"What does Hockey Canada's statement mean?
I spoke with a lawyer who has overseen many discipline investigations for national sport organizations.
If the players' appeal is unsuccessful, Hockey Canada will likely make their names and sanctions public, regardless of whether police in London, Ont., announce criminal charges, the lawyer told me. (The lawyer doesn't have first-hand info on this case.)
More context: Documents filed in court in October 2022 - 13 months ago - indicated London police believed then that there were reasonable grounds to charge five players with sexual assault. Since then, police have repeatedly said the investigation remains active but have declined to elaborate."