Chicago Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz sent a letter to Hockey Hall of Fame Chairman Lanny MacDonald on Friday morning, requesting that Brad Aldrich's name be removed from the Stanley Cup.
The name of a convicted sex criminal is one step closer to being scrubbed from hockey's ultimate prize.
According to ESPN's Emily Kaplan, Chicago Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz sent a letter to Hockey Hall of Fame Chairman Lanny MacDonald on Friday morning, requesting that Brad Aldrich's name be removed from the Stanley Cup in the wake of a report published this week that detailed the numerous sex crimes Aldrich committed while serving as the team's video coach during the 2009-10 season.
"Aldrich's involvement with the team during the 2010 season has cast a pall on the players' extraordinary work that year," Wirtz explained in the letter.
"The names of some of hockey's most talented athletes appear on the Stanley Cup. But so does the name "Brad Aldrich", whose role as video coach made him eligible for the engraving. His conduct disqualified him, however, and it was a mistake to submit his name."
"We are sorry we allowed it to happen."
While MacDonald does serve as chairman of the Hockey Hall of Fame, the decision to alter any name engraved on the Stanley Cup does not fall to him. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has the final say on this matter.
It would be safe to assume that, upon receiving this letter, MacDonald will forward it to Bettman, who will ultimately make the call on whether to remove Aldrich's name and his symbol of involvement in the Blackhawks 2010 victory from the Stanley Cup.