Major update in the Reid Boucher sexual assault scandal.

There were many fans who read our article regarding the guilty plea involving former National Hockey League player Reid Boucher who were disturbed by the fact that he was seemingly skating away with little to no punishment for his heinous act, the sexual assault of a 12 year old girl, but I am happy to report today that Boucher will at least face some measure of consequences for his actions.

According to several Russian outlets, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl or simply Hockey Club Lokomotiv has announced that Boucher's contract has been terminated effective immediately following his decision to plead guilty to the charges late last year. Boucher effectively confessed to the crime when he entered the guilty plea and although the sentence he received won't apply in Russia, I am happy to report that the disgust we all feel when it comes to those who abuse children is universal regardless of which country you are in.

Some additional details from our original story:

Former NHL forward Reid Boucher, who spent time with the New Jersey Devils, Nashville Predators and the Vancouver Canucks in the NHL and now currently plays in the Kontinental Hockey League, has pled guilty to sexually assaulting a minor all the way back in 2011. Boucher reportedly assaulted a 12 year old girl when he was 17 years old and a part of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program, a girl that was his billet sister at the time of the assault.

Given the heinous nature of the crime Boucher was originally charged with first degree criminal sexual conduct which carries a sentence of 25 years to life in prison, however during a hearing in December, Circuit Judge Patrick Conlin agreed to let Boucher take a plea deal for a lesser charge. While that is not uncommon in criminal cases, the lesser charge has resulted in the judge agreeing to sentence him with no upfront jail time through what is known as the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act. To make matters even worse, under the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act, Boucher would avoid having the case appear on his public record once he successfully completes his sentence.

Boucher pled guilty on December 13th 2021 in Washtenaw County Trial Court to third degree criminal sexual conduct involving sexual penetration with an individual between the ages of 13 and 16 years old as a part of his plea agreement.

It seems both Boucher's age at the time he committed the act and the amount of time that has passed played a significant role in the decision, however the victim in this case is understandably unhappy with the court's handling of this difficult process.

"Him serving probation for doing this just - it feels like a slap in the face because I lost all these years of my life to the trauma and the harm that he inflicted on me and my family," said the victim. "And it completely destroyed my family for a really long time."

Boucher is still scheduled to be sentenced at the end of this month and I remain hopeful that the mounting public pressure will result in him serving a harsher punishment for his crimes. If the plea bargain does remain however at least we can take some comfort in the fact that his hockey career has likely been irreparably damaged.