Scandal raises questions
Sports culture under microscope following sexual assault probe
For three weeks in 2010, they did nothing. That’s how long it took for the leadership of the Chicago Blackhawks to act on allegations that an assistant coach sexually assaulted a player.
Three weeks. Three weeks that — more than a decade later — rocked a once-proud franchise and raised more questions about the culture of sports.
In the span of 107 pages, featuring interviews with 139 witnesses, more than 100 gigabytes of electronic records and 49 boxes of hard-copy records, a report by an outside law firm detailed how senior leaders of the Blackhawks seemingly ignored the sexual assault accusations raised with the franchise days before the team won its first Stanley Cup title since 1961.
The ramifications of the independent review, commissioned by the team in response to two lawsuits, stretched into several corners of the NHL, which fined the Blackhawks $2 million for “the organization’s inadequate internal procedures and insufficient and untimely response.”
Florida coach Joel Quenneville is slated to meet with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman on Thursday, and Winnipeg general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff is planning to talk to the commissioner on Monday. Both were with the Blackhawks when the accusations by Kyle Beach were first reported to team leadership.
According to the report, Donald Fehr, the leader of the NHL Players’ Association, was contacted twice about allegations connected to the assistant coach, including by a Beach confidant. Fehr told investigators he couldn’t recall either conversation, but did not deny that they had occurred.
Panthers 4, Bruins 1: Florida became the 14th team in NHL history to start 7-0-0 by beating Boston — with coach Joel Quenneville on the bench a day after he was named in a report about the Chicago Blackhawks improperly handling sexual assault claims. Sergei Bobrovsky made 29 saves for the Panthers, and Eetu Luostarinen scored the go-ahead goal.
Red Wings 3, Capitals 2 (OT):
Robby Fabbri tied it early in the third period, captain Dylan Larkin scored in overtime and Detroit came back to beat Washington. Larkin beat Vitek Vanecek 1:37 into OT. Alex Ovechkin scored his eighth goal of the season for Washington.
Maple Leafs 3, Blackhawks 2 (OT):
William Nylander scored in overtime to lift Toronto over Chicago. The Leafs snapped a four-game losing streak with the victory, and extended the Blackhawks’ record to 0-6-1. John Tavares and David Kampf also scored for Toronto, and Jack Campbell stopped 25 shots. Chicago got 36 saves from Kevin Lankinen, and goals from Kirby Dach and Alex Debrincat.