Florida Panthers head coach resigns amid investigation into Chicago's sexual assault allegations
CBC
Joel Quenneville tendered his resignation as head coach of the Florida Panthers on Thursday amid an ongoing investigation into allegations of sexual assaults levied against a former Chicago video coach.
The 63-year-old, who coached Chicago from 2008-2018, met with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on Thursday to discuss his response to the organizational mishandling of the allegations that Brad Aldrich sexually assaulted a player named Kyle Beach during the team's Stanley Cup run in 2010.
Details of Chicago's internal investigation of the allegations were released this week, resulting in the departures of general manager Stan Bowman and senior vice president of hockey operations Al MacIsaac from the organization.
"Joel made the decision to resign and the Florida Panthers accepted that resignation," Panthers President Matthew Caldwell said.
Andrew Brunette — an assistant coach under Quenneville — was hired as the team's interim coach, and is expected to make his debut when the unbeaten Panthers play at Detroit on Friday night. Brunette has never been a head coach.
Quenneville resigned with about three years and $15 million US remaining on his contract with the Panthers.
An investigation released Tuesday said Quenneville — who coached Chicago at that time — and others in the organization did not prioritize addressing Beach's allegations, presumably because they did not want to take away from the team's push toward a championship.
Quenneville has said he was unaware of the allegations until this summer, a stance he reiterated as recently as Wednesday morning. Beach, in an interview that aired Wednesday evening on TSN, said there was "absolutely no way" the then-Chicago coach could deny knowing about the allegations.
WATCH | Beach comes forward as accuser in Chicago sexual assault case:
At 7-0-0, the Panthers are off to their best start in the franchise's 28-year history, looking very much like the Stanley Cup contender that Quenneville was hired in 2019 to build.
If they get there, it'll be without him now. Players on Wednesday insisted their focus was solely on the ice; some of the team's leaders like captain Aleksander Barkov and defenceman Aaron Ekblad even said they did not know much about the investigation or the massive fallout from Tuesday's report.
"It should go without saying that the conduct described in that report is troubling and inexcusable," Caldwell said. "It stands in direct contrast to our values as an organization and what the Florida Panthers stand for. No one should ever have to endure what Kyle Beach experienced during, and long after, his time in Chicago.
"Quite simply, he was failed," Caldwell added. "We praise his bravery and courage in coming forward."
Quenneville is the second-winningest coach in NHL history, his 969 victories after Wednesday trailing only the 1,244 amassed by Scotty Bowman — the father of now-former Chicago general manager Stan Bowman, who resigned Tuesday when the investigation's findings were released. Stan Bowman, like Quenneville, was among the central figures identified as having not acted properly and swiftly to Beach's allegations.
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WARNING: This story contains disturbing details about gruesome deaths and sexual abuse.