Four ice hockey players, Michael McLeod, Dillon Dube, Cal Foote, and Carter Hart, remain suspended from representing Canada at the international level following a ruling by an independent appeals board. This decision comes despite their acquittal of sexual assault charges in July 2025 related to an incident from 2018.

The board recommended that four of the five acquitted players stay barred from all Hockey Canada-sanctioned programs, with Alex Formenton being the only player reinstated. While the ruling affects their international eligibility, it does not impact their participation in the National Hockey League (NHL), where all five players signed contracts late last year.

Key points from the ruling include:

• Formenton reinstated immediately.
• Foote eligible on 10 November 2025.
• Hart and Dube eligible on 10 November 2027 and 10 November 2028 respectively.
• McLeod must wait until 10 November 2030.

The players were accused of assaulting a woman, referred to as EM, in a hotel room in London, Ontario. The court found EM's evidence to be "not credible or reliable" and debated whether she had consented to each sexual act that night. EM testified she felt intoxicated and fearful, contradicting the defense's claims of consent.

This case has sparked a national conversation about safety in sports and the culture within men's hockey. Adam van Koeverden, Canada's secretary of sport, emphasized the importance of listening to survivors and acknowledged the ongoing efforts to address systemic issues within Hockey Canada.