The organization announced yesterday that all players from the 2018 World Junior Championship team have been suspended indefinitely. The move comes as London police announced charges for the five players allegedly involved in the incident that lead to the investigation in the first place.
That being said, Elliotte Friedman confirmed that these players will still be allowed to participate in next year's four nations event, as it is being hosted by the NHL, not Hockey Canada.
Throughout the entire investigation, Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar has maintained that he was not involved in the alleged criminal incident. As such, he voiced his frustrations following news that all players from the team would be banned from Hockey Canada events for the foreseeable future.
That being said, many believe that this decision will be reversed or at least altered in some way prior to the 2026 winter games. After all, Makar is arguably the best Canadian defenseman in the world and he is certainly the biggest impact player to come from that 2018 WJC team. Canada would be shooting themselves in the foot were they to go to the Olympics without him.
Only time will tell whether or not Hockey Canada upholds this ruling. In the meantime, be sure to stay tuned for more updates on this rapidly evolving story.
As seen on Cale Makar speaks out after being banned from Olympics
POLL | ||
6 FEVRIER | 306 ANSWERS Cale Makar Voices Out After Getting Banned From The Olympics Do you think Hockey Canada will reverse this decision before the 2026 Olympics? | ||
Yes | 202 | 66 % |
No | 104 | 34 % |
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