Conversation around hockey culture, consent continues as high-profile trial closes

The high-profile trial involving five former junior hockey players sparks a conversation about hockey culture.

A high-profile court case has closed but the national conversation around hockey culture and consent is far from over.

The five former Hockey Canada World Junior players accused of sexually assaulting a woman in a London, Ont., hotel room in 2018 were acquitted of all charges on Thursday.

The trial, which began eight weeks ago, closed with the Ontario Supreme Court judge finding the complainant’s testimony was “not reliable or credible.”

All five players had pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Legal expert and Dalhousie emeritus professor of law Wayne MacKay says the not guilty verdict doesn’t mean the players’ behaviour wasn’t harmful or offensive.

“They (the judge) say not guilty of sexual assault for a reason but it certainly doesn’t say they are innocent of bad conduct,” said MacKay. “In fact, I think most people would say they did engage in bad conduct.”

Regardless of the verdict, the high-profile case has once again turned the spotlight on elite hockey culture and the institutions that oversee and shape them.

“I think there is a reconciliation, a justice, a healing and accountability that needs to happen,” said Miia Suokonautio, CEO of the Halifax YWCA and a hockey parent. “And that’s separate from a judicial process and we put a lot of eggs into the basket.”

Suokonautio says while elite level sports are hyper focused on player performance, more focus needs to be put on character development and behavior off the ice. And the trial is helping spark that conversation.

“To start talking about what’s actually happening,” said Suokonautio. “And not just having a session with players but every coach and every parent has a responsibility.”

Though cleared in court, the players remain under suspension by both Hockey Canada and the NHL.

While the complainant E.M. and her supporters may have lost the legal battle, MacKay says the trial’s impacts are far from over.

“I’m sure it doesn’t feel like that to E.M. or her supporters but in one sense they did win,” said MacKay. “Because they raised the profile of the problem in a real way and it’s really an extension of the MeToo movement.”