There\u2019s game pressure, and then there is courtroom pressure.<\/p>\n
Published May 22, 2025 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Last updated 25\u00a0minutes ago \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 6 minute read<\/p>\n
You can save this article by registering for free here<\/a>. Or sign-in<\/a> if you have an account.<\/p>\n There\u2019s game pressure, and then there is courtroom pressure.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Vegas Golden Knights player Brett Howden has experienced both in a matter of days.<\/p>\n A week ago, Howden\u2019s team was eliminated from the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs after a hard-fought series with the Edmonton Oilers<\/a>. On Thursday, he was wiping tears from his eyes while testifying remotely from Nevada in a London courtroom.<\/p>\n Advertisement 2<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Exclusive articles from Ryan Pyette, Dale Carruthers, Jane Sims, Norman De Bono and others. Plus, the Noon News Roundup newsletter on weekdays and the LFP Weekender newsletter on weekends.Unlimited online access to London Free Press and 15 news sites with one account.London Free Press ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.<\/p>\n SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Exclusive articles from Ryan Pyette, Dale Carruthers, Jane Sims, Norman De Bono and others. Plus, the Noon News Roundup newsletter on weekdays and the LFP Weekender newsletter on weekends.Unlimited online access to London Free Press and 15 news sites with one account.London Free Press ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.<\/p>\n REGISTER \/ SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.<\/p>\n THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an Account<\/p>\n or<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n He was asked to recall what he was thinking when he found out through a text message that Hockey Canada was investigating his 2018 world junior championship team for what happened in Michael McLeod\u2019s London hotel room with a woman McLeod met at a nearby bar.<\/p>\n \u201cI was very nervous when this was going on,\u201d Howden said to questions from defence lawyer Lisa Carnelos, who represents Dillon Dube, 26, one among five teammates on trial for sexual assault.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the hardest things I had to go through was explaining this to my family,\u201d he said, particularly his father. Carnelos added he would have to tell his girlfriend, someone who \u201cwas very important to you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe is; she\u2019s my wife,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He lost his composure and started to cry. He confirmed he had just become a father for the second time.<\/p>\n \u201cCongratulations,\u201d Carnelos said. Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia asked if he needed a moment to compose himself.<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m okay,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n It was a dramatic moment during questioning about a series of text messages Howden exchanged with teammate Taylor Raddysh, now with the NHL\u2019s Washington Capitals, on June 26, 2018, when Raddysh told him Hockey Canada was investigating what happened in Room 209 at the Delta Armouries hotel a week earlier.<\/p>\n The team had been in London for a gala and golf tournament to celebrate their gold medal win.<\/p>\n McLeod, 27; Dube, 26; Carter Hart, 26; Alex Formenton, 25; and Cal Foote, 26, have all pleaded not guilty to sexual assault. McLeod has also pleaded not guilty to a second sexual assault count for being a party to the offence.<\/p>\n Thursday\u2019s emotional testimony from Howden was a continuation of the Crown\u2019s legal application to allow the prosecution to cross-examine its own witness over inconsistencies, specifically between Howden\u2019s trial evidence and past recollections recorded in the text messages to Raddysh.<\/p>\n Homes in London<\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Howden, who began his testimony earlier this week, was among the men who had dropped in to McLeod\u2019s room after a group of teammates had closed down Jack\u2019s Bar on Richmond Row. McLeod had already returned to the hotel with a then-20-year-old woman for consensual sex. She alleges that after sex with McLeod, she was sexually assaulted by multiple members of the hockey team.<\/p>\n The woman, now 27, and whose name is protected by court order, testified for more than a week, telling the court she was intoxicated and has significant memory lapses about what happened. She also said she had an out-of-body experience to cope with the situation and believed she had to comply with their sexual requests to protect herself.<\/p>\n But the defence has collectively presented an alternative scenario, pointing to the woman as the aggressor who asked McLeod to invite the team to the room for \u201ca wild night,\u201d and who initiated sexual activity, even taunting the men when they ignored her.<\/p>\n Advertisement 5<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n It became clear how much is riding on Carroccia\u2019s decision, which is expected Friday morning, whether to allow the Crown to cross-examine Howden on the messages and effectively have them entered as evidence into the trial.<\/p>\n Hart\u2019s defence lawyer, Megan Savard, suggested to Carroccia that if she dismisses the Crown\u2019s \u201cpast recollection recorded application\u201d that is part of a broader evidentiary application to cross-examine Howden on other perceived inconsistencies, the defence would be asking that the entirety of the Crown\u2019s request be dismissed.<\/p>\n The text messages also appear to be critical for the Crown\u2019s case against Dube, whose charge is based on him allegedly slapping the woman\u2019s butt without her consent.