On February 5th, there will be a press conference in London, Ontario (Canada) regarding an investigation into a sexual assault investigation that involves several members of the then 2018 Canadian World Junior Hockey Team. It is believed that several of the players are now playing professionally in the National Hockey League as well as in other leagues in Europe.
According to an article by sportswriter Stephen Wyno of the Associated Press, a woman in 2022, sued Hockey Canada stating that she was sexually assaulted by eight members of Canada’s world junior team at a fundraising gala in the city of London back in 2018. Hockey Canada was reported to have settled the lawsuit, and but a further look into this revealed that Hockey Canada had several secret slush funds to pay out settlements on claims of sexual assault and other abuse. Various news outlets have reported the names of players believed to be under investigation as they have been suspeneded by their various teams while the investigation plays out.
These players are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law but this is not the first time where a group of National Hockey League Players were investigated for allegations regarding a gang sexual assault.
This is not the first time that professional hockey players from the National Hockey League have been investigated regarding a gang type sexual assault on a seventeen year old woman. Back in May of 1990, five players of the Washington Capitals (USA) were investigated by Washington DC Police. In the end a Grand Jury decided not to indict the players believing that the young woman was not forced. One of the accused players had years before pled guilty to indecent exposure outside his home to that of neighbor and received probation. Whether these players were responsible for the attack may never be known. However, it does indicate that women left in alone in a group situation face potential risks even among professional athletes and other people of stature.
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