EDITORIAL: Everyone deserves a second chance

Carter Hart has been found guilty of nothing. Let him get on with his life.

Published Jun 05, 2026  •  Last updated 15 minutes ago  •  2 minute read

Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Carter Hart. Photo by Bruce Bennett /Getty Images

It’s unfortunate that Carolina Hurricanes fans would choose to boo and harass Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Carter Hart during the Stanley Cup playoffs.

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Hockey fans will look for any way to get under the skin of their opponents, especially if he’s the goalie.

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Hart was one of five players on Canada’s 2018 world juniors team acquitted last year of sexual assault. The complainant, a young woman known only as E.M., claimed she was subjected to an attack in a London, Ontario, hotel room after a 2018 Hockey Canada banquet. It was subsequently revealed that E.M. had received an undisclosed payout from Hockey Canada; reportedly millions of dollars.

Hart, who played six seasons for the Philadelphia Flyers before being charged, is the only one of those acquitted to return to the NHL. He signed a two-year, $4-million contract with Vegas.

In Game One of the Stanley Cup final, fans chanted, “No means no,” and booed Hart. Fair enough, hockey fans are a lively bunch. But the jeers have reignited the controversy, with the suggestion that Hart should be banned from the NHL.

That makes no sense. All five players were acquitted. The judge said the complainant’s testimony wasn’t credible. The players’ behaviour may have been disgusting. Sleaziness isn’t a criminal offence.

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Some suggest NHL players are role models to be held to a higher code of conduct than we mere mortals. Really? At the start of a Canada-U.S. game in last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off, there were three fights in nine seconds. Is that the code of conduct they’re looking for? It’s a game where players routinely find new ways to remove their opponents’ front teeth. Do we really want 20-year-old testosterone-driven hockey players to be society’s role models? If you want your kids to look up to someone, try having them look up to you.

If Hart was banned from the NHL, it would set a precedent. Any disgruntled girlfriend could make a complaint against a player and destroy his career — even if the allegations were untrue.

Everyone deserves a second chance. Hart’s performance in the playoffs has been exceptional. He has been found guilty of nothing, so let’s quit the chirping and let him get on with his life.

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