STOCKHOLM—NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says the league is nearing the end of its investigation into the players on the 2018 Canadian world junior team accused of sexual assault.
Three separate investigations have been ongoing after it was revealed that Hockey Canada settled a lawsuit with a young woman who alleged in April 2022 that she was sexually assaulted more than three years earlier by eight Canadian Hockey League players, including members of the world junior team.
The police in London, Ont., have not spoken about their investigation. Hockey Canada’s investigation is going through a secretive internal appeal process.
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“We’re not in lockstep with anybody other than completing our own process,” Bettman told reporters in Sweden, where the NHL is hosting games in its Global Series. “The London police are going to do what they do and they’re not going to be reporting to us on it. And the same thing is true with Hockey Canada.
“We’re hopefully much closer to the end of our own process of dealing with it.”
Bettman spoke on a number of league issues. Among the hot topics:
— The league will not budge on its stance prohibiting use of cause-related warm-up jerseys. Last year, it turned into a controversy when some players declined to wear rainbow-themed, warm-up sweaters. Bettman said teams will continue to hold special nights, like Pride nights, Hockey Fights Cancer and military support evenings. But not with players wearing specialized jerseys.
“We’re going to leave it where it is right now,” said Bettman. “I think what people lose sight of is our teams collectively do 338 specialty nights in support of causes, whether it’s Pride, military, Hockey Fights Cancer or whether it’s heritage nights. And so we want the attention on the activations, not on which players are doing and not doing certain things in response.”
— The league continues to pursue an international tournament in about 15 months but has yet to iron out the details as to how it will look and where it will be played.
— Participation in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan is likely, but not guaranteed, given there is no formal agreement with the International Olympic Committee. “It’s something that all parties are aligned in terms of trying to make happen,” deputy commissioner Bill Daly said.
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— The league has not figured out where the next draft will be or what format it will have. It is hoping to use the revolutionary Sphere in Las Vegas, but there are logistic issues involved. Also, there is a movement by some teams to have the management groups remain in their cities while the prospects attend the draft. That’s a break with tradition that Bettman said he won’t oppose. He’s just not sure if the new look will start in 2024 or 2025.
— The league and the NHL Players’ Association are in talks about neck guards and other protective equipment. The league can’t make neck guards mandatory on its own but “players are free to wear neck guards,” Bettman said. “And I would strongly encourage it.”
Kevin McGran is a Star sports reporter based in Toronto. Follow
him on Bluesky @kevinmcgran
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