OTTAWA -- QMI Agency has retracted a story that said NHL superstar Sidney Crosby had been arrested by Ottawa police, saying there was no basis for the report and that it regrets the error.
The story, which cited unidentified sources, was published online early Wednesday morning. The story reported the Pittsburgh Penguins captain was arrested on a "driving related" offence late Tuesday.
Police denied the report, telling The Canadian Press "it never happened."
Ottawa police Chief Charles Bordeleau also tweeted that the police "had no dealings with Mr. Crosby."
We have had no dealings with Mr. Crosby. @ottawasuncom
— Charles Bordeleau (@ChiefBordeleau) September 3, 2014
The Penguins said Crosby was "not in Canada" on Tuesday.
"The Pittsburgh Penguins have spoken to Sidney Crosby," the team said in a statement Wednesday morning. "He is not in Canada, and was not in Canada yesterday. He is continuing his training in preparation for training camp."
The story was eventually removed and a retraction was issued around 11:30 a.m. ET.
"There was no basis for the story and QMI unreservedly retracts the story in its entirety," the statement said. "QMI regrets the error."
