Lightning Round: Stan Bowman out as Chicago GM as investigation findings released
The report was quite damning to the organization's handling of the situation.
All executives who worked for the Chicago hockey team in 2010 are out of the organization after an internal investigation into the sexual assault cover-up of video coach Brad Aldridge. The findings were shared by the owners of the team (the Wirtz family) while NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman subjected the team to only a $2 million fine. Kyle Davidson, who joined the team sometime in 2010 as an intern is now the team’s GM.
There are many layers to this story, including former Chicago executives littered around the NHL also becoming subject to the attention of Bettman. They include Kevin Cheveldayoff in Winnipeg and Joel Quenneville in Florida. The investigation found both men knew about the sexual assault at the time and did nothing to stop it despite their recent statements to the contrary. Bettman will be deciding on their futures in the league soon.
Related
Blackhawks president and GM Stan Bowman ‘steps aside’ after team announces investigation findings
Blackhawks’ championship legacy blighted by failures of men who should’ve done better
The Blackhawks, led by the heavy hand of John McDonough, were guilty of callous indifference and cowardice in 2010, writes @jon_greenberg: https://t.co/VpbP0o3l5r
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) October 27, 2021
“The Blackhawks chose to keep the allegations quiet, to let Aldrich finish out the season, to have his name etched into the Stanley Cup, to quietly let him go in the offseason, to “participate in celebrations in the presence of John Doe,” to let him have his day with the Cup, to allow him to pursue other opportunities. Three years later, Aldrich pleaded guilty to criminal sexual misconduct with a minor in Houghton, Mich., where he was a volunteer assistant coach. In a lawsuit still working its way through the legal system, the victim — John Doe 2 — lays the blame for that assault at the Blackhawks’ doorstep.” [The Athletic]
What exactly did Al MacIsaac do in his nebulous, unseen-but-powerful role?
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) October 27, 2021
A peek inside the machinations of the Blackhawks' front office in the story from me and @ByScottPowers: https://t.co/PhS6EYGQO8
Second City Hockey has all the links to the story, but I’ll be sharing a couple other outlets as well. Unless this is the first time you’re reading our blog, you’ll be well aware that the vast majority of reporting on this story was done by TSN’s Rick Westhead and The Athletic’s Katie Strang, the only two investigative journalists in the league. The Chicago media has also largely done a good job with the story when it comes to asking questions and posing updates.
“A combination of relief, a feeling of vindication, of justice…”
— TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) October 26, 2021
Susan Loggans, the lawyer representing the former Blackhawks player who was sexually assaulted by Brad Aldrich, shared her client's reaction to the investigation’s findings with @rwesthead: https://t.co/pvPJYhaC4p pic.twitter.com/NJYReCsPi1
In 2010, the NHL fined the NJ Devils $3M and clawed back draft for circumventing the salary cap. (The league later refunded half the fine.)
— Rick Westhead (@rwesthead) October 26, 2021
Today, the NHL fined the Blackhawks $2M for covering up sexual abuse.
h/t to @NHL_AaronWard, who pointed this out on radio today.
The support today from so many corners is appreciated.
— Rick Westhead (@rwesthead) October 27, 2021
Back at it tomorrow with new original reporting on the Blackhawks and more.
We remain committed to continuing to dig into stories about abuse that hold the powerful accountable and give a voice to the voiceless.
DMs open.
Bowman, who is now out as Chicago GM, was also fired as Team USA’s GM for the Winter Olympics. Bowman, who had the audacity to put two of his players (Seth Jones and Patrick Kane) among the first three players listed for Team USA and spent much of the summer making big splashy moves to mask the scandal around him, has now left Team USA with a decision to make on keeping Jones on the roster or not.
Seth Jones is not part of any scandal in the league or anything, but he’s been really really bad on the ice and is certainly not among America’s top seven or eight defensemen. Alas, the team might be stuck with him on the roster and be forced to make do.
For the record, my USA defense looks like this: Adam Fox, John Carlson, Quinn Hughes, Torey Krug, Charlie McAvoy, Jaccob Slavin, Jacob Trouba, Ryan McDonagh. Mix and match however you’d like, but that’s a dynamite group with little in the ways of overt weaknesses.
Currently, Bill Guerin is the Assistant GM of that team. However, he is currently under SafeSport investigation for allegations of mishandling a separate, unrelated sexual assault allegation, as reported by @rwesthead
— Katie Strang (@KatieJStrang) October 26, 2021
To anyone who wonders why players don't report, why they don't speak up, why disclosures can be delayed by years and even decades, this is why.
— Katie Strang (@KatieJStrang) October 26, 2021
John Doe disclosed allegations of sexual abuse to people in positions of power & authority who he trusted. This was the response: https://t.co/hkG8XPZMCZ
Okay, that was a lot.
Let’s take a breath and hopefully we can move on from this story and all of its garbage.
In more positive news, the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-1 last night! They scored the first goal of the game for the first time this season, and then they added two more within a span of 10 seconds. [Raw Charge]
“Playing in the second half of a back-to-back and their third game in four nights it would be understandable if the Tampa Bay Lightning looked a little listless against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Instead they came out pretty intense carried much of the action in a 5-1 victory. Backed by a 28-save performance by Andrei Vasilevskiy and a three-goal outburst in the second period, the Lightning picked up their first regulation win of the season. Brayden Point, Ondrej Palat, Ryan McDonagh, Mikhail Sergachev (empty net), and Alex Killorn (empty net) provided the offense.”
Here is Bryan Burns with his Three Things, including quotes from Coach Cooper and Ryan McDonagh. [NHL dot com]
“There’s a lot of talk about back-to-backs and how hard they are, and sometimes back-to-backs are needed,” Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said following the convincing victory. “And we needed a game right after last night. Had a good feeling the guys were going to respond, and they surely did.”
The Orlando Solar Bears are back and so is Tracey with your weekly recap on what was a good first impression for the new team. [Raw Charge]
“Bird will be joining the Crunch for his second AHL stint, having appeared in 5 games in the 2019-20 season, picking up two assists. Langan has 9 games of AHL experience, all with San Jose in 2019-20, with one assist. They didn’t waste time making an impact, as both had assists on Jaydon Dureau’s first pro goal in Syracuse’s 5-3 loss in Rochester on Friday night.”
I had to share this incredibly level-headed article with the most outrageous headline from my boss at PPP. “Are the Maple Leafs a total disaster?” [Pension Plan Puppets]
“6. What if this doesn’t get better, though?
Wrong question. The right question is: What if it doesn’t get better fast enough?”
And finally, 3v3 hockey in a mall in Egypt! Super cool.
This is a mall.
— Frecon (@AlexFrecon) October 25, 2021
In Egypt.
Full of Egyptians.
Watching a game of 3v3 hockey.
It is awesome. pic.twitter.com/ULZXAiTCgV
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