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Carter Hart’s return shows hockey’s redemption machine never stops

The Vegas signing of the former Team Canada goaltender, acquitted but still suspended, exposes a sport where talk of “values” masks a deeper culture of silenceOn Thursday, the Vegas Golden Knights announced that goaltender Carter Hart will join the team on a professional tryout contract. Hart was one of five former Team Canada World Junior players initially charged with sexual assault stemming from an incident in 2018, and, though acquitted earlier this year, remains suspended by the NHL until 1 December. In a statement about Hart’s contract signing, the Golden Knights said that the team remains “committed to the core values that have defined our organization from its inception” and that the team expects “that our players will continue to meet these standards moving forward”.Which sounds all well and good, but there’s a difference between expecting someone to meet a standard and maintaining it – or even enforcing it. It’s not surprising that Hart is back on the ice in the NHL. For one thing, he was indeed acquitted, along with the other four accused, which is technically grounds for readmittance, whether one agrees with the ruling or not. For the league, the union, and the teams, the story is – or can be – relatively simple: a player cleared by the courts is ready for a comeback. But the real reason Hart’s return will strike many as unsurprising is because, well, this is just how hockey works. That is, yes, everyone can talk about values and standards and expectations, but in reality hockey is still driven by silence. Continue reading...

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