Hockey Canada announced continued suspensions for four players accused of sexual assault in 2018, including Vegas Golden Knights goalie Carter Hart.
Hart, 28, helped lead the Golden Knights to the 2026 Stanley Cup Finals earlier this year, before ultimately falling to the Carolina Hurricanes in six games.
Hart and four other players from Team Canada’s 2018 World Juniors team – Alex Formenton, Cal Foote, Dillon Dubé and Michael McLeod – were all found not guilty on all charges in July 2025, after a woman accused the players of sexually assaulting her in a London, Ontario hotel room in 2018.
An independent appeal board continued the suspensions of four of the five players for breaching Hockey Canada’s “code of conduct,” it was announced on Wednesday, August 12.
Formenton, 26, was reinstated immediately, while the other four players have continued suspensions of varying lengths. Hart is suspended until November 2027.
The board did not explain why Formenton was reinstated or why the suspension lengths are all different.
Hart and the other four players are not eligible “to participate in any Hockey Canada-sanctioned program,” though it does not impact their ability to play in the NHL.
As for the Golden Knights, they used Wednesday to wish Hart a “happy birthday” on social media.
In September 2025, the NHL announced all five players would be eligible to return to the league that December.
“The allegations made in this case, even if not determined to have been criminal, were very disturbing, and the behavior at issue was unacceptable,” the NHL said in a July 2025 statement.
The league said the alleged conduct of the players “falls woefully short of the standards and values that the league and its member clubs expect and demand.”
“Each of the players, based on in-person meetings with the league following the verdicts, expressed regret and remorse for his actions,” the statement added.
Hart signed a two-year, $4 million contract with the Golden Knights in October 2025.
After signing the deal, Hart told reporters he was ready “to show the community my true character and who I am and what I’m about.”
“It’s been a long road to get back to this point, getting back to playing the game of hockey, the game that I love,” he continued. “I’ve been out of the game for a year and a half now. I’ve learned a lot. I’ve grown a lot. Just excited to move forward.”
When he met with the media during the Cup Finals in June, Hart was asked how he’s matured in the aftermath of the allegations and subsequent trial.
“I’ve been able to meet a lot of good people in the community,” Hart said. “I think the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation has done a really good job of making it easy for me to integrate into the community and meet a lot of cool people. Just really fortunate to be here in Vegas. It’s a great culture of people. Like I said, I’ve met a lot of cool people and just very fortunate to be here in Las Vegas and with this group.”
Hart’s media session was abruptly stopped after his answer.
