Chicago Blackhawks

Former Chicago Blackhawks video coach Brad Aldrich allegedly threatened a Blackhawks player with a baseball bat during the course of a sexual assault, according to the Chicago Sun-Times' Ben Pope.

The allegation is connected to one of two civil lawsuits against the organization. The player, identified as "John Doe 1," filed suit in May and said he was assaulted by Aldrich.

The player said he was invited to Aldrich's apartment in May 2010 to supposedly break down game video, per Pope. However, the lawsuit alleged Aldrich turned on pornography before masturbating in front of the player.

Aldrich allegedly "blocked the only exit" and "physically threatened" the player with a Chicago Cubs souvenir baseball bat when he attempted to leave. Aldrich also allegedly threatened the player's career "if [he] did not engage in nonconsensual sexual activity."

The plaintiff also referenced a possible pattern, saying Aldrich "repeatedly invited young interns" for the team to his apartment, which Blackhawks officials purportedly thought was "quite unusual."

Rick Westhead of TSN reported June 17 that Chicago general manager Stan Bowman, then-president John McDonough and vice president of hockey operations Al MacIsaac met in May 2010 with then-skills coach Paul Vincent, who alerted them to allegations of sexual assault against Aldrich.

Vincent suggested the team take the matter to Chicago Police, but officials reportedly chose not to take that step.

In a separate lawsuit, a former Michigan high school hockey player said the Blackhawks showed "utter indifference or conscious disregard for the safety of others" when they didn't investigate or fire Aldrich or alert his prospective employers about the allegations.

In June, the Blackhawks brought in a former federal prosecutor from Jenner & Block to oversee an independent review of the allegations.

Bowman addressed the situation for the first time Thursday.

"I do not condone or tolerate harassment or assault of any type," he told reporters. "The Blackhawks have engaged an outside legal firm to conduct an investigation. ... For now, I have to respect the litigation and pending review. I'm not going to be able to make any comments about that."

Bowman added he will "give it my full cooperation" and would not say whether the review will be made public.

Speaking with The Athletic in June, NHL agent Allan Walsh expressed his desire for the team to disclose the results of the investigation.

"If you're not committed to making the reports public, all you're doing is managing a PR nightmare/crisis without actually doing anything meaningful," he said.

The Columbus Blue Jackets traded star defenseman Seth Jones to the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday.

Jones will sign an eight-year, $76 million contract extension as part of the deal, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman: 

"Acquiring Seth Jones has been on our wish list for years, it has seemed," Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman told ESPN's Emily Kaplan."It never was a possibility until somewhat recently. Seth is the real deal. He’s entering the prime of his career. Changes the whole complexion of our team"

The move comes after Friedman reported in May that the 26-year-old told the team he planned on hitting free agency instead of re-signing when his contract expired after the 2021-22 season.

From the team's perspective, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reported at the time that Columbus planned on trading him "barring a change of heart by Jones."

That came to fruition, and Jones is yet another talented playmaker leaving the Blue Jackets when he was a primary contributor.

Columbus traded Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Winnipeg Jets following some apparent tension with then-head coach John Tortorella. It also traded Josh Anderson to the Montreal Canadiens. Most notably, Artemi Panarin, Sergei Bobrovsky and Matt Duchene all signed elsewhere following the 2018-19 season.

The departures of Panarin, Bobrovsky and Duchene came at particularly difficult timing for the Blue Jackets.

After all, they appeared to turn the corner as an annual playoff contender when they stunned the powerhouse Tampa Bay Lightning with a first-round sweep in the 2019 postseason. They also pushed the Boston Bruins to six games in the second round in the best playoff run in franchise history.

The stars chose to leave instead of staying put and building on that effort, and the franchise is now coming off a last-place finish in the Central Division during the 2020-21 season and no longer has Jones on its blueline.

Columbus' loss is Chicago's gain, as Jones is a three-time All-Star who can play physical defense, anchor the penalty kill and contribute on the offensive end in power-play or full-strength scenarios.

