Sexual Assault Allegations at Junior Team Canada | The NHL was not warned in 2018

(DENVER, CO) Although Hockey Canada investigated allegations of sexual assault involving eight members of the Junior Team Canada as early as 2018, it seems that the federation did not see fit to inform the National League.

Guillaume Lefrancois
The Press

At least that’s what Gary Bettman hinted on Wednesday, during his traditional press briefing marking the start of the Stanley Cup Finals.

The commissioner said he got wind of these allegations “when we learned that there was a lawsuit”. Said lawsuit, brought by an anonymous victim, was filed on April 20.

“We didn’t know anything about it until then,” Bettman said. We have allegations from one anonymous person against eight anonymous people. This is not an obvious situation. »

Remember that the identity of the eight players targeted by the complainant has never been revealed.

Last May, when TSN colleague Rick Westhead revealed that an out-of-court settlement had been reached, the NHL issued a statement announcing that it would work to “find out the facts” and then “determine the appropriate actions if players currently in the NHL were involved”.

Bill Daly, Bettman’s deputy, said the investigation was “ongoing.” “The Players’ Association cooperated very well in order to facilitate interviews with the players of this team. We have also been in contact with Hockey Canada,” added Daly.

Two members who competed at the 2018 World Juniors with Team Canada are in this Stanley Cup final. They are Cale Makar of the Avalanche and Cal Foote of the Lightning.

“I don’t know if I can talk a lot about it because the investigation is ongoing, but I received an email and I will cooperate with the investigation,” Makar said during Tuesday’s media day. I was not involved in this story, but whatever they want, I will be very cooperative. But I will let the NHL comment on the file. »

Foote was more succinct when The Press questioned him. “I’m not going to talk about it here. I will talk about it after the final,” said the defender.

Makar was already visibly excluded from the process, since the prosecution identified the eight suspects as players of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). However, the star defender has never played Canadian major junior hockey and went through the NCAA. As for Foote, freelance journalist Ken Campbell quoted his agent, Kurt Overhardt, as saying that after investigation, it was determined that Foote was not a subject of the allegations.

Bettman also said he “assumes” the NHL will release the results of its investigation, “unless the only access we have to the information prevents us from doing so.” We try to be as transparent as possible. »

A discussion with… Wayne Gretzky?

In May, Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard had a meeting with Bettman to discuss the future of hockey in Quebec. Bettman gave the details, and we can deduce that the Videotron Center will not welcome the Nordiques anytime soon.

The encounter was split into two parts, Bettman said. In the first part, it was basically said that “there is nothing to indicate that there will be a team or games in Quebec in the reasonable future”.

And the second part? “I’m sure he [Eric Girard] found it good and exciting, because Wayne Gretzky was in our premises, by chance. The minister is a huge hockey fan. So he and Wayne had a good chat. Bettman then clarified that Mr. Girard and the 99 had exchanged “small talk” (small talk).

Bettman then indicated that the idea of ​​holding Senators games in Quebec City had indeed been put forward, but that “it never came close to materializing”.