Chicago Blackhawks

The NHL has postponed three more games this week because of COVID-19, the league announced Sunday. The Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins, Columbus Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks, Boston Bruins and Ottawa Senators are the teams impacted.

The NHL and NHL Players Association also agreed to the reintroduction of taxi squads in order to provide teams with players who can be recalled to avoid having games postponed in the future. 

Each team will be allowed to have a taxi squad of up to six players. In addition, teams are allowed to make emergency recalls from the minors if COVID-19 were to prevent them from playing with a full lineup. 

Taxi squads will be in effect until at least the All-Star break in February. Players on the taxi squad will count as being in the for the salary cap and can be there for a minimum of 20 days. 

The NHL also had taxi squads during the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season. 

Several players have entered COVID-19 health and safety protocols since returning from the holiday break, including Bruins forward Charlie Coyle, Maple Leafs forward Williams Nylander and Penguins forward Evan Rodrigues. 

The NHL began its holiday break earlier than expected this year because of a rise in positive COVID-19 cases across the league. Every team was shut down beginning Dec. 22, though most were on pause before that point. 

Several teams are set to return to action on Tuesday, including the Tampa Bay Lightning, Montreal Canadiens, Vegas Golden Knights, Los Angeles Kings, Arizona Coyotes and San Jose Sharks.

Because of postponements across the league and rise in COVID-19 cases, the NHL and NHLPA also recently decided that players would not attend the Winter Olympics in Beijing. The league needs the two-week break in the February schedule to make up more than 50 postponed games.  

The Chicago Blackhawks have reached a settlement with Kyle Beach, who said that former team video coach Brad Aldrich sexually assaulted him in 2010.

Beach brought the allegations forward to the Blackhawks at the time, and their inaction came into the spotlight following an independent report from the law firm of Jenner & Block in October.

An Oct. 27 statement from the Blackhawks admitted that former team executives did not adequately handle Beach's allegations when he brought them forward:

Jenner & Block found that "no action was taken for three weeks" after Beach made the allegations and that the team violated its own sexual harassment policy as a result.

The fallout from the report included the resignation of Chicago general manager Stan Bowman as well as former Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville, who was working for the Florida Panthers this past fall. The NHL also fined the Blackhawks $2 million.

As for Beach, ESPN News Services reported on Nov. 23 that he was seeking "in excess of $50,000" from the team, although an "exact amount was not specified."

Aldrich later worked and volunteered with USA Hockey, Notre Dame, Miami of Ohio and Houghton High School (Michigan) following his days with the Blackhawks.

In October 2013, Houghton police arrested Aldrich for sexually assaulting a player on the Houghton hockey team.

Aldrich pleaded guilty to fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a minor in December 2013, and he was sentenced to nine months in jail and five years probation.

TSN's Rick Westhead reported Wednesday that the Blackhawks are scheduled to conduct settlement negotiations with that former player Monday.

Chicago Blackhawks centre Jujhar Khaira was taken off the ice on a stretcher during Tuesday's game against the New York Rangers.

NBC Sports' Charlie Roumeliotis reported that Khaira took a "massive" hit from Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba. The hit occurred nearly midway through the second period.

Chicago interim head coach Derek King provided a positive update on Khaira, saying, "He’s up. He’s talking. He’s very responsive."

The Blackhawks announced that Khaira had been taken by ambulance to Northwestern Hospital to undergo further evaluation.

Khaira had his head down as he attempted to control a pass when Trouba hit him, leading with his shoulder into Khaira's head/neck area. Khaira's head bounced twice on the ice as he went down. No penalty was assessed on the play.

A few Chicago players swarmed Trouba as Khaira laid motionless on the ice. The fighting stopped when they noticed that Khaira was unconscious, and play was suspended for about five minutes.

Blackhawks defenseman Riley Stillman later went after Trouba during the second period and was put in the penalty box. Each of Stillman's teammates gave him a fist bump for his efforts.

Khaira is a six-year veteran in his first season with Chicago. He spent the first five years of his career with the Edmonton Oilers. Khaira has two goals this season and nine penalty minutes in 17 games. For his career, he has 26 goals and 39 assists.

The Blackhawks are trying to claw their way back from an 0-7-2 start to the season and had a record of 9-13-2 entering Tuesday's game.

