VANCOUVER – An NHL player accused of illegally shooting a grizzly bear is expected to enter a plea in a Vancouver court on Friday after several adjournments in the case.
Clayton Stoner of the Anaheim Ducks faces five charges for a hunt in 2013 on British Columbia’s central coast.
Wildlife groups and First Nations leaders have been outraged that Stoner killed the bear, named Cheeky.
READ MORE: ‘He’s a role model for kids’: Protesters speak out after NHL player kills grizzly bear
Protesters held signs and shouted slogans at a recent hockey game in Anaheim, calling for the defenceman to be suspended.
He has become the focus of a trophy hunting debate after photos published in a Vancouver newspaper two years ago showed him holding a bear’s severed head.
Charges against Stoner, who hasn’t lived in his Vancouver Island hometown for years, include knowingly making a false statement to obtain a hunting licence.
Comments