NHL commissioner says it's not 'necessary' to suspend NHL players charged with sexual assault
CBC
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says it's not "necessary" for the NHL to suspend without pay four players who have been criminally charged with sexual assault.
The charges are tied to an alleged group sexual assault by players from Canada's 2018 World Junior team who went on to play in the NHL. Police allege the incident happened in a player's hotel room following a Hockey Canada Foundation Gala and Golf event on June 19, 2018.
Bettman told a press conference Friday the NHL players allegedly involved are now all on leave from their teams and are free agents. He said their contracts are set to expire at the end of the season, so they don't need to be suspended.
"I don't think that's necessary at this stage," said Bettman. "This is, as I've said repeatedly, a fairly complicated ... matter.
"The fact that they're away from their teams and not playing, I'm comfortable with. They've been paid the vast bulk of their salary for the year anyway."
Bettman confirmed the players accused of crimes are currently receiving their paycheques.
He said that in order for an NHL team to terminate a contract "successfully, you need to be able to prove certain things."
New Jersey Devils player Michael McLeod faces one charge of sexual assault and another of being a party to the offence, according to court documents. His teammate, Cal Foote, was also charged with one count of sexual assault.
The Devils re-signed McLeod and Foote last summer to one-year contracts worth $2.2 million combined.
Carter Hart of the Philadelphia Flyers, Dillion Dubé of the Calgary Flames and former Ottawa Senator Alex Formenton, who now plays in Switzerland, were also charged, according to court documents.
Lawyers for the players say they have denied any wrongdoing and will plead not guilty.
The five players allegedly involved in the case requested and were granted leaves of absences from their NHL and European teams last month ahead of surrendering to police.
Bettman said the NHL's own year-long external investigation into the alleged group sexual assault wrapped up last year. He also said the NHL would not release the results of the investigation "while these charges are pending."
When asked why the league didn't share its findings earlier, Bettman said the NHL was in the process of talking to the players' association about how to move forward when news broke that the players were going to be criminally charged.
Run 3 Space | Play Space Running Game
Traffic Jam 3D | Online Racing Game
Duck Hunt | Play Old Classic Game
Four in five of the wildfires so far in Saskatchewan this year have been caused by humans — the vast majority of them accidentally. But experts say part of the reason they've spread so far, so fast, is another human factor: climate change driven by the burning of fossil fuels.
Just a block away from the border of Alberta and Saskatchewan there's a garden uniting green thumbs in Lloydminster.
Shelley Lindaas has long dreamed of seeing a Kermode bear cub in person.
The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) report outlining the events leading to the death of Erixon Kabera answered some questions for his family and friends, but many remain.
Syed Hassan says he doesn't like to complain much. But when his wife told him she got a parking ticket on Thursday night, he knew he needed to speak out.
Following the public outcry over the Jian Ghomeshi case, some legal scholars and sexual assault survivor advocates lauded changes made to the Criminal Code that would prevent defence lawyers from surprising complainants at trial with past emails or text messages with the defendant.
The Waterloo Region District School Board has been talking a lot about the word "family" this month.
At Pedro's Island Eatery in North Rustico, owner Pedro Gameiro has long been not a fan of using seed oils for frying
The parking lot of the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre in Whitehorse was full on Friday, and the building surrounded by well-dressed young people and their proud families. Despite the smoky conditions in the city, there was much to celebrate.
Toronto has moved one step closer to allowing fiveplexes and sixplexes in neighbourhoods across the city.
Warning: Some readers may find photos in this story distressing.
Fifty years ago this fall the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States met in a castle outside Paris for three days of meetings, at the conclusion of which they issued the Declaration of Rambouillet, a 15-point statement of principles and commitments.
An Iranian woman living in Newfoundland and Labrador says she's watching attacks between Israel and Iran with worry for her family back home.