The Chicago Blackhawks have filed a motion to dismiss former player Kyle Beach's negligence lawsuit against the organization, per TSN's Rick Westhead.

Beach said that former Blackhawks video coach Brad Aldrich sexually assaulted him in 2010 and that he reported the allegations to the team.

A report from the law firm Jenner & Block revealed the team did not take any action for three weeks. The Blackhawks also did not go to the police with those claims.

Furthermore, the law firm said that the team's initial inaction led to Chicago violating its own sexual harassment policy, "which required investigation of all reports of sexual harassment to be conducted 'promptly and thoroughly.'"

The report reads:

The failure to promptly and thoroughly investigate the matter and the decision to take no action from May 23 to June 14 had consequences. During that period, Aldrich continued to work with and travel with the team. Aldrich engaged in an unwanted sexual advance on a Blackhawks intern—physically grabbing the intern in a sexual manner. And Aldrich continued to participate in team activities and celebrations, in the presence of John Doe.

Per Westhead, the team claims that the statute of limitations expired before Beach filed the case in court.

"Mr. Beach argues that his failure to timely file this lawsuit is excused because he repressed memories of the assault, but this claim cannot toll the statute of limitations," the Blackhawks' motion read in part.

Chicago's Nov. 30 motion also reveals the team and Beach's attorney have a mediation session scheduled for Dec. 15. Per Westhead, it is "unlikely" a judge will render a decision on Chicago's motion before the Dec. 15 meeting.

Mark Lazerus of The Athletic provided more insight:

There is still lawyering going on with the Kyle Beach lawsuit. The Blackhawks filed another motion to dismiss the lawsuit two days ago, hitting a deadline they faced. Until the lawsuits are (hopefully) settled, these filings will continue. It's an ongoing legal process.

It looks unseemly, I get it. A lot of lawyering is. It'd be great if it would just end. But the Dec. 15 (non-binding) settlement mediation is still scheduled. Both sides appear to be entering it in good faith, despite the legal wrangling that continues seven months into the process.

The 31-year-old Beach has played professional hockey since 2009. He currently plays for Black Dragons Erfurt in Germany's Oberliga.

The NHL informed "John Doe 2," the pseudonym given to a high school hockey player who was sexually assaulted by former Chicago Blackhawks assistant coach Brad Aldrich, that the league will not cover his counseling and therapy costs.

Doe's lawyer said the NHL believes those expenses are the Blackhawks' responsibility. 

The mother of John Doe 2 recounted the severe behavioral issues and mental health trauma her son suffered after being assaulted by Aldrich in 2013. The mother said her son's behavior changed almost immediately and he began using drugs.

“‘Do you want to know why Mom? Do you want to know why I’m a loser, Mom?’ He yelled in my face in shock,” the woman said in a TSN interview. “Those horrible words came out, ‘Because I was raped, Mom.’ I just held him and screamed no, no, no.”

Aldrich was sentenced to nine months in jail in 2014 after sexually assaulting John Doe 2. His jail sentence came four years after Aldrich allegedly assaulted two Blackhawks players, one of whom has since come forward. 

Former Blackhawks winger Kyle Beach revealed he is the player suing the franchise over its mishandling of the allegations he made in 2010. According to Beach, management was made aware of the situation but did not go to the police or fire Aldrich. The Blackhawks later allowed Aldrich to resign after winning the 2010 Stanley Cup after another allegation came to light.

"The only way I could describe it was that I felt sick, I felt sick to my stomach," Beach told TSN. "I reported this and I was made aware that it made it all the way up the chain of command by ‘Doc’ (James) Gary and nothing happened. It was like his life was the same as the day before. Same every day. And then when they won, to see him paraded around lifting the Cup, at the parade, at the team pictures, at celebrations, it made me feel like nothing. It made me feel like I didn’t exist."

Aldrich continued his work in hockey after leaving the Blackhawks, working with USA Hockey, Notre Dame, Miami (Ohio) University and Houghton (Michigan) High School. It was in Houghton where Aldrich sexually assaulted the high school student.

The NHL fined the Blackhawks $2 million for "inadequate internal procedures and insufficient and untimely response" in response to Aldrich after an independent investigation. Team president Stan Bowman and director of hockey administration Al MacIsaac both resigned their posts. Florida Panthers coach Joel Quenneville, who was the coach of the Blackhawks during the 2009-10 season, also resigned his position.

