NHL players exposed in alleged sexual assault following lawsuit settlement with Hockey Canada

On Tuesday, the National Hockey League was advised of a lawsuit involving sexual allegations filed against eight unnamed members of the 2018 Canadian World Junior hockey team.

The disturbing news came on Thursday: a woman who alleged she was sexually assaulted by eight Canadian Hockey League players, including members of Canada’s gold medal-winning 2017-18 World Junior team, has agreed to drop a lawsuit against the players, Hockey Canada, and the CHL after reaching a settlement.

Per TSN’s Rick Westhead, the woman, whose allegations are detailed in court records filed in Ontario Superior Court in London, Ont., on Apr. 20, claimed she was repeatedly assaulted while intoxicated in a hotel room following a Hockey Canada Foundation gala and golf event in the city in June of 2018.

The woman, who is now 24, also alleged in the statement of claim that Hockey Canada was made aware of the alleged assaults and failed to investigate or sanction the players involved.

While a settlement was agreed upon, the description of the assaults is truly disturbing. You’ve been warned, this is what the report states:

The lawsuit said the John Doe defendants attended a Hockey Canada Foundation Gala June 18 and following the event went to Jack’s Yard, a bar and restaurant in downtown London. The claim said that the plaintiff arrived at the bar at 11 p.m., where she met a hockey player – not listed as a defendant – who introduced her to John Doe 1 and his teammates.

The defendant players allegedly bought the woman a number of alcoholic beverages and shots and she became separated from her friends, growing more intoxicated as the night progressed.

The plaintiff said she showed evident signs of intoxication including “glassy eyes, slurred speech, stumbling and loss of balance” as she left the bar with one of the players – John Doe 1 – and went with him to the Delta London Armouries Hotel. After she engaged in sexual acts with him, John Doe 1 “invited the remainder of the John Doe defendants into the room without the knowledge or consent of the Plaintiff,” the lawsuit alleged.

According to the lawsuit, the players directed her to fondle her genitals, and perform oral sex on them. The players also allegedly straddled the plaintiff while placing their genitals in her face, slapped the plaintiff on her buttocks, spat on her, ejaculated in and on her, engaged in vaginal intercourse with her, pressured her from leaving the room when she tried to, and engaged in other sexual activities with her.

The plaintiff alleged that she was too intoxicated to provide proper consent. She also alleged the John Doe defendants pressured her to not report the players to police and to not cooperate with a criminal investigation after it was initiated.

When the report came out, one reporter, Laurie Couture-Dallaire decided to research which players attended the golf tournament and exposed them on social media.

According to her, from the roster, 19 of the 22 players were present at the tournament. Per her observations, Victor Mete, Jordan Kyrou and Kale Clague are absent from the event.

(Translated from French):

“Of all the players in the 2018 edition led by Dominique Ducharme, only two do not play in the NHL. Among these players, there are undoubtedly some that you like to follow, including Makar, Batherson, Kyrou, Hart and Comtois." She goes on to offer the full roster.

“Following a little Instagram research, here are the 19 players out of 22 who were present during the golf tournament on June 18 and 19, 2018.

According to my observation, Mete, Kyrou and Clague were absent.”

This is just another sad story, and many the John Does didn’t think they’d be exposed. While the plaintiff are accepted a deal (we have no clue if she was pressured to do so), the damage has been done and this is just another horrifying story that should not have occurred in the first place.

The NHL has said that they are investigating the lawsuit. The league called the alleged behavior “both abhorrent and reprehensible,” adding that they "will endeavor to determine the underlying facts and, to the extent this may involve players who are now in the NHL, we will determine what action, if any, would be appropriate.”