The players who formed the 2018 edition of Team Canada Junior (JCT) will no longer be able to represent Canada on the international scene, until the investigation into a gang rape is not completed.
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That’s what Hockey Canada said in a statement Monday to TSN reporter Rick Westhead.
“Earlier this year, Hockey Canada made the decision that until the results of this survey regarding the 2018 light events are made public, none of the members of the 2018 edition of CJT will be considered to represent Team Canada,” said the federation in its missive.
“This has been communicated to the leadership group of the Canadian team in preparation for the 2023 Ice Hockey World Championship.”
Organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), the competition will be held from May 12 to 28 in Finland and Latvia.
Some of the best-known players from ECJ 2018 include Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar, Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Carter Hart, former Montreal Canadiens Victor Mete and Quebecer Maxime Comtois.
In recent months, the law firm Henein Hutchison Robitaille has been mandated to investigate the allegations of a young woman. The latter claims to have been the victim of a gang rape perpetrated by eight players of ECJ 2018. The alleged crime took place in the summer of 2018, after a golf tournament organized by Hockey Canada in London, Ontario.
Hockey Canada found itself in the hot seat in the case, as it paid out money in an out-of-court settlement, all following a $3.5 million lawsuit filed by the victim alleged in April 2022. Subsequently, the federation faced many pitfalls, including the desertion of major sponsors and the wholesale resignation of the board of directors (replaced in December), not to mention the repeated demands of the federal government which demanded more explanation about his handling of the 2018 case and others who were financially compensated.