This Chicago Blackhawks scandal escalated to its peak late last month after Kyle Beach revealed himself as “John Doe One,” one of two sexual assault victims of former Blackhawks video coach Brad Aldrich. The sexual assault is said to have occurred in May 2010, a mere month before the Blackhawks would capture their first Stanley Cup since 1961. This would start the dynasty that saw the winning of three Stanley Cups in six seasons. Alongside Kyle Beach, there is another victim identified in reports as “John Doe Two,” who was a Michigan high school hockey player sexually assaulted by Aldrich at a year-end team party. Aldrich was later sentenced to nine months in prison plus five years of probation for this sexual assault. His name has also been removed from the Stanley Cup as a result of these findings.
As Beach described his experiences with depression and anxiety for the decade plus that has occurred since the incident, the steps taken by the NHL and Commissioner Gary Bettman have been unprecedented when compared to the league’s history. Independent investigations that looked into the organization’s handling of the allegations against their video coach revealed the names of many high-level management and coaching staff that were aware of the allegations against Brad Aldrich during the 2010 season. However, they chose to sweep it under the rug, as it would present a hurdle in their quest for the Stanley Cup that year. These included former head coach Joel Quenneville, former General Manager (GM) Stan Bowman, and then assistant GM Kevin Cheveldayoff (current Winnipeg Jets GM).
Stan Bowman resigned as Blackhawks GM, a position held by him for twelve years, claiming that his continued participation with the organization would serve as a distraction to the team. Joel Quenneville met with Gary Bettman to discuss his role in the incident and subsequently resigned as head coach of the Florida Panthers. Although Quenneville had denied any knowledge of the incident prior to the investigation’s findings, he “owned his share” of the responsibility owed to Kyle Beach as a member of the Blackhawks. Kevin Cheveldayoff also met with Bettman but was not subject to any discipline by the NHL. On top of this, the Blackhawks organization was fined two million dollars.
The resignations and fines levied are steps in the right direction but seem to be the bare minimum in a case of this magnitude. The Phoenix Coyotes were just forced to forfeit their second-round pick in 2020 and first-round pick in 2021 (eleventh overall) for conducting physical testing on draft-eligible prospects before the draft combine. Certainly, a precedent established as a result of this would warrant repercussions of a similar nature for the Blackhawks. However, no such action has been taken, and it seems that the Blackhawks receive a two million dollars slap on the wrist and the chance to hire a new GM. Whether further action will be taken against the organization remains a mystery, but this saga has led to many lessons being learned about the toxic culture brewed in the hockey world. It is finally time to take it seriously.