Coach Joel Quenneville’s Demise

Kyle Beach’s sexual assault and harassment charges for events that occurred 11 years ago led to the axe for Joel Quenneville, the second winningest coach in the history of the National Hockey League.

Beach—a then 20 year-old professional hockey player—was called up from the minor leagues to serve on the Chicago Blackhawks hockey team’s  ‘taxi squad’ as a practice player, with the possibility of being activated as a player during the club’s 2010 playoffs run.  The Hawks ultimately won Lord Stanley’s Cup—its’ first in nearly 50 years. 

Summarized briefly here, the league’s report prepared by the law firm of Jenner & Block provided the following information: 

During that two-month playoff run, Blackhawk video coach Brad Aldrich invited the young Beach to his apartment to watch recorded hockey games, and talk hockey.  The two imbibed several drinks.  Coach Aldrich then initiated unwanted physical contact; Beach grew uncomfortable, and attempted to leave.  Armed with a Chicago Cub souvenir baseball bat, Aldrich blocked Beach’s exit and made threats that he could sink Beach’s career aspirations with the team unless he submitted.   He then performed oral sex on Beach; Aldrich then pleased himself, and ejaculated on Beach’s back.

Thereafter, Aldrich initiated a series of sexually harassing phone calls and texts to Beach, who reported the foregoing to the team.  However, the organization took no action until after the Hawks won the Stanley Cup when the club finally terminated Aldrich’s employment (who got his day with the Cup anyway).

Aldrich continued his predatory behavior, preying on high school and college hockey players.  He was later prosecuted, and served time.    Beach then stepped forward and filed his lawsuit—11 years after the fact.

When this story broke, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman acted immediately.  He secured Chicago Blackhawk General Manager Stan Bowman’s resignation, and then flew south to meet with Coach Joel Quenneville, now the coach of the Florida Panthers.  He too resigned under pressure from the league. 

Sexual abuse requires immediate employment repercussions. But this particular case begs the questions:  How long does an adult have to assert a claim of sexual abuse, and does one size fit all when it comes to meting out justice?  Should Quenneville been discharged 11 years later for his involvement in the delayed discharge of Aldrich?

Hindsight sees farther than foresight; the latter would have compelled the Blackhawks to axe Aldrich immediately.   But consider the events from 11 years ago within the mores and attitudes of the times from Quenneville’s perspective:

Beach was a man capable of defending himself, who played a physical and sometimes violent game where players run the gauntlet of stick-wielding defenders geared to running opponents traveling at full speed into the boards with extreme prejudice.   Yet, here was a player standing 6’3” and 200 pounds feeling intimidated by a 5’5”, 150-pound coach with a bat in his hands?  Even assuming a video coach could derail a player’s hopes to make the parent team, how many hockey players would have submitted to a homosexual advance under such circumstances? 

This situation stood nowhere near par with Penn State Coach Joe Paterno who ignored Assistant Coach Jerry Sandusky’s sexual abuse of 8 to 12 years olds at the Penn State shower room.  Perhaps Quenneville thought of Beach as savvy enough to protect himself from a warped sexual predator.  He pondered the distractive effect of this salacious story on his team in the midst of its’ Stanley Cup run, and the loss of his video coach—crucial to the team’s review and formulation of strategy against opponents—and concurred with the team’s decision to let it go until later, at least until after the playoffs.   

Indeed, long-time coach and hockey analyst Don Cherry recognized—without condoning—that point of view.  Conversely, former Stanley Coach winning coach John Tortorella rhetorically asked:  What if Beach was your son?  

Viewed from Beach’s perspective, Aldrich was a coach whom he believed could impact his career—a position of power and influence over his life’s dream to play in the NHL—and the team discounted him.   Meanwhile, most of the club’s players learned of the story; one can imagine their views, and Beach’s feeling of being ostracized.  The Hawk’s former first round draft pick (11^th overall) never played a game in the National Hockey League.  Now, at a hockey-old age of 31, Beach plays in Europe, where his playing days are numbered.

Coach Quenneville resigned with more than $ 15 million left on his valid contract that presumably could not be legally voided, despite his inaction—or at least delayed action—11 years ago.  One wonders how much he received in severance pay to protect the league’s image.

Meanwhile, Kyle Beach, the Blackhawks, the NHL and their lawyers jostle in a battle of tightrope chicken above the abyss in a lawsuit that may well be time-barred by a court of law. 

Nonetheless, a victory in court via an outright dismissal of Beach’s suit would further tarnish the league’s image.   Hence, the parties’ request for mediation.   Any settlement will certainly be sealed from public view.