Front Burner

Breaking down the not guilty Hockey Canada decision

The judge presiding over the Hockey Canada sex assault trial involving five former World Junior team members says she didn’t find the complainant’s evidence “credible or reliable”.
A man in a red suit walks by a group of people holding signs on a sidewalk.
Carter Hart arrives at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in London, Ontario on Thursday, July 24, 2025. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)

A trial that was seven years in the making came to its conclusion with all five former Hockey Canada players found not guilty of sexual assault.

Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dubé and Cal Foote were acquitted in a London, Ontario courtroom by Justice Maria Carroccia.

McLeod was also found not guilty of being a party to a sexual assault. All five had pleaded not guilty.

The Athletic's senior enterprise writer Dan Robson explains the decision and its implications.

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