Source says he told police names of 2 hockey players in 2003 video of alleged sexual assault

Warning: This story contains sexually graphic details that may be disturbing to readers

Halifax police now have the names of at least two members of the 2003 World Junior hockey team who may have appeared in a video of an alleged group sexual assault nearly two decades ago, CBC News has learned.

A person who was shown a video of the alleged incident after it occurred in 2003 said that, in a recent interview with police, he reported the identities of two players he recognized in the video.

"[The video] made me sick to my stomach," the source told CBC News. "I knew what I was watching was wrong.

"I recognized two of the players and both of them went on to have NHL careers."

CBC News agreed to keep confidential the identity of the person who saw the video because he said he fears he could suffer negative repercussions, both professionally and personally.

Police launched an investigation into the sexual assault allegations in July after TSN first learned of the alleged video during the height of the Hockey Canada scandal that has rocked the sports world.

In recent months, major sponsors have cut ties with Hockey Canada, the federal government has frozen its funding and a parliamentary committee has launched public hearings on the organization's handling of sexual assault claims. 

Police in Canada are investigating three separate alleged group sexual assaults involving junior hockey players between 2003 and 2018. All three cases involve allegations that groups of players degraded a lone intoxicated woman. The allegations have not been proven in court. 

The source said he told Halifax police he recognized the 2003 World Junior player holding the camcorder at the beginning of the video because he held the camera up to his face.

The source said the recording showed the player "hyping-up" what he was about to show inside a hotel room. The hockey player, the source said, looked into the lens and said "this is going to be a f—ing lamb roast" — a slang term for sexual activity involving a group of men and one woman. 

The source said he also identified for Halifax police a second player he saw standing outside a room on the video.

The video showed the two men then entering a room where a woman, who appeared to be heavily intoxicated, was lying face-up on a bed surrounded by five or six other naked players, the source said.

As one of those players penetrated the woman, the others stood around the woman masturbating and appeared to be waiting for their turn, the source said.