Report: NHL, NHLPA increasing education on sexual assault and domestic violence
The NHL and NHLPA will meet with all 30 teams over the next two months to educate players on problems related to sexual assault, domestic violence and sexual harassment, according to TSN insider Darren Dreger.
The league has been involved in a series of bad headlines over the past few years related to sexual assault and domestic violence issues. Former Los Angeles Kings defenseman Slava Voynov was arrested and charged with one felony count of corporal injury to a spouse in late 2014. Voynov was immediately suspended indefinitely by the NHL without pay, and the Kings were penalized by the league after they allowed Voynov to participate in a practice with the team during the suspension. Voynov pleaded not guilty to the felony charge.
In July, Voynov pleaded no-contest to a reduced misdemeanor charge and was sentenced to 90 days in jail. Voynov was released from jail on Sept. 3 and preemptively returned to his native Russia instead of facing a trial by an immigration judge due to visa issues related to his no-contest plea to the significant misdemeanor.
On Dec. 27, Buffalo police reportedly began a sex offense investigation into Buffalo Sabres forward Evander Kane after an alleged incident between Kane and a woman in a Buffalo hotel. No charges have been filed against Kane, and he has not been arrested as of Jan. 5.
Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane was also in the news in the fall of 2015 after a woman accused Kane of raping her at his New York home in the summer of 2015. Kane was never arrested, and a New York prosecutor announced in November that Kane would not be charged in relation to the accusations and the investigation was complete.
Still, the league's decision to allow Kane to play during the investigation infuriated some NHL fans, who demanded the league take a tougher stance on players involved in domestic violence disputes or sexual assault incidents.
The league currently does not have a specific and clear domestic violence or sexual-assault policy, and in response, a group of fans created a petition on Change.org asking the league to institute a zero-tolerance policy for players who commit acts of domestic violence or sexual assault. The petition has over 29,000 signatures to date.
