Content warning: This article contains alleged representations of sexual assault.
Four years after having resigned from Florida panthers in the midst of a sexual assault investigation involving his former team, Joel Quenneville is back in the NHL. Quenneville was hired as the next Anaheim Ducks head coach, the team announced on Thursday.
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The news comes less than a year after Quenneville was reintegrated by the NHL after his resignation from the panthers in 2021. Quenneville resigned from his functions as a coach of the team after the NHL launched an investigation of the claims of the video coach of Chicago Blackhawks, Brad Aldrich, sexually assaulted a player in 2010. 2008-18 blackhawks
An independent survey on these claims revealed that Quenneville – as well as several members of the Blackhawks Office front – were Aware of allegations against AldrichBut refused to take action up to three weeks after these allegations were revealed within the organization. Before the conclusions of the independent investigation, Quenneville said he was not aware of the alleged assault.
“In the past two weeks, we have conducted interviews with many candidates for exceptional training, while simultaneously performing a complete examination of what happened while Joel was Chief of Blackhawks in 2010,” said Ducks Managing Director Pat Verbeek. “We spoke with dozens of people, including defenders of positive change in hockey and NHL management, who officially extinguished Joel last July that he was not aware of the gravity of what was transpired in 2010. Coaching. “”
A Declaration by Quenneville read, in part, “in almost four years far from the game, I learned from my previous mistakes and I realized that it will be actions on words that demonstrate my commitment to be a better leader.”
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The Blackhawks were in the middle of a race in the playoffs at the time of the incidents, and the team leaders would have done does not want to invite negative advertising during the playoffs. The Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup this season. It was the first team championship in almost 50 years.
The investigation also found another example of sexual assault involving Aldrich and a player would have taken place during the three -week window in which team members knew the allegations surrounding Aldrich, but did not report them to the Department of Human Resources of Blackhawks.
As this report was published, Quenneville was in his third season as a panthers chief coach. One day after the release of the conclusions of the investigation, Quenneville resulted in the Panthers, Sparkling Fans and others in the world of hockey. The day after, Quenneville resigned.
After the resignation of Quenneville, the NHL commissioner, Gary Bettman, said that he had to meet the coach before being able to hold another job in the NHL. In July 2024, Quenneville – with other members of the Blackhawks Front Office, including Managing Director Stan Bowman – was Restored by the League. Just after being reinstated, Bowman was hired As Director General of Oilers of Edmonton.
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Shortly after the results of the independent survey, the former hope of the Blackhawks, Kyle Beach, presented himself as the player who would have been attacked by Aldrich. At the time, Beach, which was selected by the team in the first round of the NHL 2018 NHL, said that many within the organization were aware of the alleged abuses. Multiple old blackhawks Players and staff have said they, and the teamwere aware of reported abuse.
After the team’s 2010 Stanley 2010 Cup victory, the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2013 and 2015. The three championships went under Quenneville.
After a slow start to open the 2018-19 NHL season, the Blackhawks dismissed Quenneville. He joined the panthers the following year and set up a record of 79-40 with the franchise before his resignation.
In 2014, Aldrich was sentenced to Nine months in prison After sexually affirming a 16 -year -old hockey player in Michigan. His name was withdrawn from the Stanley Cup of Blackhawks in 2021.