The Blackhawks are in the midst of lawsuit settlement talks and have vowed to reach a "fair resolution."

After a 1-9-2 start to the season, Jeremy Colliton has been fired as head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks. 

The team announced Colliton's dismissal Saturday, along with assistant coaches Tomas Mitell and Sheldon Brookbank. 

Derek King will serve as interim head coach. 

Colliton had expressed frustration with the team's performance this season.

“It’s just another hard lesson, but I would like us to stop learning hard lessons and respond with a change in how we think about the game,” he told reporters after Wednesday's loss to the Carolina Hurricanes that saw the Blackhawks blow a 3-1 lead.

Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones did express support for Colliton after a 6-3 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 24. 

"100 percent the team has faith in Jeremy," Jones said. "I’ve been here a short time, but his message has been great for us. What it really comes down to, there’s only so much a coach can do. He's not going to lace them up for you.

The final straw came Friday night when Chicago lost 5-1 to the Winnipeg Jets. The franchise is in the midst of its worst start since the 1999-2000 season when it was 0-4-4 after eight games. 

The Blackhawks turned things around that season to finish with a respectable 33-37-10-2 record. 

Colliton was in his fourth season as Chicago's head coach. The 36-year-old replaced Joel Quenneville early in the 2018-19 season. He went 87-92-26 with one playoff appearance for the Blackhawks. 

King has been head coach for the Rockford IceHogs of the United Hockey League since April 2019. He will make his debut for the Blackhawks on Sunday night when they host the Nashville Predators at 7 p.m. ET.    

The Hockey Hall of Fame confirmed to The Athletic it has crossed out the name of former Chicago Blackhawks assistant coach Brad Aldrich from the Stanley Cup following an investigation into the club's mishandling of an allegation he sexually assaulted a former player. 

The Blackhawks requested Aldrich's name be removed from the Cup as the club continues dealing with the fallout from the independent investigation completed by Jenner & Block law firm. Ryan Rishaug of TSN reported the Hall of Fame crossed out Aldrich's name when the names for last season's Tampa Bay Lightning were added.

This is the second time a name has been crossed out on the Cup. The NHL had the Hall remove Basil Pocklington, the father of former Edmonton Oilers owner Peter Pocklington, after his name was etched onto the Cup following the 1983-84 Stanley Cup. 

"That decision, among others, reflects the Cup's storied history of engraving mistakes and errors that have ended up enshrined in silver, or been corrected after the fact," Chicago Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz wrote. 

Wirtz said that "taking a stand" on Aldrich's behavior meant removing him from the Cup.

Former Blackhawks winger Kyle Beach revealed he was one of Aldrich's victims and is suing the club. The Blackhawks are planning to settle the lawsuit out of court.

"I know I'm not the only one, male or female. And I buried this for 10 years, 11 years. And it's destroyed me from the inside out," Beach said in an interview on TSN. "And I want everybody to know in the sports world and in the world that you're not alone. That if these things happen to you, you need to speak up."

The Blackhawks released a statement Tuesday apologizing to Beach for dismissing his allegation: "We apologize to Kyle Beach for previously stating his allegations ‘lacked merit.’ It is clear now that our organization did not do the right thing."

Following the playoffs,  the investigation found that Aldrich was allowed to resign from the team without investigation, given severance pay and celebrated the Stanley Cup victory with the team before going on to work for USA Hockey, Notre Dame, Miami (Ohio) and at a high school in Houghton, Michigan.

Aldrich was convicted of sexually assaulting a minor in Houghton in 2014 and sentenced to nine months in jail. 

The Chicago Blackhawks held settlement talks Tuesday with an attorney who represents former Blackhawks player Kyle Beach, per Jay Cohen of the Associated Press.

Beach has said former Blackhawks video coach Brad Aldrich sexually assaulted him in May 2010, as he detailed in an interview with Rick Westhead of TSN. He is suing the organization over its handling of the allegations.

"The meeting was respectful and cordial for each side," Beach's attorney, Susan Loggans, said of the settlement discussions. "But each side had different viewpoints. It was decided that an opportunity may exist to move forward. However, both parties will meet with their clients and meet again in the near future."

