Months after being acquitted of sexual assault in a highly publicized and controversial trial in Canada, Vegas Golden Knights goalie Carter Hart was the target of a chant from Carolina Hurricanes fans in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
Hart and four other members of the 2018 Canadian World Junior hockey team were accused of sexually assaulting a woman in London, Ontario in 2018 after a celebration of winning that year’s tournament. He was acquitted in July 2025 after a prolonged trial which was twice declared a mistrial before Justice Maria Carroccia adjudicated the case on her own.
The highly divisive case still divides the hockey world to this day, with Hart’s participation in the Stanley Cup Finals a lightning rod for controversy.
This was seen during Tuesday night’s Game 1, when fans at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh began chanting ‘No Means No’ at Hart.
Hart was accused along with Dillon Dube, Alex Formenton, Cal Foote, and Michael McLeod of sexually assaulting a woman who was identified at the trial only by the initials ‘E.M.’
Since all five players have been acquitted, only Hart has returned to the NHL. Foote signed with the Carolina Hurricanes’ AHL team, the Chicago Wolves. Dube signed a tryout deal with the Springfield Thunderbirds, the AHL affiliate of the St. Louis Blues. McLeod and Formenton play in Europe.
Carolina Hurricanes fans began chanting ‘No Means No’ at Vegas goaltender Carter Hart
Hart was one of five former Canada world junior hockey players accused and eventually acquitted of charges of sexual assault stemming from an incident in London, Ontario in 2018
Hart has been shielded from questions about the trial by Golden Knights communication staff
In the complaint filed, ‘E.M.’ alleged she had been intoxicated by ‘John Doe 1’ – later identified as McLeod – at a London bar, before going to his hotel room and having sexual intercourse.
After this, the filing claimed the four other players – all initially identified as ‘John Does’ – entered the room and allegedly assaulted her.
McLeod invited his teammates to the hotel room without the knowledge or consent of ‘E.M.’ before she claimed that she engaged in sexual acts with multiple people over the course of several hours. She claimed that she could not give consent due to her level of intoxication.
Over the course of an eight week trial, the proceedings were declared a mistrial twice. While the cause of the first mistrial wasn’t revealed due to a publication ban, the second mistrial was declared due to jury bias against the defense. Jurors claimed defense attorneys belittled them, which the defense team denied.
This led to the Justice Carroccia adjudicating the case by herself, ultimately acquitting all five defendants and ruling that she did not find the testimony of ‘E.M.’ to be ‘credible or reliable’ while adding that ‘the Crown cannot meet its onus on any of the counts.’
After the acquittals, the NHL allowed for the players to return to the league following a reinstatement period that ended on December 1, 2025.
Since signing with the Golden Knights, Hart has often been shielded by Vegas’ staff from questions regarding the case. This included in the run-up to the Stanley Cup Finals, when Hart answered a single question pertaining to the verdict before a communications officer cut short his player availability less than halfway through his scheduled time.
Hart and the Golden Knights took Game 1 of the series in a 5-4 victory. Game 2 takes place on Thursday night.
