NHL, NHLPA at Odds Over Five Acquitted Players From Hockey Canada Trial

The NHL and its players association delivered vastly different responses to Thursday’s verdict in the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial.

A judge in Canada acquitted all five of the former NHL players, saying she did not believe “beyond a reasonable doubt” that they committed sexual assault without the consent of the unnamed complaintaint E.M. The woman alleged that Dillon Dubé, Cal Foote, Alex Formenton, Carter Hart, and Michael McLeod had sexually assaulted her in a London, Ontario hotel room in 2018 following a Hockey Canada event for their gold medal-winning world junior national team. Hockey insiders believed some of the men, in particular Hart as a goalie, would then hit the NHL’s free agent market.

But the league and union are at odds about the players’ futures. The NHL, which has held off on releasing the findings of its own investigation since charges were announced, did not immediately welcome back the players with open arms.

“The allegations made in this case, even if not determined to have been criminal, were very disturbing and the behavior at issue was unacceptable,” reads the NHL’s statement. “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.”

The NHLPA responded to the league’s stance with a statement of its own, saying it violates the 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.”

It’s a different tone from last month, when the league and union agreed to a new CBA beginning in 2026 to last through 2030. At a joint press conference, commissioner Gary Bettman praised union head Marty Walsh for conducting a “completely different” and “refreshing” round of negotiations.

When London police announced charges in 2024, four of the players were on an active NHL roster. Dubé was in Calgary, Hart in Philadelphia, and McLeod and Foote in New Jersey. Formenton hasn’t played in the NHL since 2022.