Two cannot work in NHL for not standing up in Brad Aldrich sexual assault case with Blackhawks. Share your view in our poll.
Joel Quenneville may be the second-winningest coach in NHL history, but to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, he could still be a potential public relations liability.
At his annual news conference at Stanley Cup Final, Bettman said Quenneville, who coached the Blackhawks over 11 seasons, and former Chicago general manager Stan Bowman are still ineligible to work in the league.
“They both reached out seeking an opportunity to come back,” Bettman said. “It’s something I have to consider.”
Bowman resigned as the Blackhawks general manager on Oct. 26, 2021 almost immediately following the release of a detailed report on the Brad Aldrich sexual assault scandal.
Quenneville, then coach of the Florida Panthers, had to fly to New York to meet with Bettman two days later to discuss the gravity of the situation. He stepped down as the Panthers' coach after the meeting and 969 wins with Florida, Chicago, St. Louis and Colorado.
Only one NHL coach, Bowman's father, Scotty Bowman, has more wins at 1,244. Scotty Bowman a former advisor to the Blackhawks, played a role in pushing his son in to the GM job in Chicago. See the following story.
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The History of the Case
The NHL fined the Blackhawks $2 million for "inadequate internal procedures and insufficient and untimely response" after team managers were informed Aldrich, then the team's video coach, had assaulted "Black Ace" player Kyle Beach in May 2010. One additional player is now coming forward.
Both Quenneville and Bowman remained silent after revelations of the assault during the Blackhawks' run to their first Stanley Cup in 49 years. Beach reported Aldrich's actions through the coaching staff to the office of then-team president John McDonough. McDonough, said in a meeting he'd "take care" of the complaint, a per the report by law firm Jenner & Block.
Aldrich was terminated, but not until posing with the Stanley Cup in Summer 2010. The Blackhawks remained silent and Aldrich was later convicted in 2013 for sexually assaulting a 16-year-old high school player in his hometown of Hancock, Michigan.
McDonough eventually was fired by late team owner Rocky Wirtz in 2020. He disappeared from the Chicago sports scene.
The Blackhawks and the Wirtz Family claim they didn't know about the assault until Beach came forward with a civil lawsuit in May 2021. The Blackhawks initially refuted the claims as unsubstantiated, but then commissioned an investigation and the report into Aldrich's actions, as well as the response by McDonough, the front office and the coaching staff
Before the Jenner & Block report was made public, Quenneville had been fired by Blackhawks in November 2018 after the team got off to a shaky start. He was hired by the Panthers in April 2019.
A second unnamed player filed a lawsuit against the Blackhawks last fall. The law firm handling the second case, had no further update on the case as of last week.