<\/p>\n However, Crown attorney Meaghan Cunningham told Carroccia the prosecution would also be relying on both player Tyler Steenbergen\u2019s testimony that he saw Dube slap the woman\u2019s behind \u2013 not hard, but not soft \u2013 and the testimony from the woman who said multiple players hit her.<\/p>\n Advertisement 6<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Based on Howden\u2019s obvious nervousness and serious demeanor, both the Hockey Canada investigation and the criminal case have weighed heavily on him. At the time he wrote the texts to Raddysh, Howden was a 19-year-old prospect on the cusp of his NHL career and in New York at a development camp.<\/p>\n Cunningham asked Howden to review one section of the messages where Raddysh told him about the Hockey Canada investigation.<\/p>\n \u201cDude, I\u2019m so happy I left when all the sh\u2013 went down,\u201d \u00a0Howden wrote. \u201cDuber (Dube) was smacking the girl\u2019s ass so hard, it looked like it hurt so bad.\u201d<\/p>\n Howden said he had no reason to lie when he wrote the message, but repeatedly said he has no memory of the text conversation when it was shown to him during the investigation.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you believe you were being truthful in what you said in those messages to Mr. Raddysh?\u201d Cunningham asked.<\/p>\n Advertisement 7<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I believe I was being truthful,\u201d Howden said.<\/p>\n Carnelos, however, went further. Howden agreed the text conversation was casual and not a formal statement. He also agreed it was likely the first time he was told Hockey Canada was investigating the situation.<\/p>\n Howden said the whole situation was \u201cvery stressful.\u201d He said he remembered talking to Raddysh about the investigation, but not the text exchange and when he was shown the texts, they were \u201chonestly a surprise to me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just hard to remember my thought process. It\u2019s just hard to see them and even try to explain them,\u201d Howden said.<\/p>\n Carnelos suggested it was just \u201cbanter with a buddy\u201d and Howden\u2019s comments might not be accurate.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, I\u2019m trying hard. It\u2019s hard to remember why I sent this text,\u201d Howden said. \u201cI had no reason, I\u2019m not saying I lied or anything. I just don\u2019t remember what I was thinking when I sent those texts.<\/p>\n Advertisement 8<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m trying hard to think back in that time, but there\u2019s a lot of things that are hard to remember because for so long, we\u2019ve just been trying to move on and forget about it.\u201d<\/p>\n Howden added: \u201cObviously I remember the gist of what happened that night, but . . . it\u2019s hard for me to go back in that time and remember it.\u201d<\/p>\n Carnelos suggested he was worried about his professional career, but Howden said that was not his main concern.<\/p>\n \u201cI was more so worried about Hockey Canada and the standard and their code of conduct. I never thought it would come to what it has now. I was just worried about what Hockey Canada would think and the fact that there was even a girl there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI played with Hockey Canada growing up a lot, and that was the main thing I was worried about.\u201d<\/p>\n The text message arguments were among 18 potential inconsistencies Cunningham flagged, saying they warrant cross-examination \u2013 most tied to Howden\u2019s shaky memory on issues she argued were central to the Crown\u2019s case but unhelpful to the defence.<\/p>\n Advertisement 9<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n But Carroccia dismissed the \u201cfeigned memory loss\u201d application on Wednesday, deciding Howden was a sincere and truthful witness who was being genuine when he testified he didn\u2019t have a present recollection about the events.<\/p>\n However, the judge agreed to allow the Crown to proceed on the remaining four inconsistencies on the list. One dealt with whether he watched the woman walk to the bathroom. Two inconsistencies involved conversation with Formenton before he went into the bathroom with the woman. At trial, Howden stated Formenton said something like: \u201cShould I be doing this?\u201d<\/p>\n In a previous statement, Howden recalled Formenton asking, \u201cWill I get in trouble for this?\u201d Cunningham argued this was a significant inconsistency.<\/p>\n Similarly, Cunningham argued there was an inconsistency in Howden\u2019s response. At trial Howden couldn\u2019t remember, but in 2018 he said: \u201cI don\u2019t know, like, if she wants to have sex with you, like, I guess it\u2019s okay . . . I really don\u2019t know\u201d and \u201cif she consented, you can if you want, but it\u2019s, like, up to you.\u201d<\/p>\n The final inconsistency was the alleged slap by Dube. Howden testified he couldn\u2019t recall how he felt at the time. But in 2022 and similarly in 2023, he said \u201conce seeing the smack, that was drawing the line for me to leave because I had felt uncomfortable to that point and once I (had) seen that, I just wanted to be out of there.\u201d<\/p>\n The trial continues on Friday.<\/p>\n jsims@postmedia.com<\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n How Toronto banks’ cases are further clogging up London’s courthouse<\/p>\n![\"new](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1747960097_925_new-photos.jpg\")
From left, Alex Formenton, Carter Hart, Dillon Dube, Cal Foote and Michael McLeod enter the London courthouse on May 20, 2025. (Photos by Mike Hensen and Derek Ruttan\/The London Free Press)Article content<\/p>\n![\"London](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/logo-identity-lfp-new.svg.svg+xml\"){kind=logo}
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