Earlier this week, the London Police had notified five members of Canada's 2018 World Junior Championship hockey team that they were required to turn themselves in to face serious charges, stemming from an incident that had occurred following a gala in the city back in 2018, following Canada's gold medal win. There's a lot of speculation that we could see several NHLers charged, though London Police have not yet revealed the identities of those being charged.
As it turns out, that's not the only noteworthy news surrounding NHLers in legal trouble this week, as the trial for 1,074-game NHL veteran Mike Ribeiro also got under way on January 23rd.
Ribeiro, who spent 17 seasons in the NHL, split between the Canadiens, Stars, Capitals, Coyotes and Predators, faced allegations from a trio of women stemming from incidents in 2021 and was eventually indicted on a pair of charges in 2022, with a third charge being tacked on a little later.
If convicted, Ribeiro could face anywhere from 20-50 years in prison, depending on the various reports, which could equate to the remainder of his life, as Ribeiro turns 44 next month.
This, in combination with the 2018 Team Canada ordeal, as well as the ongoing investigation into events that occurred in Halifax back in 2003 have left a dark cloud hanging over the NHL that won't soon go away.
