NHL Random

[JazzNU]

[JazzNU]

[skatingfan]

Blackhawks investigation has ended, and Stan Bowman is out as General Manager.

The Hockey Guy gives a good run down here of the main players, and the timeline so far.

[skatingfan]

This podcast gives more of a breakdown of the findings of the report & a discussion of how things might be affects moving forward. Full disclosure, the host is my cousin.

[skatingfan]

Kyle Beach identifies himself as John Doe in Chicago Blackhawks scandal

Kyle Beach has identified himself as one of the victims alleging he was sexually assaulted by a former Chicago Blackhawks video coach.

Beach, who was identified as John Doe in legal filings, revealed his identity in an interview with TSN's Rick Westhead on Wednesday night. The accusations have not been heard or proven in court.

"I’ve suppressed this memory and buried this memory to chase my dreams and pursue the career that I loved and the game that I love of hockey," Beach said. "And the healing process is just beginning and yesterday was a huge step in that process. But until very recently, I did not talk about it, I did not discuss it, I didn’t think about it. And now that I’m beginning to heal, I begin to look back and it definitely had impacts on my life. I did stupid things, I acted out, I snapped … I did things that I never could imagine doing. I relied on alcohol, I relied on drugs and … I’m just so relieved with the news that came out yesterday, that I’ve been vindicated, and I can truly begin the healing process."

An independent review in response to two lawsuits filed against the franchise was revealed on Tuesday. The lawsuits allege former video coach Brad Aldrich sexually assaulted a player during the Blackhawks' run to the Stanley Cup in 2010.

Seeing Aldrich remain with the team during the Cup celebrations after the incident was reported was particularly hard for Beach to accept.

"The only way I could describe it was that I felt sick, I felt sick to my stomach," he said. "It was like his life was the same as the day before. Same every day. And then when they won, to see him paraded around lifting the Cup, at the parade, at the team pictures, at celebrations, it made me feel like nothing. It made me feel like I didn’t exist. It made me feel like, that I wasn’t important and … it made me feel like he was in the right and I was wrong."

The 31-year-old Beach was a member of the Blackhawks' AHL affiliate in 2010 and was called up to skate with the NHL squad. The native of Kelowna, B.C., was a first-round pick (11th overall) of the Blackhawks in the 2008 NHL Draft.

The forward stayed with Rockford through the first part of the 2013-14 season before heading to Sweden to play. He never suited up for the Blackhawks in a regular season or playoff game.

Telling his family the summer after it happened was also extremely difficult, Beach said.

"My mom cried for days," he said. "She felt responsible, like she should have protected me and there was nothing could do. After that first conversation with them, we never spoke about it again until very recently. I never brought it up and they respected my privacy. They asked if I was OK and let me talk about what I wanted to talk about.

"I did what I thought I had to do to survive, to continue chasing my dream and it was to not think about it, to not talk about it, ignore it, and that’s all I could do. I was threatened and my career was on the line. And if I had that in my head, there was no way I was gonna perform at the top of my capabilities."

The team issued a statement after the interview aired, commending Beach's "courage" for coming forward.



Earlier, the Chicago Sun-Times reported the Blackhawks will begin settlement talks with Susan Loggans, the lawyer representing Beach, next week.

The Blackhawks filed documents to dismiss two lawsuits on Wednesday, but the team told the Sun-Times it was simply following legal protocol.

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/ky ... s-scandal/

[JazzNU]

It's quite shocking that the the Panthers allowed Quenneville to coach last night. I know they are off to a winning start in a way they never have been before, but man oh man is this an absolutely horrible look to not fire him immediately. Were they just, hoping no one would notice?

[skatingfan]

It's quite shocking that the the Panthers allowed Quenneville to coach last night. I know they are off to a winning start in a way they never have been before, but man oh man is this an absolutely horrible look to not fire him immediately. Were they just, hoping no one would notice?

That is one of many shocking details that are coming to light in this case. Brad Aldrich, the offender in this case, was allowed to be on the ice when the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup, which was after the allegations had been made. Aldrich was allowed a day with the Cup in the Summer, which included bringing the Cup to his former High School. The Blackhawks apparently gave Aldrich a letter of recommendation, which allowed him to get a job at a high school in Michigan as an assistant coach where he later assaulted a 17 year-old. The reason that no one can confirm the existence of the recommendation letter is that Aldrich's employment file, and only Aldrich's employment file with the Blackhawks is missing.

[Deuce]

It's quite shocking that the the Panthers allowed Quenneville to coach last night. I know they are off to a winning start in a way they never have been before, but man oh man is this an absolutely horrible look to not fire him immediately. Were they just, hoping no one would notice?

