Former NHL defenseman Cal Foote has signed a one-year deal with HK 32 Liptovsky Mikulas in Slovakia, the team announced Wednesday on Instagram. Foote is one of five ex-NHLers facing sexual assault charges in London, Ontario, stemming from an alleged 2018 assault perpetrated by members of the Canadian men’s national junior team.
Among the group, Foote is the third player to sign a contract to play professionally overseas for 2024-25, joining Dillon Dubé and Michael McLeod. Former Flyers netminder Carter Hart remains unsigned, while ex-Senators winger Alex Formenton has retired and is now working in construction, a court filing indicated.
The judge overseeing the case, London Superior Court Justice Bruce Thomas, recently granted an application from the lawyers for the accused to skip the pretrial legal arguments for “compelling economic reasons” (via Kate Dubinski of CBC News). Foote and Hart weren’t signed at the time, but Thomas said his lawyer indicated “indicated that their training must continue at a high level if they are to have some hope of continuing as professional hockey players.”
Foote, 25, spent part of last season in the Devils organization before being charged in January and taking a leave of absence from the team. He struggled in minor-league action, posting nine points and a -14 rating in 24 contests for the AHL’s Utica Comets. The 2017 first-round pick of the Lightning also had an assist and a +3 rating in four NHL contests with New Jersey.
I should add some context, as someone who lives in London and has some additional details from local news… Being granted those pretrial exceptions is incredibly uncommon. Some of the players had the legitimate excuse of being like, hey, I’m looking for work in Europe and I can’t catch a flight in time. Fair. But others didn’t. That all of them were granted the exception is a huge point of controversy here. Most people facing criminal charges in Ontario do not get this exception, it’s not uncommon for people to be called in from hours away or from overseas.
Slippery slope to “flight risk” but I think the judge is just allowing them to make money overseas since nobody will give them a job in the NHL. How does the NHLPA provide financial support in these instances? We’ve seen the hush money before.
Regret is a strong emotion.