NHL Bars Acquitted Players Amid Backlash and Ongoing Review
So here’s what’s been going on — a really big development in the hockey world that's raised a lot of eyebrows and stirred up serious debate. Five former members of Canada’s World Junior hockey team — Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dubé, and Cal Foote — were recently acquitted in a high-profile sexual assault trial. The incident in question happened back in 2018 in London, Ontario, and after a lengthy legal process, the Ontario Superior Court judge found all five players not guilty of the charges.
Now, you'd think that would mean they could go back to playing, right? But the NHL has taken a very different stance. Just hours after the verdict, the league announced that all five of these players are still ineligible to return to NHL play — at least for now. They’re saying they want more time to review the findings and understand the full scope of what happened before making a final decision. The league called the original allegations “very disturbing” and said that even though they weren’t deemed criminal in court, the behavior described was still “unacceptable.” So in essence, while no legal conviction happened, the NHL is still treating the situation with a high degree of seriousness.
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Naturally, this hasn’t gone down well with the NHL Players’ Association (the NHLPA). Their argument is that since the players were acquitted, and after having already missed significant portions of their careers, they should now be allowed to return to work. They’re also pointing out that the league’s decision doesn’t align with the collective bargaining agreement in place. So now, there’s a whole new dispute brewing between the league and the players’ union.
Interestingly, not all the players were in the NHL last season. While Hart and Formenton didn’t play professionally at all, McLeod and Dubé played in Russia’s KHL, and Foote spent a season in Slovakia — places less affected by the media attention or public scrutiny surrounding the case. But even if they were to return, experts say their reputations have already taken a massive hit — something that doesn’t just go away because a courtroom says "not guilty."
The NHL has faced criticism in the past for how it handles off-ice misconduct, and this case is once again putting a spotlight on the league’s values, its relationship with fans, and its stance on social issues. Some believe these players might still find their way back into the league if their talent outweighs the potential backlash. But in Canada especially, public sentiment is sharper, and any team considering a comeback would have to weigh the social and business consequences very carefully.
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