() – Four National Hockey League players and a former NHL player are facing sexual assault charges in Canada in connection with allegations from 2018, their lawyers said Tuesday, in a new development in a case that has engulfed the league in a series of lawsuits. controversy to the governing body of Canadian national hockey.
The charges relate to the accusation a woman accused of sexually assaulting several members of Canada’s world junior hockey team in London, Ontario, in 2018. All five players facing charges were members of that team at the time.
One of the players facing charges, former Ottawa Senators forward Alex Formenton, who now plays professionally in Switzerland, turned himself in to police in London on Sunday, his legal team said. The other defendants, according to their lawyers or their clubs, are Mike McLeodcenter for the New Jersey Devils; Cal FooteDevils defense; Carter Hartgoalie for the Philadelphia Flyers; and Dillon DubeCalgary Flames center. Current NHL players have been instructed to turn themselves in to authorities in connection with the allegations, London police said.
The case gained widespread attention in May 2022, when Canadian broadcaster TSN reported that the woman had settled her lawsuit against Hockey Canada – the country’s governing body for the sport – and members of the junior team over allegations of assault. A series of developments followed, including the June 2022 parliamentary hearings into Hockey Canada’s handling of the case and the July 2022 announcements that London Police and Hockey Canada would reopen their investigations.
Investigators are expected to address the London Police investigation and pending charges at a news conference scheduled for Monday.
Formenton “will vigorously defend his innocence and asks that people not rush to judgment without hearing all the evidence,” his attorneys, Daniel Brown and Lindsay Board, said in a statement. Formenton, who played for the Senators in 2017, took an indefinite leave from Swiss hockey club Ambri-Piotta last week.
McLeod “denies any criminal wrongdoing,” her lawyers, David Humphrey and Seth Weinstein, said in a statement. “She will plead not guilty and will vigorously defend the case.”
Foote “is innocent of the charges and will defend himself against this allegation to clear his name,” said a lawyer for Foote. “What is most important at this time is the presumption of innocence and the right to a fair trial to which everyone in Canada is entitled.”
Hart “is innocent and will provide a full response to this false allegation in the proper forum, a court of law,” his attorneys Riaz Sayani and Megan Savard said in a joint statement.
Dube “will plead not guilty and maintain his innocence” and “will defend the allegations in court,” his attorneys, Louis P. Strezos and Kaleigh Davidson, said Tuesday, according to ESPN. has reached out to Dube’s attorneys for comment.
The Flames are “aware of the sexual assault allegation that was made against Dillon Dube,” said the club on Tuesday. “We take this matter very seriously. As the matter is now pending legal proceedings, we will have no further comment at this time.”
The Flames said on Jan. 21 that Dube had been “granted indefinite leave of absence from the team while he attends to his mental health.” On Tuesday, the club said that he had “no knowledge of any pending charges at the time Dillon’s request for a leave of absence was granted.”
The Devils, for whom McLeod and Foote play, are “aware of the reports” and “have been told to refer all inquiries regarding this matter to the league,” the team told on Tuesday.
The NHL declined to comment Tuesday when contacted by . also sought comment from the woman’s lawyer and Hockey Canada.
A month after the TSN report, the Canadian government advertisement in June 2022 that froze federal public funding to Hockey Canada until the organization had submitted the full results of its original two-year investigation and plans to implement changes within Hockey Canada.
During parliamentary hearings in June 2022, Hockey Canada executives revealed they were notified of the incident the day after it allegedly took place in 2018.
“We immediately began an investigation, starting by contacting the police.
“We commissioned an independent investigation and appointed an independent adjudication panel of judges to review the findings of that investigation,” said Tom Renney, former CEO of Hockey Canada, during his testimony.
Renney confirmed during the hearings that Hockey Canada had settled a civil lawsuit the woman filed in April 2022, but did not disclose the amount of the settlement.
In July 2022, Hockey Canada published a letter apologizing for what it considered inappropriate handling of the assault allegations and stating that it was reopening an internal investigation. Three months later, the organization advertisement the replacement of its CEO and its board of directors.
‘s David Close contributed to this report.
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