A massive scandal has hit the NHL, with five current and former players facing shocking charges of sexual assault. The players, including Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Carter Hart, New Jersey Devils center Michael McLeod, and Calgary Flames right winger Dillon Dube, have been ordered to surrender to Toronto police to face allegations of assaulting a woman at a Hockey Canada event in 2018.
According to TSN’s Rick Westhead, the players will be photographed, fingerprinted, and made to sign an undertaking not to contact the alleged victim. These serious charges stem from an incident at a Hockey Canada Foundation gala, and have thrown the hockey world into chaos.
The accused players are vehemently denying the allegations, with their representatives stating their innocence and vowing to fight the charges in court. However, the timing of this news is particularly damning, as it comes just days after the Calgary Flames granted Dube an indefinite leave of absence for mental health reasons. Could this have been a tactic to deflect from the imminent charges? Only time will tell.
Annnnnnd that makes five for the #HockeyCanada sexual assault scandal. https://t.co/OZcJaXn2CI
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 24, 2024
This is not the first time the NHL has been rocked by scandal. In 2023, Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic was arrested and charged with domestic abuse against his wife. And who can forget the 2021 incident involving the Chicago Blackhawks, where video coach Brad Aldrich was accused of sexually assaulting a player? It seems the NHL has a long history of sweeping these issues under the rug.
But perhaps the most infamous incident in NHL history related to sexual assault involved the Washington Capitals in 1990. Four players were accused of assaulting a 17-year-old outside a bar in Georgetown, and although the case fell apart in court, the D.C. police maintained their belief that a criminal assault did occur that night.
It is not just sexual assault that has plagued the NHL, but the recent on-ice death of English hockey player Adam Johnson has also sent shockwaves through the hockey community. With so many disturbing incidents involving players, it begs the question: what is going on within the NHL?
The league itself has remained silent, offering no statement regarding the charges against these players. This is not surprising, considering they have failed to properly address previous scandals, such as the allegations against Aldrich and the cover-up by the Blackhawks.
Five professional hockey players, including four who currently play in the National Hockey League, have been asked to surrender to Canadian police to face sexual assault charges related to an incident that allegedly took place in 2018.https://t.co/UtXmMEQMB2
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) January 30, 2024
One can only wonder what other atrocities are occurring behind closed doors in the NHL. And with a trial date set for 2026, it looks like we may have to wait a while for the truth to come out. But one thing is for sure, the NHL is in dire need of some serious changes and accountability for the actions of its players.
