MAJOR: A monster tidal wave is about to hit the NHL due to the Team Canada 2018 scandal
We are very close to finally seeing the conclusion of the NHL's investigation into the 2018 Team Canada junior scandal.
While we have mentioned in recent days that the investigation's conclusion should occur in the coming days, excellent journalist Rick Westhead, who has been a key player in investigating the scandal from the start, just added something big on the subject:
"Several team executives, sponsors, and player agents have told me they are preparing for the possible release by the NHL of an investigative report on the alleged events involving up to eight players from the 2018 Junior World Championship Canadian team.
If the NHL names and suspends players allegedly involved, the affected players would likely appeal any sanctions with an arbitrator, in accordance with the CBA, and could initiate defamation lawsuits against the league," said the agent of a player who attended the 2018 Hockey Canada gala.
(While an investigator in October wrote in court documents that he thought there were strong grounds to charge at least five players, London police continue to refuse any comment other than to say an investigation is ongoing.)"
In short, Westhead reports that everyone in the league is on high alert with the monster announcement to come, even the sponsors. All expect suspensions to be announced following the conclusion of the investigation.
However, the journalist also mentions that we should expect identified players to appeal, and they might even go as far as suing the league for defamation. Let's hope the situation doesn't get that far for the victim's sake in this outrageous scandal.
Where this case becomes even bigger is that London police in Ontario allegedly have enough evidence to lay criminal charges against five of the eight players involved in this case.
Wow!
To give you an idea of the possible players affected by this investigation, here is an excellent analysis from the HabsolumentFan site, regarding the eight team members who appear to be the most suspect.
First, there are the players with a solid alibi because they were not on site and/or did not come from the Canadian Hockey League (8): Cale Makar, Victor Mete, Dante Fabbro, Jordan Kyrou, Jonah Gadjovich, Colton Point, Callan Foote, and Kale Clague.
Then there are the players who publicly stated in a release that they had nothing to do with this incident (6): Conor Timmins, Robert Thomas, Taylor Raddysh, Sam Steel, Brett Howden, and Maxime Comtois.
There are also the players who publicly declared through their lawyer or agent that they did nothing wrong, without specifying that they were not involved in the incident (3): Dillon Dube, Jake Bean, and Carter Hart.
Finally, there are the players who simply have not commented on the situation so far (5): Drake Batherson, Boris Katchouk, Alex Formenton, Michael McLeod, and Tyler Steenbergen. - Marco Normandin Credit: HabsolumentFan
POLL |
Do you believe there will be suspensions following the announcement of the investigation's results? |
Yes | 26 | 78.8 % |
No | 7 | 21.2 % |
List of polls |
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