NHL, Hall of Fame agree removing Aldrich’s name from Stanley Cup is ‘appropriate’
Posted October 29, 2021 11:48 am.
Last Updated October 29, 2021 3:50 pm.
The NHL and Hockey Hall of Fame say a request from the Chicago Blackhawks to remove the name of disgraced former coach Brad Aldrich from the Stanley Cup “is appropriate” and the two sides will begin the process to fulfill that request.
In a statement, the Hall of Fame said the league and Hall will have “further dialogue” with Stanley Cup trustees “on how best to effectuate this request.”
Earlier Friday, Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz wrote a letter to Hall of Fame chairman Lanny MacDonald asking for Aldrich’s name to be removed from the team’s 2010 Stanley Cup champion entry.
“I am humbly requesting that the Hockey Hall of Fame consider ‘x-ing’ out his name on the Stanley Cup,” Wirtz wrote. “While nothing can undo what he did, leaving his name on the most prestigious trophy in sports seems profoundly wrong.”
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Aldrich, a registered sex offender in Michigan, has been accused of sexual assault by two former Blackhawks players, including Kyle Beach who revealed himself to be the John Doe in an investigative report published this week that looked into Aldrich’s conduct and the team’s failures to respond to it during the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs.
“Aldrich’s involvement with the team during the 2010 season has cast a pall on the players’ extraordinary work that year,” the letter reads. “The names of some of hockey’s most talented athletes appear on the Stanley Cup. But so does the name ‘Brad Aldrich’ whose role as video coach made him eligible for the engraving. His conduct disqualified him, however, and it was a mistake to submit his name. We are sorry we allowed it to happen.”
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Aldrich was a coach with the Blackhawks during the 2010 playoffs when the alleged assaults occurred. On May 23, 2010 — the day the Blackhawks secured a spot in the Stanley Cup Final — a meeting featuring a number of team leaders was held to discuss how to handle Beach’s accusation against Aldrich. However, the report published this week revealed that no action was taken by the team until the middle of June after the Stanley Cup had been won.
Aldrich, who is a registered sex offender in Michigan, was an assistant coach with the Blackhawks in 2010. This week, a report from an independent investigation conducted by law firm Jenner & Block publically revealed new details about Aldrich’s alleged sexual assault of two Blackhawks players, including Kyle Beach, who publically revealed his identity in an interview with TSN.
The report detailed the allegations made against Aldrich and the Blackhawks organization’s failure to respond to them in a quick and thorough manner.
Aldrich was given a choice by the Blackhawks to resign or face an investigation. He chose to resign and no investigation was conducted. Despite that, he was still allowed to celebrate a day with the Cup and his name has been inscribed on it ever since.
The fallout from the publication of the report this week has been swift. The NHL fined the Blackhawks $2 million “for the organization’s inadequate internal procedures and insufficient and untimely response in the handling of matters related to former video coach Brad Aldrich’s employment with the Club and ultimate departure in 2010.”
In addition, general manager Stan Bowman and team executive Al MacIsaac — two of the people present at the May 23, 2010 meeting — resigned from the club. Panthers head coach Joel Quenneville — who was also in the meeting — resigned late Thursday after a meeting with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff — another former Blackhawks employee who was present in the meeting — will meet with Bettman on Friday.
