Huge news came out of the Chicago Blackhawks organization on Tuesday as general manager Stan Bowman stepped aside as the GM of the team after an independent investigation revealed he made a huge mistake not speaking up as a first-year GM when it was learned former Blackhawks video coach Brad Aldrich had sexually abused a prospect in the Blackhawks system. The news coming out of Tuesday’s presser by Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz and CEO Danny Wirtz could reach far beyond the Blackhawks organization.
We reported earlier the following:
This investigation now expands beyond the Chicago Blackhawks and has revealed that Kevin Cheveldayoff (GM of the Winnipeg Jets) and Joel Quenneville (coach of the Florida Panthers) knew of the allegations. Questions about how Quenneville and Cheveldayoff will respond are going to be hot-button topics this week. Quenneville and Cheveldayoff had both denied knowing about the allegations when they were first asked in July.
As Bruce Arthur and other media members closely following Tuesday’s news have revealed, “So you wouldn’t think Kevin Cheveldayoff and Joel Quenneville can stay in their respective jobs.” The Jenner & Block report that included 139 witnesses and extensive digging into the varied stories of the meeting. says the meeting involving John McDonagh, Al MacIsaac, Stan Bowman, Jay Blunk, Kevin Cheveldayoff, Joel Quenneville and Jim Gary happened May 23, 2010 — within an hour of the #Blackhawks win to advance to the Stanley Cup Final.
Bowman stepped aside knowing he made a massive mistake. In a statement released by the now-former GM, he said, “I relied on the direction of my superior that he would take appropriate action. Looking back, now knowing he did not handle the matter promptly, I regret assuming he would do so.” The Blackhawks revealed that Bowman was extremely helpful during the investigation while some of his peers were not. Whether Quenneville and Cheveldayoff follow suit will be intriguing to watch.
An NHL press release on Tuesday notes that NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman will meet in the near future with Quenneville and Cheveldayoff and will “reserve judgement on next steps, if any, with respect to them.” The plan will be to “discuss their roles in the relevant events as detailed in the report.”
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