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Former Canadian World Junior Hockey Players face Sex Assault Charges

Former Canadian World Junior Hockey Players face Sex Assault Charges

Daniel Kim

HSB4U: Challenges and Changes

Ms. Motiwala

February 20, 2024

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Former Canadian World Junior Hockey Players face Sex Assault Charges

According to two people with knowledge of the investigation, five members of Canada's

2018 world junior hockey team who have been accused of sexually assaulting a woman in a hotel

room in London, Ontario, following a Hockey Canada gala, have been told to turn themselves in

to police (Burner, 2024). London police announced that they will hold a press conference on

Monday, February 5, but they aren't going to be providing any details about the investigation at

this point in time. The alleged attack happened on June 18, 2018, early in the morning, following

the Hockey Canada Foundation Gala & Golf. The junior hockey team was given

acknowledgment at the event for taking home the gold medal from the world junior

championship a few months before (Burner, 2024). More than a year ago, Hockey Canada

declared that the third-party investigation into the 2018 incident was finished. A disciplinary

panel obtained the results and was tasked with determining what to do next (Dove, 2024). The

athletics body announced in November of last year that the panel had finished its final report, but

due to an appeal filed by one of the parties involved, it would not be made public. The NHL is

nearing the conclusion of its investigation, according to Commissioner Gary Bettman, who has

stated as much for over a year (Dove, 2024). However, the league has not specified when this

process will be finished. A parliamentary committee's meeting was called, and executives from

Hockey Canada were requested to attend (Takagi, 2024). The Globe published in July 2022 that

Hockey Canada maintained a multimillion-dollar fund, called the National Equity Fund, for the

purpose of compensating settlements in situations where accusations of sexual assault were made

(Doolittle et al., 2024). Hidden to parents and athletes, registration fees fueled this fund, which

allowed the organization to maintain the confidentiality of such cases. In July 2022, London

police continued their investigation, following The Globe's publication of footage from the night

of an altercation at the Delta Armouries (Doolittle et al., 2024). The lawyers for some of the
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Former Canadian World Junior Hockey Players face Sex Assault Charges

players showed reporters the video, which shows E.M. in the hotel room. The attorneys stated

that their clients rejected any wrongdoing. You hear a male voice asking, "Are you okay with

this?" “I’m okay with this,” she replied. In the second video, E.M. appears to be covering herself

with a towel. “Are you recording me?” she asks. “Okay, good. It was all consensual. You are so

paranoid, holy. I enjoyed it, it was fine. It was all consensual. I am so sober, that’s why I can’t do

this right now. “I never wanted to bring attention to this," she stated in a brief interview with The

Globe. "I just wanted some accountability and consequences for the actions." The Globe stated in

December 2022 that the Ontario Court of Justice was given an application from the London

police investigators requesting authorization to conduct various kinds of investigations (Doolittle

et al., 2024). Police indicated in the 94-page report that they had sufficient evidence to think that

E.M. was sexually assaulted by five junior hockey players. The hotel videos have been addressed

in further detail in this submitting reports. According to the document, E.M. subsequently

acknowledged to the police that she was not aware the first clip had been recorded (Doolittle et

al., 2024). She stated in the second video that she was forced to reassure them that she was

alright since "I'm stuck in that room with them." Aside from stating that the players have been

given indefinite leave, none of the NHL teams with players involved in the case have made any

comments. While they wait for more information, the NHL and NHLPA have also refrained from

providing any meaningful comments.

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Former Canadian World Junior Hockey Players face Sex Assault Charges

References

Burner, F. (2024, February 2). Former Canadian World Junior Hockey Players face sex assault

charges | CBC Radio. CBCnews. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/former-canadian-

world-junior-hockey-players-face-sex-assault-charges-1.7102395

Dove, N. (2024, February 5). World juniors sex assault case: A timeline of the allegations,

probes and charges - national. Global News.

https://globalnews.ca/news/10273307/hockey-canada-world-juniors-sex-assault-case-

timeline/#:~:text=Five%20members%20of%20the%202018,over%20hockey

%20leadership%20and%20culture.

Takagi, A. (2024, January 31). Hockey Canada scandal and allegations against the 2018 World

Junior Men’s hockey team: Here’s what’s happened so far. Toronto Star.

https://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/hockey-canada-scandal-and-allegations-against-

the-2018-world-junior-men-s-hockey-team-here/article_61a55141-699f-5d87-8396-

da1672f6165e.html

Doolittle, R., Brady, R., & Robertson, G. (2024, February 1). Five members of 2018 Canadian

junior hockey team to face sexual assault charges. The Globe and Mail.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-2018-hockey-canada-world-juniors-

surrender/