NHL players to play at the 2026 Olympics amidst Hockey Canada scandal

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman held a news conference to announce the NHL is heading back to the Olympics, and its players will be allowed to compete at the 2026 Winter Games.

Bettman also took the opportunity to state the five players from Canada’s 2018 World Junior team – charged with sexual assault.

Bettman addressed the situation days after the five were charged by police in London. He says the league will not consider any punishment until the conclusion of judicial proceedings.

A court document shows Dillon Dube of the Calgary Flames, Carter Hart of the Philadelphia Flyers, Michael McLeod and Cal Foote of the New Jersey Devils, and former NHL player Alex Formenton are each charged with one count of sexual assault, in connection with an incident that occurred after a Hockey Canada gala in London in June 2018.

McLeod is also facing an additional charge of sexual assault for, “being a party to the offence.” All five are on indefinite leave from their teams attorneys for all five players said their clients are innocent.

READ MORE: 5 players from 2018 Canada world junior team take leave of absence from their clubs

Today Bettman called the allegations “abhorrent, reprehensible, horrific and unacceptable.” but also said the league does not consider it necessary to suspend the players without pay for the rest of the season. Hart, McLeod, Foote and Dube are currently being paid.

Bettman deputy commissioner Bill Daly said the results of NHL’s own investigation into the situation that wrapped up last year won’t be released while this case is ongoing.

“This is as I’ve said repeatedly a fairly complicated judicial matter. The fact that they’re away from their teams and not playing I’m comfortable with. They’ve been paid the vast bulk of their salary anyways, we’re coming down to the stretch run of compensation that’s paid for players. That’s not the concern, the concern is to get this right.” said Bettman.

READ MORE: World junior hockey players’ sex assault case to be before London court on Monday

Bettman continued, “We had concluded the investigatory portion of our process to the extent we could and were working with the NHL organization to analyze the info we had create a process moving forward and then determine what was the appropriate response when the news broke last week.”

Bettman pointed out that all four players don’t have contracts beyond this season.

The five are expected to appear in court on Monday, London police will also hold a news conference on the same day.