Former NHLer Sheldon Kennedy Reflects on His Work with Recently Reinstated Stan Bowman

Sheldon Kennedy of the Respect Group released a statement discussing his work with former Chicago Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman, who was reinstated after a two-year ban.

Former NHL player and co-founder of Respect Group Sheldon Kennedy released a statement on Wednesday about the NHL reinstating Stan Bowman.

Back in October 2021, the Chicago Blackhawks terminated then-GM Bowman and vice-president of hockey operations Al MacIsaac after an investigation determined they didn't respond adequately to allegations that the team's former video coach sexually assaulted Blackhawks forward Kyle Beach during the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs. Former Chicago coach Joel Quenneville resigned not long after from the Florida Panthers as well.

On July 1, the NHL announced during the opening day of free agency the three men were eligible to reach out to teams about employment and were fully reinstated as of July 10.

Kennedy said his phone rang non-stop during the scandal and investigation in 2021.

"Given the decades I have spent working in the space of not only sexual abuse but all forms of abuse, harassment, and discrimination, it seemed everyone in the media and hockey community at large wanted my reaction to this horrible news," Kennedy said in his statement. "I heard Kyle Beach’s interview and felt it was as honest and raw as they get."

Kennedy played parts of 10 seasons in the NHL and went public in 1996 about a history of sexual abuse by his former junior coach Graham James, who pled guilty to the charge and was eventually criminally convicted. Kennedy has worked since then to highlight child abuse, influence policy changes in the way child abuse is handled and develop education programs to prevent and handle bullying and harassment with the Respect Group. The group provides this education to sports organizations, schools and workplaces.

"I clearly recall expressing that this was a terrible situation with significant impact to those involved," Kennedy said. "I also believed however, it could serve as a powerful learning opportunity if approached with courage."

While Kennedy said MacIsaac, Quenneville and Bowman all reached out to him to learn more about issues of sexual abuse and the role of bystanders in addressing maltreatment and taking proper action. While he said they each went their own way in educating themselves after talking at length with him, Kennedy focused more on his work with Bowman.

"I was immediately struck by Stan’s genuine care and concern for Kyle, and what could have been done differently," Kennedy said. "During that period, we spoke almost daily about the seriousness of sexual abuse from the victim’s perspective. We didn’t talk about hockey at all. We focused on what went wrong, what he could have done differently and, most importantly, what could be done to prevent this from happening again."

Kennedy said Bowman's desire to acknowledge his mistakes and make amends with Beach were sincere and that he volunteered nearly full-time hours to help develop the Respect Charter and workshop curriculums. He added Bowman also co-facilitated the Respect Charter session at Trinity Western University in British Columbia and met with Beach, who attended the workshops and discussed their realities.

"Stan’s acceptance, open mindedness, and understanding were huge difference makers in building this workshop," Kennedy said.

Near the end of his letter, Kennedy said he believes Bowman "would be a valuable asset to an organization due to his acknowledgment of past mistakes and his relentless efforts to make the locker room/game safer for everyone.

"Lastly and most importantly, I feel that Stan will do everything in his power to make sure what happened to Kyle Beach (who is a hero in my opinion) will not happen to anyone else," he added.

Since the NHL reinstated Bowman, MacIsaac and Quenneville, none of them have been announced as new staff members on any NHL team. Some insiders speculated that Bowman could fill the GM role for the Edmonton Oilers; Oilers CEO of hockey operations Jeff Jackson said on July 1 he hadn't given it much thought at the time.

During the Blackhawks' Western Conference final in May 2010, Bowman, MacIsaac and Quenneville were among the team staff who met to discuss the allegations against video coach Brad Aldrich, according to the report by Jenner and Block law firm. Bowman stated that he believed the issue was in the hands of then-team president John McDonough and that everyone else should focus on the Stanley Cup final, according to the report.

The Respect Group first posted the statement to X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday afternoon but deleted it that evening. It reposted the statement on Thursday morning with comments turned off on X.

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Jonathan Tovell contributed to this report.