Cale Makar Speaks Out After IIHF Bans All Members of 2018 WJC Team From 2026 Olympic Games

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Graham Montgomery
February 6, 2024 (2:52 PM)

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London police held a press conference yesterday regarding the investigation into the 2018 WJC scandal involving members of team Canada. The event confirmed much of what we already knew about the players involved.

London Police Confirm Charges For Players In 2018 Hockey Canada Scandal

During the event, NHL insider Chris Johnston shared live updates, including when the charges were confirmed. He shared on X that Carter Hart, Dillon Dube, Cal Foote, and Alex Formenton were each facing a single charge of sexual assault. In a shocking new twist, Devils forward Michael Mcleod is facing two charges.

The reporter also noted a comment the police made about cooperation with the investigation. Apparently, some of the players involved were more willing to work with the police than others. The phrasing implies that it is possible one or more individuals did not cooperate at all.

Det. Sgt. Katherine Dann says London Police have received varying levels of cooperation from members of the 2018 Canadian world junior team during the investigation.

Hockey Canada Suspends All Players From 2018 WJC Team

In a questionable move, Hockey Canada announced that all the players from the 2018 would be suspended until the trial is completed. This means that the other players from the team who were not involved at all and possibly knew nothing of the assault in the first place are still facing consequences for other people's actions.

As part of this statement, Hockey Canada says all players from that team remain suspended from international competition under its umbrella. Next year's Four Nations Faceoff is not part of this, as it is an NHL/NHLPA event

This decision has major implications for team Canada going into the 2026 Winter Games. That 2018 team had some of the country's top talent on it, including Jordan Kyrou, Robert Thomas, and of course, Cale Makar.

Makar Speaks Out About Hockey Canada Ruling For Members Of 2018 World Junior Championship Team

This had lead to some outrage in the hockey community as many believe it is not fair for the organization to issue a blanket ban on all players that were a part of the team. After all, Makar has repeatedly indicated that he was not involved. The All-Star defenseman commented on the decision, calling it 'tough.' However, he did not go so far as to complain about it.

«It's tough. I've been told not to comment on that ongoing investigation. I've been straightforward from the start. I wasn't there. It was a very fortunate bounce to not obviously be a part of something like that. I'm just going to leave it to the people who are handling the work right now. I can't stress enough that I wasn't part of that.»

Hopefully the trial will be over before the Olympics get under way but it has been reported that a trial is unlikely to begin until 2026 due to a backlog in Ontario's justice system.

As a result, it is unlikely that Makar and the rest of the members of that team will be allowed to participate at the games.

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