The incident is said to have happened five years ago: several Canadian ice hockey players have to defend themselves against serious allegations.
In the wake of the abuse scandal in Canadian ice hockey, four players from the North American professional league NHL have been charged with rape allegations. They are accused of raping a woman after winning the 2018 World Cup gold medal with Canada’s junior national team. Canadian police have announced a press conference on the case on February 5th.
Lawyers for Michael McLeod, Cal Foote (both New Jersey Devils) and Carter Hart (Philadelphia Flyers) confirmed that the professionals were among the defendants. McLeod denies “any wrongdoing,” his lawyers said. According to AFP, Hart has already turned himself in to police but is now at large. He is innocent and will “provide a full response to this false accusation,” it said in a statement.
Eight players in total are accused
Dillon Dube of the Calgary Flames is also said to be involved in the scandal, according to Canadian media reports. Former NHL professional Alex Formenton, who now plays in Switzerland, is also among the defendants, according to his lawyers. A total of eight players are accused of raping a young woman in 2018; all of the players were part of the Canadian junior national team at the time.
The alleged gang rape only became known in May 2022, caused great excitement in Canada and plunged the national ice hockey association into a crisis. He is said to have tried to cover up the incident by paying the woman millions.