Illustration of a goaltender in a Golden Knights jersey sprawled on the ice

Carter Hart and the Hockey Canada Trial

“NO
MEANS
NO.”

Carolina fans chanted this at Carter Hart through the 2026 Stanley Cup Final.

The NFL, MLB and the NBA each have a written domestic-violence and sexual-assault policy. The NHL’s published collective bargaining agreement contains none. Without one, the league decides each case against a standard no one outside it can read. We believe that needs to change.

Petition

A petition from Ontario Says No More, led by SOAR Initiative Canada, asks the NHL and the NHLPA to adopt a survivor-centered policy on sexual violence, domestic violence and child abuse, with independent investigations, support services and public reporting.

Sign the petition (opens in a new tab)

Petition by Ontario Says No More, led by SOAR Initiative Canada, hosted on change.org. Game Misconducts is not affiliated with SOAR or this petition and did not write it.

Vegas never showed its review.

Oct. 16, 2025:The Golden Knights’ statement cited the NHL and NHLPA’s “process and assessment,” not a review of their own. CP24 (opens in a new tab)
Oct. 24, 2025:They signed Hart to a two-year contract. 6abc (opens in a new tab), CapWages (opens in a new tab)
June 2026:GM Kelly McCrimmon said the team did a “lengthy process of due diligence with Carter.” What it covered has not been made public. AP (opens in a new tab)
Aug. 12, 2026:Hockey Canada accepted an independent appeal board’s finding that he breached its code of conduct and suspended him until Nov. 10, 2027. He is still on the roster. Hockey Canada (opens in a new tab)

Penalty summary

Institution

Date

Infraction

Source

Hockey Canada

July 27, 2022

Paid $7.6M in nine sexual assault and abuse settlements since 1989 from a fund fed partly by a per-player insurance fee charged to every registered player, youth hockey included.

House of Commons (opens in a new tab)Global News (opens in a new tab)

NHL

Sept. 11, 2025

Set reinstatement: contracts from Oct. 15, 2025, games from Dec. 1, 2025

ABC7/AP (opens in a new tab)

NHLPA

Sept. 11, 2025

Declared the matter closed

ABC7/AP (opens in a new tab)

Vegas Golden Knights

Oct. 16, 2025

Stated it is aligned with the NHL and NHLPA’s process and assessment

CP24 (opens in a new tab)

Vegas Golden Knights

Oct. 24, 2025

Signed an acquitted player to a two-year contract 92 days after the verdict

6abc (opens in a new tab)CapWages (opens in a new tab)

Hockey Canada

Aug. 12, 2026

Accepted an independent appeal board’s finding that the player breached its code of conduct; suspended the player until Nov. 10, 2027

Hockey Canada (opens in a new tab)

NHL

As of Oct. 2026

Published collective bargaining agreement contains no written domestic-violence or sexual-assault policy

NHLPA (primary) (opens in a new tab)Ms. Magazine (opens in a new tab)

A federal audit reported in February 2023 found Hockey Canada did not use public funds to settle sexual assault cases or pay related legal fees. (CTV News (opens in a new tab)). Every entry is sourced. Calling them infractions is our opinion.

The Case

Start here

We’ve gathered the record so you don’t have to. See the timeline of events, the group chat, and what the record shows, all laid out in one place and interactive.

Open the case

The Culture

Hockey has handled cases like this the same way for decades. Here we examine the culture and the systems that produce it.

See the Culture

The Cause

If you’re able, there are ways to help by giving your time and volunteering with a crisis line, walking a survivor through court, or simply changing the culture in your own locker rooms and spaces. And you can always help by sharing this page.

More ways to help

The CoverageSee media coverage.

We’ve compiled and created a full broadsheet of third-party reporting on the trial, the verdict, the fight over the players’ return, investigations, and the wider record of cases across the sport of hockey.

Go to The Coverage

Game notes

Read and watch

Book, Rick Westhead, foreword by Stephen Brunt

We Breed Lions

The investigative reporter's account of the culture behind the headlines, and the people who tried to hold it accountable.

Read the book (opens in a new tab)

Book, Laura Robinson, McClelland & Stewart, 1998

Crossing the Line

A quarter-century before this case, journalist Laura Robinson documented the same machinery: abuse in junior hockey and the institutions that close ranks to protect it.

Find the book (opens in a new tab)

Documentary

Code of Misconduct

Sébastien Trahan's documentary follows the trial as it unfolds, and the culture around it.

Watch on Prime Video (opens in a new tab)

The Fifth Estate: Hockey Canada Scandal, key art

Documentary, The Fifth Estate, CBC, 2022

Hockey Canada Scandal: Inside Our National Sport

The Fifth Estate examines the national shame inside Canada's game, and the history that suggests 2018 was not an isolated incident.

Watch on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Here’s what the Vegas hockey fans are saying:

@she.sells.seachelles
View the post (opens in a new tab)
@jenipeep
View the post (opens in a new tab)
@adinafox
View the post (opens in a new tab)
@barb_kielec
View the post (opens in a new tab)
OPINION by Stephanie Forté: Signing Carter Hart ended my support for the Vegas Golden Knights. As a survivor of sexual assault, I can no longer believe in their “core values” after they rewarded troubling behavior with a $4 million contract.
, Nevada Independent (@TheNVIndy), December 17, 2025 View the post (opens in a new tab)
@SinBinVegas Vegas doesn’t need the drama, bad press and bad optics. Sure he was acquitted but professional hockey is a privilege to play, especially in Vegas.
, besttimeofyear (@Cellisdavid), September 27, 2025 View the post (opens in a new tab)
@funnylilgal
View the post (opens in a new tab)