Four Canadian hockey stars stay suspended after sexual assault acquittal - BBC News

A fifth has been reinstated, though an appeals board found that the whole group broke Hockey Canada's code of conduct.

Image source, ReutersImage caption, L-R: Michael McLeod, Alex Formenton, Carter Hart, Dillon Dube and Cal Foote

Four ice hockey players who were acquitted of sexual assault last year should remain barred from representing Canada at international level because they broke Hockey Canada's code of conduct, an independent appeals board has ruled.

The board recommended that four of the five acquitted players remain suspended from all Hockey Canada-sanctioned programmes.

The fifth player, Alex Formenton, was also deemed to have broken conduct rules but is now being reinstated.

The former players for Canada's under-20s junior hockey team were accused of sexual assault over an incident that took place in 2018. They were found not guilty in July 2025.