They have no grounds to fire him based only on the accusation of being involved in the cover-up. I suppose they could have removed him from his coaching position for a few games while the investigation continues - but I think that's all they could have done.
The law states innocent until proven guilty - not the other way around (although it's sometimes acted upon as if it were the latter).

In any case, the situation with Quenneville's coaching is now resolved - at least for the time being:

Quenneville Resigns as Panthers Coach

.

[skatingfan]

The law states innocent until proven guilty - not the other way around (although it's sometimes acted upon as if it were the latter).

This isn't a legal process so that standard doesn't apply, and because the Blackhawks kept everything secret the statute of limitations has expired so there will be no criminal prosecution.

[JazzNU]

The law states innocent until proven guilty - not the other way around (although it's sometimes acted upon as if it were the latter).

This isn't a legal process so that standard doesn't apply, and because the Blackhawks kept everything secret the statute of limitations has expired so there will be no criminal prosecution.

Exactly. And the investigation and resulting report is also done, which is what the NHL is using. He lied and he helped to cover it up and his role has been outlined in there. For all intents and purposes, this is the guilty finding and he deserved to be fired, as does everyone else who was found to have contributed to the handling and coverup. Pretending we are still in the accusation phase is a joke.

[Deuce]

The law states innocent until proven guilty - not the other way around (although it's sometimes acted upon as if it were the latter).

This isn't a legal process so that standard doesn't apply, and because the Blackhawks kept everything secret the statute of limitations has expired so there will be no criminal prosecution.

It's not a legal process, but the standard of innocent until proven guilty would apply in a firing. If Quenneville were fired based only on the accusation of being involved in a cover-up, I believe he would have legal recourse to contest the firing. That is likely the reason that he wasn't fired.
But the Panthers probably saw this situation as a P.R. disaster which would only get worse - with the inherent losses of revenue that come with it -, and created a situation whereby Quenneville would 'resign' (with a 'push' from the organization).

The law states innocent until proven guilty - not the other way around (although it's sometimes acted upon as if it were the latter).

This isn't a legal process so that standard doesn't apply, and because the Blackhawks kept everything secret the statute of limitations has expired so there will be no criminal prosecution.

Exactly. And the investigation and resulting report is also done, which is what the NHL is using. He lied and he helped to cover it up and his role has been outlined in there. For all intents and purposes, this is the guilty finding and he deserved to be fired, as does everyone else who was found to have contributed to the handling and coverup. Pretending we are still in the accusation phase is a joke.

No, actually, it is not a joke. I believe it is fact. No official conclusion or verdict has been made or pronounced.
Guilt is not a "for all intents and purposes" thing. It is absolute.
Quenneville has neither admitted his guilt in helping to cover up the situation, nor has he been proven or found guilty of same. Based on some information, as well as his resignation as Florida's head coach, one can say that he "appears guilty", etc. - but that's all. Therefore, all there is concretely is the accusation that he was part of the cover-up.
Did he know of the incident? Possibly.
If he knew, how much did he know? We have no idea.
Did he have accurate information about the incident? We have no idea...

In the 'court of public opinion', people typically allow their emotions - and media stories - to help them reach conclusions - which can at times be premature, dangerous, as well as inaccurate.

Kevin Cheveldayoff was investigated for possibly being part of the cover-up, as well - he was the Assistant General Manager in Chicago at the time of the incidents. He is now the General Manager of the Winnipeg Jets. Yesterday, it was announced that he will not be punished by the NHL.
Does this mean he is guilty? No.
Does it mean he is not guilty? No.

We here have very little information on this subject compared with those who are investigating it - and certainly compared to those directly involved. And so it's not for us to pronounce absolute guilt or innocence.

[JazzNU]

Fans I've seen on social media are getting a little out of hand with how they are talking about this guy, but this is indeed great. But pump the brakes on the rest.

[ptmcmahon]

Out of hand in what way? He is legitimately one of the top players in the game (maybe #1 depending who you ask) so not sure what would be out of hand… not that I’ve looked.

Reminds me of a Bobby Orr goal, except by a forward.

[JazzNU]

Out of hand in what way? He is legitimately one of the top players in the game (maybe #1 depending who you ask) so not sure what would be out of hand… not that I’ve looked.

Reminds me of a Bobby Orr goal, except by a forward.

There are typically several replies with hundreds of likes on highlights of him like this saying he's better than Gretzky. Better than Lemieux. I haven't seen Bobby's name mentioned much, but he's not better than him either. It's a bridge much too far for him at this point to even approach mention of him in the territory of the greatest of the greats.

[ptmcmahon]

I was going to say unless they are calling him the best of all time it’s not out of hand. But obviously they are so yes brakes should be pumped on that.

I more was saying the goal itself reminded me of one of Bobby Orr’s end to end rush goals (the ones Don Cherry gushed about.) Both basically start by one net and cover a full length of ice. This one just starts from the other teams net.