A Hockey Canada logo is shown on the jersey of a player with Canada’s National Junior Team during a training camp practice in Calgary, Alta., Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022.Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press
Five members of the 2018 world junior hockey team have been told to surrender to London, Ont., police to face charges of sexual assault, according to two sources.
The pending charges are connected to an alleged group sexual assault of a woman in a hotel room. The incident occurred following a Hockey Canada fundraising gala in June, 2018, where the players were honoured for their win at the world junior championships.
The players, who have not been charged yet, have been given a set period of time to present themselves at London police headquarters, according to two sources with knowledge of the investigation who The Globe is not naming because they have not been authorized to speak on the case.
More than a year ago, London police filed an application with the Ontario Court of Justice seeking approval for various investigative measures. In the 94-page document, police said they had reasonable grounds to believe that five members of the 2018 team sexually assaulted a woman in a hotel room. An initial investigation by the London police was closed without charges in February, 2019.
The case, which has played out over a period of more than five years, garnered national attention, embroiling Hockey Canada in controversy and prompting parliamentary hearings into the governance of the organization.
In April, 2022, the complainant, a woman identified in legal documents as E.M., filed a lawsuit against Hockey Canada, the Canadian Hockey League and eight unnamed players, seeking $3.55-million in damages. In the statement of claim, E.M. alleged she met some of the players at a bar following the gala and went to a London hotel room with one of the players, where they initially engaged in consensual sexual acts.
However, afterwards, she alleged that seven other members of the team entered the room. The document alleges she was fearful of physical harm and at times was crying and attempting to leave. She alleges she was “directed, manipulated and intimidated into remaining, after which she was subjected to further sexual assaults.”
In her statement of claim, E.M. alleged she was directed to state that she was sober while being video recorded. The allegations have not been tested in court and lawyers representing some of the players have denied wrongdoing.
About a month after it was filed, TSN reported that Hockey Canada had quietly settled the lawsuit, igniting a national firestorm. Amid renewed scrutiny, London police reopened the investigation about a year and a half ago.
The Globe has reached out to some of the lawyers known to represent the players for comment.
In an e-mail, London police spokesperson Const. Sandasha Bough declined to comment.
“We are unable to provide an update at this time. When there is further information to share regarding this investigation, we will be in contact with media outlets,” she wrote.
With reports from Colin Freeze
Gregory Daniels is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, he explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture. Gregory enjoys staying ahead of the curve and sharing emerging trends with his readers.
