Hockey Canada scandal: Philadelphia Flyers make a major judgement call on Carter Hart

The Philadelphia Flyers made a big decision regarding goaltender Carter Hart. This came after he was charged with sexual assault in connection with an alleged incident during a 2018 Hockey Canada event. Hart has been moved to the non-roster list as per CapFriendly, indicating his charges are serious.

Hart is expected to surrender himself to the London, Ontario police.

Last week, Hart, Dillon Dube, Alex Formenton, Michael McLeod and Cal Foote opted for an indefinite leave of absence from their respective teams. Notably, Formenton received permission for indefinite leave from HC Ambrì-Piotta, Switzerland.

All five players were members of the 2018 U-20 Team Canada, which was recently criticized after several sexual assault allegations.

The investigation by London police was initiated in 2022 after it was revealed that Hockey Canada had settled a lawsuit with a woman. She claimed she was sexually assaulted by eight members of the gold medal-winning team after a Hockey Canada Foundation fundraising gala.

The Globe and Mail reported that the five players were requested to surrender to the London, Ontario police to face charges.

According to court documents, the woman, aged 20, alleged meeting an individual identified as "John Doe #1." She said he took her from a bar to a hotel room, where seven others were invited to engage in undisclosed sexual acts. She claimed intimidation and restriction from leaving the room.

In the lawsuit, the woman asserted that the men directed her to take a shower and asked her to state on video that she was sober. Initially seeking $3.55 million in damages, she dropped the lawsuit after settling with Hockey Canada.

Philadelphia Flyers's earlier statement on Carter Hart

The Philadelphia Flyers previously issued a statement confirming Carter Hart's charges. The statement reads,

"We will respond appropriately to this very serious matter when the outcomes of the investigations are made public. The NHL has been very clear that teams should refer all investigation-related questions to them. In the meantime, members of the organization, including Flyers players, will not be commenting further."

Carter Hart's attorneys, Megan Savard and Riaz Sayani, in their statement said,

"We act for Carter Hart and confirm he has been charged with one count of sexual assault. He is innocent and will provide a full response to this false allegation in the proper forum, a court of law. Until then, we have no comment."

Before his leave, Hart was coming off a challenging performance, allowing five goals on 15 shots in a recent game.