1 year after acquittal in Hockey Canada sexual assault trial, Carter Hart could win Stanley Cup

As the Vegas Golden Knights advance in the Stanley Cup Final, at the centre of their championship run is Canadian goaltender Carter Hart — whose journey has been highly successful on ice and deeply controversial off it.

Through the first three rounds, his highlights include a 12-4 record with a 2.22 goals against average and .924 save percentage.

"Hart's a key reason the Golden Knights are in the Stanley Cup final," Mark Anderson, Las Vegas sports reporter for The Associated Press, told CBC News this week. And he's considered a favourite to win the Conn Smythe Trophy, which goes to the most valuable player of his team during the playoffs.

Still, Anderson said he was "a little bit" surprised by how quickly most Vegas fans seemed to welcome the 27-year-old from Sherwood Park, Alta. — one of five players from Canada's 2018 World Junior team charged with sexual assault.  

Hart "got a warm ovation when he was introduced" during his first game, Anderson said. "Those are roars now ... because he's playing so well."

A woman known under a publication ban as E.M. said she was sexually assaulted for hours in a London, Ont., hotel room. The Crown's case rested on proving that while she did have consensual sex with Michael McLeod, she did not give legal consent to sex acts with other teammates he invited to the room. 

Hart was the only player to testify. He said he had "a good buzz going" and when he saw a text from McLeod that invited the teammates to his room for a "3-way," he replied, "I'm in" because "I was a single guy. I looked at it as an invitation. I assumed he was with a girl who wanted to be in a threesome with another guy." 

Hart testified that he didn't want to have sexual intercourse, so he asked the woman, "'Can I get