ABOUTThe Vegas Golden Knights announced Thursday that goaltender Carter Hart will join the team under a professional audition contract. Hart was one of five former Canadian junior national team players initially charged with sexual assault stemming from an incident that occurred in 2018, and although he was acquitted earlier this year, the NHL still suspends him until Dec. 1. IN statement On Hart's signing, the Golden Knights said the team remains “committed to the core values that have defined our organization since its inception” and that the team expects “our players to continue to live up to those standards in the future.”
Sounds good, but there's a difference between expecting someone to meet a standard and maintaining it—or even enforcing it. It's no surprise that Hart returned to the ice in NHL. First, he was indeed acquitted along with four other defendants, which is technically grounds for readmission, whether one agrees with the decision or not. For the league, the union and the teams, the story is — or could be — relatively simple: a player cleared by the court is ready to return. But the real reason Hart's return will come as no surprise to many is because that's just the way hockey works. I mean, yes, everyone can talk about values, standards and expectations, but the reality is that hockey is still driven by silence.
The 2018 sexual assault scandal was neither an isolated nor unprecedented incident. Shortly after the Team Canada story broke, the Canadian Hockey League and its member major junior leagues published findings of an independent review commission examining policies on hazing, bullying, harassment and abuse. Panel definite that there is a “systematic or 'culture of ingrained behavior' within the leagues and their teams in which misconduct off the ice is perpetuated, condoned or viewed poorly” and that there is a “code of silence” when it comes to reporting misconduct. As allegations against players on Team Canada's 2018 team spread, it was revealed that Hockey Canada, the country's national governing body for the sport, paid $2.9 million payout in 2022.
And just a year earlier, the same code of silence was exposed when former Chicago Blackhawks player Kyle Beach came forward as the player at the center of sexual assault allegations against the team in 2010. Beach alleged that he was sexually assaulted by then-Blackhawks video coach Brad Aldrich. A follow-up report found that although Beach informed the team of his allegations and the information was discussed in a meeting that included general manager Stan Bowman and head coach Joel Quenneville, nothing happened for three weeks—until the Blackhawks won the Cup.
As with Hart, the people at the center of the scandal left, but not for long. After resignation from General Manager position at Chicago Bowman was hired three years later, in 2024, he moved to the Edmonton Oilers and remains there as general manager. Quenneville back behind the benchas of May. He is the head coach of the Anaheim Ducks. This is a model of redemption without retribution. As for the moral issue, that is left up to the fans. The NHL, and hockey more broadly, make what might be called simply a business decision – perhaps even cynically, seeing an opportunity to negotiate a contract at a reduced rate – and move on, leaving their supporters to figure out the ethics of it all or perform the mental gymnastics of separating the player from the person.
The case with the Canadian team players was declared a reckoning for hockey – at last. Ultimately, the case itself and the judge's decision made it difficult to draw a clear line of justice. So, again, no calculations. So-called watersheds come and go, turning points lead to the same place. The behavior, the pattern remains. A scandal, a moment of reflection, and then a quiet return of the participants to the hockey ecosystem. From beginners to juniors and professionals, the hockey mechanism protects itself. The game continues, and changes, when they occur, seem more random than intentional.
Hart was acquitted, that's true. Legally, he is not criminally liable. He has the right to restore his career. But what the courts decide and what the sport chooses to celebrate or reward are not the same thing. Justification is not the same as remission of sins. An acquittal does not undo the power imbalance that shaped the case. And it doesn't change the learned behavior that makes these situations so common—the kind that teaches young athletes that consent is negotiable, or that group loyalty outweighs empathy, or that success is a disinfectant. The defendants in this case were found innocent, this is not subject to discussion. However, being legally innocent and being ethically fit for the role are two different things. The court may have had its say, but the silence of the hockey players, as usual, speaks louder.
