The air in the London, Ontario courtroom on July 24, 2025, felt heavy. You could practically hear a pin drop right before Justice Maria Carroccia started speaking. When she finally uttered the words "not guilty" for all five defendants, the silence broke into a messy mix of gasps and actual crying from the gallery. It was the end of a legal marathon that basically haunted Canadian hockey for years.
Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube, and Cal Foote walked out of that courthouse as free men. But honestly, "free" is a complicated word here. While they were acquitted of sexual assault charges stemming from a 2018 hotel room incident, the fallout from the Canadian hockey players trial has permanently altered the landscape of the sport. It wasn't just about what happened in room 209 of the Delta Armouries Hotel; it was about how a national institution handled—or mishandled—the aftermath.
What Actually Happened During the Trial?
This wasn't your typical courtroom drama. It was a procedural nightmare that saw two separate juries dismissed before a judge finally took the reins. One jury was let go because a defense lawyer allegedly spoke to a juror at lunch. Another was dismissed because jurors felt like they were being mocked by the defense team's whispers. Kinda wild, right?
By the time the judge-only trial wrapped up, the focus had narrowed down to one core concept: legal consent.
Justice Carroccia didn't hold back in her ruling. She pointed out significant "inconsistencies" in the testimony of the complainant, referred to in court as E.M. The judge noted that E.M. had initially told police she hadn't been drinking much, only to later admit to consuming a fair amount. There was also the issue of two cellphone videos. In those clips, E.M. was heard saying everything was consensual. While the Crown argued she was essentially "performing" or in "auto-pilot" mode due to fear, the judge ruled that she appeared "clear and coherent."
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Ultimately, the court decided the prosecution hadn't met the high bar of "beyond a reasonable doubt." In the eyes of the law, the men were innocent.
The Players Involved
- Michael McLeod: Faced two counts (one for the assault, one for being a party to it).
- Carter Hart: The former Flyers star goaltender.
- Dillon Dube: Previously a regular for the Calgary Flames.
- Alex Formenton: Former Ottawa Senator who had been playing in Switzerland.
- Cal Foote: Son of NHL legend Adam Foote.
The NHL's Hard Line on "Moral Integrity"
If you think the "not guilty" verdict meant a ticket straight back to the big leagues, you'd be wrong. The NHL did something pretty interesting. They conducted their own third-party investigation, which included looking at hundreds of texts and videos that the public never even saw.
In September 2025, the league dropped a hammer of a statement. They basically said that while the conduct wasn't criminal, it was still "unacceptable" and fell "woefully short" of the standards they expect from professional athletes.
Basically, the league told them: The court says you aren't criminals, but we say you didn't act like pros.
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The NHL imposed a suspension that kept them off the ice until December 1, 2025. Even now, in early 2026, the road back is steep. Teams are understandably terrified of the PR nightmare that comes with signing players tied to such a polarizing case. It's a reminder that in the court of public opinion, a legal acquittal doesn't always equal a "not guilty" in the locker room.
Why This Case Changed Hockey Canada Forever
Before this trial, Hockey Canada was the untouchable crown jewel of the country. Then the news broke in 2022 that they had used a "National Equity Fund"—secretly fueled by minor hockey registration fees—to settle the initial $3.55 million civil lawsuit.
Parents across Canada were furious. They were basically paying for legal settlements with their kids' hockey fees.
The scandal led to:
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- Massive Leadership Overhaul: The entire board of directors and the CEO had to step down.
- Sponsor Exodus: Giants like Scotiabank, Telus, and Tim Hortons pulled their funding.
- New Transparency Rules: Every dollar spent on settlements now has to be accounted for under much stricter federal oversight.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Verdict
There’s a common misconception that the judge "didn't believe" the woman. It's more nuanced than that. In a criminal trial, the burden of proof is entirely on the state. The judge didn't have to prove the players were "good guys"; she just had to decide if the Crown's evidence was flawless. It wasn't.
But for survivors and advocates, the trial felt like a step backward. The defense's aggressive questioning of E.M.—asking about her weight and her "persona"—was criticized by many as "victim blaming." Karen Bellehumeur, E.M.'s lawyer, called the process "devastating" and argued that the system still makes it incredibly hard for survivors to come forward.
The Road Ahead: Actionable Steps for the Sport
The Canadian hockey players trial is officially over in the legal sense, but its ghost still lingers in every rink in the country. If we want to move past the "toxic culture" that leaders have admitted exists, the work is just beginning.
What needs to happen next:
- Mandatory Consent Education: It’s not enough to have a one-hour seminar. Junior teams need ongoing, professional-led workshops on what "reasonable steps" to obtain consent actually look like in the real world.
- Independent Reporting: Hockey Canada’s new "Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner" needs to remain fully independent. Players and victims need a place to go that isn't controlled by the people who want to protect the "brand."
- Locker Room Accountability: The "culture of silence" mentioned in the 2022 parliamentary hearings can only be broken by the players themselves. If you're in a group chat where someone is talking about women like they're trophies, speak up. It’s that simple, and that hard.
- Support for Survivors: The legal system is built for the accused, not the victim. Increasing funding for provincial support services ensures that regardless of a verdict, the people who come forward aren't left to deal with the trauma alone.
The 2018 World Junior team will always be remembered, but not for the gold medal they won on the ice. They'll be remembered for the legal storm that finally forced a national sport to look in the mirror and realize it didn't like what it saw.