Five former members of Canada’s 2018 world junior ice hockey team were found not guilty on Thursday of sexually assaulting a woman in a hotel room that year, a judge declared, in a dramatic conclusion to a trial that ignited debate over the nature of consent and the cultural status of hockey players in a country where the sport is often seen as a pillar of national identity.
Justice Maria Carroccia told a packed Ontario courtroom that the Crown had not proved the charges beyond a reasonable doubt, ruling that the complainant was “neither credible nor reliable”. All five men – Michael McLeod, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dubé, Carter Hart and Cal Foote – were found not guilty on all offences. As the judge read out each decision, the men shifted in their chairs, some rubbing their temples.