Beach told team personnel of the allegations before senior officials met on May 23 to discuss the situation, but no action was taken for several weeks. Aldrich was later allowed to resign after the team won the 2010 Stanley Cup title.

In 2014, Aldrich was convicted of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct for assaulting a high school student. Loggans also represents the person in that case in a lawsuit against the Blackhawks.

The Blackhawks initially denied that Beach's lawsuit had merit, but an independent report by Jenner & Block LLP determined the organization mishandled the situation.

The NHL fined the Blackhawks $2 million with commissioner Gary Bettman saying it was due to the "inadequate internal procedures and insufficient and untimely response in the handling of matters."

The team's president of hockey operations and general manager Stan Bowman and senior vice president of hockey operations Al MacIsaac stepped down, while former Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville resigned as head coach of the Florida Panthers.

"We could not be more sorry for the trauma that Kyle has had to endure," Bettman said in a press conference Monday.

"It is clear now that our organization did not do the right thing," the Blackhawks said in a statement.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman told reporters Monday he has apologized to Kyle Beach after the former player publicly spoke about his alleged sexual assault by a Chicago Blackhawks video coach.

"We could not be more sorry for the trauma that Kyle has had to endure," Bettman said. 

The commissioner added what the two talked about during their recent meeting:

Bettman met with Beach on Saturday to discuss how to better protect players going forward, per Jay Cohen of the Associated Press.

Beach was a first-round pick of the 2008 NHL draft and practiced with the Blackhawks during the 2009-10 season. In May 2010, Beach said then-video coach Brad Aldrich sexually assaulted him.

Though the allegations were initially made under a John Doe pseudonym, Beach came forward last Wednesday in an interview with Rick Westhead of TSN.

A report by Jenner & Block LLP determined senior administrators within the Blackhawks organization knew of the allegations but took no action for several weeks. Aldrich was eventually given an option to resign.

In 2014, Aldrich was sentenced to jail on a fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct charge for assaulting a high school student. 

Bettman was asked about the situation Monday but didn't offer much of an answer:

It was one of several criticisms during the press conference:

The NHL fined the Blackhawks $2 million following the investigation for what Bettman called "inadequate internal procedures and insufficient and untimely response in the handling of matters."

Stan Bowman was also removed as the team's president of hockey operations and general manager while Joel Quenneville, who was Chicago's head coach at the time, resigned as head coach of the Florida Panthers. 

Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, who was an assistant general manager with the Blackhawks in 2010, was not punished following an investigation. 

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman spoke with Kyle Beach, the former player within the Chicago Blackhawks organization who said he was sexually abused by a member of the coaching staff in 2010.

"There was discussion about what could be done in the future to assure this kind of thing did not occur again," attorney Susan Loggans said of the conversation between Bettman and her client, per the Associated Press' Jay Cohen.

Beach's identity had previously been unknown as the scandal played out over a series of months. He opened up Wednesday in an interview with TSN's Rick Westhead.

Westhead initially reported in June that video coach Brad Aldrich allegedly sexually assaulted two players and that the allegations were made clear to high-ranking members of the Blackhawks organization.

Not only did those officials fail to forward the allegations to Chicago police, but Aldrich was allowed to remain with the team through the end of the Blackhawks' Stanley Cup run. Beach told Westhead he "felt sick to my stomach" watching Aldrich celebrate with the Stanley Cup.

"It was like his life was the same as the day before. Same every day," Beach said. "And then when they won, to see him paraded around lifting the Cup, at the parade, at the team pictures, at celebrations, it made me feel like nothing. It made me feel like I didn't exist."

Aldrich departed the team after that season and was able to continue his career in hockey. In 2014, he was sentenced to nine months in jail for sexually assaulting a student at a high school where he worked as a volunteer hockey coach.

The NHL announced Tuesday it fined the Blackhawks $2 million following an investigation into the club's handling of the allegations. The franchise said in its own statement that "the organization and its executives at that time did not live up to our own standards or values in handling these disturbing incidents."

Following Beach's interview, the Blackhawks wrote another statement largely echoing their initial comments:

Beyond the punishment issued by the league, Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman and Al MacIsaac resigned upon the conclusion of the investigation.

Joel Quenneville, who was coaching the Blackhawks at the time of the alleged assaults, also resigned as head coach of the Florida Panthers on Thursday.