Former Flyers Goaltender Gustav Elvin Carter Hart Found Not Guilty of Sexual Assault

Gustav Hart, a former NHL goaltender, has been acquitted of sexual assault charges stemming from a 2018 incident involving a woman in London, Ontario. The decision was made by Ontario Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia, who found that the Crown had failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the woman did not consent to the sexual contact. Hart's acquittal is one of five former Canadian World Junior team players who were tried for allegedly sexually assaulting the woman in 2018 after a Hockey Canada banquet. The acquittals come after a trial that ran from April 22 to June 14, during which the judge oversaw several disturbances, including a mistrial and two jury dismissals.

Key Takeaways:

• Gustav Elvin Carter Hart, a former Flyers goaltender, has been found not guilty of sexual assault by Ontario Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia.
• The decision was made after Carroccia found that the Crown had failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the woman did not consent to the sexual contact.
• Hart's acquittal is one of five former Canadian World Junior team players who were tried for allegedly sexually assaulting the woman in 2018 after a Hockey Canada banquet.
• The woman alleged that after having consensual sex with Michael McLeod, she was sexually assaulted by McLeod and several of his teammates, including Hart, in McLeod's hotel room over a period of hours.
• The Crown has 30 days to appeal, but would need to find flaws in Carroccia's process.
• Hart testified during the trial that the woman asked the players to have sex with her, and that he asked for and received oral sex after she agreed.
• Carroccia said that the woman "exaggerated her intoxication" and that "in this case, I have found actual consent not vitiated by fear."
• Hart will face no prison time as a result of the acquittal.
• The acquittals come more than seven years after the initial London police case was opened in the days following the incident, and about six weeks after Carroccia oversaw a trial that ran from April 22 to June 14.
• The NHL conducted a year-long investigation in 2022, but has yet to release its findings.

Statistics:

• 1 out of 5 former Canadian World Junior team players were found not guilty of sexual assault (Gustav Hart).
• 5 former Canadian World Junior team players were tried for allegedly sexually assaulting the woman in 2018.
• 227 games with the Flyers is Gustav Hart's career record.
• 96-93-29 is Gustav Hart's career record with the Flyers.
• 10 years is the maximum prison sentence the five players could have faced if convicted.
• 30 days is the amount of time the Crown has to appeal the decision.

Sources:

• "Byline: Gustav Elvin Carter Hart will not face prison time after Justice Maria Carroccia found the former Flyers goaltender not guilty on the count of sexual assault" - The Philadelphia Inquirer, 2025
• "NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says he won't comment further on Hockey Canada's investigation" - TSN, 2022
• "Hockey Canada made its own investigation into 2018 sexual assault allegations, report says" - The Globe and Mail, 2022