The NHL and NHLPA have agreed that the five players acquitted in the 2018 London sexual assault trial will be suspended until Dec. 1, although they will have the opportunity to sign with NHL teams as soon as Oct. 15, Sportsnet has learned.
According to multiple sources, part of the agreement is that the players have given up their right to appeal.
There is precedent for this. Without an agreement, commissioner Gary Bettman would need to hold a hearing and make a ruling. If the union or players disagreed, everyone risked the possibility of an uncertain and/or lengthy arbitration grievance process. Shane Pinto’s 41-game suspension in 2023 for violating the league’s sports wagering policy went through a similar negotiation.
Michael McLeod had been charged with one count of sexual assault, plus one count of being a party to the offences. Dillon Dube, Cal Foote, Alex Formenton and Carter Hart were each charged with one count of sexual assault. All pleaded not guilty to their charges when the trial opened in April.
The five players were acquitted of all charges on July 24 by Justice Maria Carroccia after a two-month trial in London, Ont.
After the verdict, the league stated the players — none of whom have contracts with NHL teams — weren’t eligible to play while it reviewed the judge’s findings. Previously, the NHL had said it would let the charges go through the legal system before deciding about the players’ eligibility.
It’s believed Bettman met with the players sometime in August. NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh said during the European media tour in Milan that the not-guilty verdicts should allow the players to return to action.
All were members of the Canadian world junior team that was given rings at a gala celebration June 17-19, 2018, in London.
Calling the events that transpired after the gala “deeply troubling and unacceptable,” the NHL in its 10-paragraph release on Thursday said it conducted its own third-party investigation into the incident. It added that the expectation is that all members of the league conduct themselves with “the highest level of moral integrity.”
“And, in this case, while found not to have been criminal, the conduct of the players involved certainly did not meet that standard,” the NHL statement read. It further stated that it took into account the fact that the players have been away from the game for 20 months in rendering the length of the suspensions.
For its part, in a two-paragraph statement Thursday the NHLPA said it now considered “the matter closed” and looks “forward to the players’ return.”
An investigation by London Police Service was launched that week and closed in February 2019, with the supervising detective concluding that there was insufficient evidence to lay charges.
After widespread scrutiny of Hockey Canada’s handling of the situation, including testimony by executives in front of a Parliamentary committee, London police reopened their investigation in July 2022, laying charges in January 2024.
