforts to boost internal trade and infrastructure. Common speaks with The Economist's Rob Russo and The Toronto Star's Rob Benzie about the state of trade negotiations, federal-provincial relations, and the political stakes of "national interest projects." 'People have an innate pursuit of freedom': Nathan Law on Hong Kong's prospects for democracy Nathan Law rose to prominence a decade ago as one of the student leaders of the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong known as the Umbrella Movement. He went on to become one of the semi-autonomous Chinese region's youngest legislators... and not long after, one of its most wanted men. Today, he lives in exile with a bounty on his head, but that hasn't stopped him advocating from abroad. Law joins Piya Chattopadhyay to explore his unlikely journey to activism, and what he makes of the prospects for democracy in Hong Kong now, after recent national security laws have further restricted rights.
