Dancing and drinking videos shown in court of five former Canadian youth hockey players

Footage from the night of the incident at Jack's Bar was shown in court in London, Ontario, where five former Canadian youth hockey players, Dylan Dabe, Cal Foote, Alex Formenton, Carter Hart and Michael McLeod, are on trial for sexual assault. All have denied the charges.

The plaintiff, identified as E.M., is seen dancing and drinking with one of the players in the videos. The bulk of the evidence in court consists of footage captured on surveillance cameras and players' phones that night.

Details of today's hearings:

In one of the videos, recorded between 1 and 1:20 a.m., E.M. is seen dancing with Michael McLeod in a crowded room.

Another clip, taken from Ottawa Senators player Derrick Betherson's phone, shows a number of players cheering and singing along to Kid Cudi's "Pursuit of Happiness."

Another video shows McLeod and E.M. chatting and drinking shots at the bar.

In addition, photos from Jack's Bar's social media page were shown to the jury as evidence.

Court technical problems:
Today's court hearings were postponed several times due to a malfunction in the video streaming system and a loss of Zoom connection. Court technology officials restarted the system several times.

Reactions and comments:
Canadian media and journalists are following the trial closely, while the case has received little coverage in the United States. American sports journalist Mark Lazarus said he expected the story to get more coverage in the United States, but the media's attention is more focused on the NHL playoffs.

He also expressed hope that the trial could serve as a wake-up call to the culture of youth hockey leagues, which many say is patriarchal and misogynistic, and where sexual harassment and violence have occurred repeatedly.

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