Carter Hart has already been given another chance.

He returned to the NHL. He signed with the Vegas Golden Knights. He became the goaltender behind a team that reached the Stanley Cup Final.

From a hockey standpoint, his comeback was remarkable.

From Hockey Canada’s standpoint, however, the story should not end there.

An independent appeal board has continued Hart’s suspension after determining that he violated Hockey Canada’s code of conduct stemming from the events involving members of Canada’s 2018 World Junior team in London, Ontario.

Hart’s suspension currently runs through November 10, 2027.

In my view, that isn’t long enough.

If I were running Hockey Canada, Hart would remain suspended through 2030. And even then, I would have serious reservations about ever putting him in a Canadian jersey again.

There is an important distinction that needs to be made when discussing Hart and the other four players involved.

All five were found not guilty of the criminal charges in July 2025. That verdict must be respected.

But criminal court and a sports organization’s disciplinary process serve different purposes.

Hockey Canada has its own code of conduct and its own responsibility to determine who is permitted to participate in its programs. The independent appeal board ultimately upheld suspensions for Hart, Michael McLeod, Dillon Dubé and Cal Foote, while Alex Formenton was reinstated.

That does not mean Hockey Canada is declaring the players criminally guilty.

It means the organization has determined that the standards it expects from its representatives were not met.

And that distinction matters.

Wearing the Canadian jersey is a privilege. It means representing more than yourself, your NHL team or your career. It means becoming a public representative of the country and, whether players like it or not, an example to the young players watching.

That standard should be higher than simply asking whether someone is legally permitted to play.

One of the most difficult pieces of evidence presented during the trial involved videos recorded inside the hotel room.

Michael McLeod was identified as the player who recorded two videos involving the complainant. In one, she was asked whether she was okay with what was happening and responded affirmatively. The recordings became part of the defense’s argument regarding consent, while the prosecution challenged the idea that the videos settled the question.

The five players were ultimately acquitted.

But even after that verdict, the existence of those recordings leaves an uncomfortable question for hockey to confront:

Why did anyone believe it was necessary to record those conversations at all?

That isn’t an accusation of criminal guilt. It is a question about judgment, circumstances and the culture surrounding an incident that has followed Hockey Canada for nearly a decade.

And those are precisely the issues a code of conduct is designed to address.

If Hockey Canada wants its national programs to represent a different standard of behavior, then it has to be willing to enforce that standard even when the players involved are talented enough to help win championships.

That’s where Hart’s return becomes particularly difficult to reconcile.

From a purely hockey perspective, there is little question that he can contribute at the highest level.

That doesn’t mean his performance on hockey’s biggest stage was beyond criticism.

During the Stanley Cup Final against the Carolina Hurricanes, Hart became the first goaltender in NHL history to allow at least four goals in each of his first five games in a Stanley Cup Final series.

There are other Canadian goaltenders capable of playing at the highest level.

So why compromise on the principle?

The NHL has already decided Hart is eligible to continue his professional career. He has taken advantage of that opportunity.

Hockey Canada doesn’t have to make the same decision.

If anything, the national team should be held to a higher standard.

Young players throughout Canada are watching. They are learning what behavior gets condemned, what behavior gets forgiven and what behavior eventually gets forgotten.

If Hockey Canada is serious about changing the culture surrounding its national teams, talent cannot be the final word.

The easiest thing would be to allow Hart’s current suspension to expire and eventually welcome him back into the national program.

The harder decision is recognizing that representing Canada carries a different responsibility.

At an absolute minimum, he should remain suspended through 2030.

The NHL has made its decision.

Hockey Canada should make its own.