A judge in Canada has acquitted five former junior ice hockey players of sexual assault charges related to a 2018 incident, bringing a high-profile trial to a close after months of national scrutiny.
The verdict, delivered Thursday in a London courtroom, cleared Michael McLeod, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube, Carter Hart and Cal Foote of all charges. McLeod faced an additional charge of being a party to an offence and was also found not guilty.
Justice Maria Carroccia explained her ruling by pointing to problems with the complainant’s testimony. According to CBC News, the judge said she did not find the evidence presented by the woman, identified only as E.M. due to a publication ban, to be “credible or reliable.” The Crown, she said, had not proven that the woman did not consent to the sexual activity.
All five men were members of Canada’s 2018 World Junior Championship-winning team. At the time the charges were announced in January 2024, McLeod and Foote were with the New Jersey Devils, Dube was playing for the Calgary Flames, Hart for the Philadelphia Flyers, and Formenton was based in Switzerland.
The NHL responded shortly after the ruling.
“These allegations, even if not criminal, were disturbing and the behavior was unacceptable,” the league said. “While we review the findings, the players involved remain ineligible to play.”
The complainant’s lawyer, Karen Bellehumeur, told reporters her client was watching the proceedings remotely and was “very disappointed” by the verdict and by how the judge characterized her credibility.
The two sides had starkly different reactions. The defense lawyer, Bellehumeur, spoke of his client’s personal pain: “She’s never experienced not being believed like this before.”
The prosecutor, Meaghan Cunningham, refused to say much. She said they’d look at the decision, but then made sure to add that they can still appeal. The message was clear: this might not be over.
The trial began in April and drew wide media attention. It went through several delays, including a mistrial and two jury dismissals. Eventually, all parties agreed to proceed with a judge-alone trial.
McLeod’s lawyer, David Humphrey, described the outcome as “a resounding vindication,” adding that the court found the complainant’s testimony both “uncredible” and “unreliable.”
The case was only reopened after a massive public backlash in 2022, when it came to light that Hockey Canada had used a secret fund, bankrolled by player fees, to settle with the complainant. This forced a new look at a case that police had initially shelved without charges back in 2019.
That detail sparked a major backlash. The Canadian government froze funding to Hockey Canada for ten months, and several corporate sponsors either paused or pulled their support entirely.
Hockey Canada later said it would no longer use funds from registration fees to settle sexual assault cases. The organization’s CEO and entire board of directors resigned amid the controversy.
In a separate process, an independent panel convened in 2023 to examine whether any players had violated Hockey Canada’s code of conduct. Its findings remain sealed, pending the conclusion of an appeal.
After Thursday’s ruling, Hockey Canada issued a short statement.
“To ensure that we do not interfere with the integrity of the ongoing appeal of the adjudicative panel’s report, we are not able to comment further at this time,” the organization said.
The outcome may mark the end of the courtroom chapter for the five players, but questions remain. The NHL has not yet said whether the players will be reinstated. Hockey Canada’s internal process also remains unresolved. For the woman at the center of the case, her lawyer said the experience has left her shaken.
