A Canadian documentary examining one of ice hockey’s most contentious sexual assault cases is now being seen by audiences outside the country. Code of Misconduct, which explores the scandal involving the 2018 Canadian World Junior hockey team, is being released at a time of intensified scrutiny, as one of the men central to the case is currently playing in the Stanley Cup Final.
The documentary is directed by Quebec filmmaker Sébastien Trahan and written by Trahan in collaboration with Laurel Baker. It has a runtime of 88 minutes and was released in Canada on April 26, 2026. The film also had its premiere at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in Toronto.
What the documentary is about
The documentary centers on TSN journalist Rick Westhead, who also wrote the book We Breed Lions: Confronting Canada's Troubled Hockey Culture. Westhead first revealed the complainant's civil lawsuit and maintained his coverage as the trial progressed.
In 2025, five members of the 2018 Canadian World Junior hockey team were found not guilty after facing charges connected to a June 2018 incident involving a then-20-year-old woman, identified only as E.M., in a hotel room in London, Ontario. The players were Michael McLeod, Dillon Dubé, Cal Foote, Alex Formenton, and Carter Hart. Owing to a prolonged legal process that included two mistrials, it took seven years for the case to go to trial. In July 2025, all five men were acquitted of all charges.
In the June/July 2026 issue of The Grind Magazine, the reviewer characterized the documentary as clearly illustrating how our flawed justice system operates to silence and oppress survivors of sexual assault, while also examining the ways in which contemporary male sports culture, if allowed to remain unchanged, fosters toxicity and psychopathic behavior.
Where to watch it
Code of Misconduct is available to stream in Canada on Super Channel Fuse and Super Channel On Demand, and can also be watched via the Super Channel channel on Amazon Prime Video.The documentary is currently unavailable in the United States. It is still uncertain if or when it will be released on major U.S. streaming services like Netflix or Hulu. Nonetheless, there is an alternative for interested viewers: by using a VPN configured to a Canadian server, U.S. audiences can access Canadian streaming platforms where the film is available.
The documentary’s debut has aligned with Carter Hart suiting up for the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final against the Carolina Hurricanes. Hart made his NHL return in 2025 on a reported $4 million deal. In Game 1 of the Final, Hurricanes supporters were heard chanting at the Golden Knights as they stepped onto the ice.Since the acquittal, Hart has mostly refrained from commenting on the case in public and does not have any publicly accessible social media profiles.