He finished with 57 points and a plus-minus total of plus-10 during the 2017-18 season for the Blue Jackets and followed with 46 points in 2018-19. He also posted a plus-10 during the shortened 2019-20 season.

The Arlington, Texas native took something of a step back in 2020-21, as his 28 points was his lowest mark since his second season in the league in 2014-15 when he played for the Nashville Predators. His minus-18 mark was his worst since he was a rookie.

Part of the issue was the overall struggles for the entire team, and Jones will look to bounce back following this change of scenery to Chicago.

This is far from the first trade the Blackhawks and Blue Jackets have completed in recent years, as Chicago sent Brandon Saad to Columbus in 2015 and Artemi Panarin to Columbus in 2017. This time, the notable star is heading to the Windy City, where he will look to help the Blackhawks bounce back from missing the playoffs in 2020-21.

If Jones returns to form as a dominant defender, he could do just that.

For the first time, Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman publicly addressed the ongoing investigation into how the team handled sexual assault allegations against a former video coach.

"I do not condone or tolerate harassment or assault of any type," Bowman told reporters Thursday. "The Blackhawks have engaged an outside legal firm to conduct an investigation. ... For now, I have to respect the litigation and pending review. I'm not going to be able to make any comments about that."

The Blackhawks commissioned an independent review of the allegations, and Bowman said he's "going to give it my full cooperation."

He didn't confirm whether the results of the review will be released to the public.

In May, a former player filed a civil lawsuit, alleging he and a teammate were sexually assaulted by Brad Aldrich, who served as video coordinator for Chicago from 2008-10.

Another civil complaint was filed in May by a former high school hockey player in Michigan. The plaintiff said the Blackhawks displayed "utter indifference or conscious disregard for the safety of others" when it didn't make prospective employers aware of the allegations leveled against him when he worked with the team.

TSN's Rick Westhead reported on June 17 that Bowman took part in a May 2010 meeting that included then-president John McDonough and vice president of hockey operations Al MacIsaac. At that meeting, then-skills coach Paul Vincent said two players had come forward about their experiences with Aldrich.

"The players allegedly told Vincent that on separate occasions Aldrich had gotten them drunk in his apartment, watched pornography, and then tried to perform oral sex on them," Westhead reported.

The Blackhawks reportedly didn't forward the allegations to Chicago police despite Vincent suggesting they do so.

In addressing the first lawsuit, Blackhawks vice president of communications Adam Rogowin said the team took the matter "very seriously" and that the allegations against the organization "lack merit."

Bowman's failure to confirm whether the full review will be made public will likely leave some concerned.

"If you’re not committed to making the reports public, all you’re doing is managing a PR nightmare/crisis without actually doing anything meaningful," NHL agent Allan Walsh said to The Athletic in June.

Susan Loggans, who's representing the plaintiffs in the two lawsuits, said in June, "The statement that they will not agree to release the result of the investigation at this time makes me conclude that it is not independent."

Former Chicago Blackhawks skills coach Paul Vincent told TSN's Rick Westhead he will not participate in an investigation into the team's alleged mishandling of sexual assault claims in 2010 unless the findings are publicly released:

Vincent told TSN that in a meeting in San Jose, California, with then-Blackhawks president John McDonough, vice president of hockey operations Al MacIsaac, general manager Stan Bowman and team sports psychologist James Gary ahead of the Western Conference Final in 2010, he shared allegations from two Blackhawks players who said then-video coach Brad Aldrich sexually assaulted them. Vincent, a former law enforcement officer in Massachusetts, said he asked the team to contact the sex crimes division of the Chicago police.

Vincent said the front office declined to do so.

The Blackhawks are currently facing two lawsuits related to Aldrich's time with the franchise. One from a former player who says the team ignored the allegations against Aldrich and another from a former high school hockey player in Michigan whom Aldrich sexually abused three years later in 2013. The second lawsuit says the Blackhawks provided Aldrich with a positive reference, allowing him to remain in the sport and continue abusing players.

While the team has filed motions to dismiss both cases, the Blackhawks retained the law firm Jenner & Block to conduct an investigation into the matter.

Vincent is now the second prominent figure central to the investigation to pressure the Blackhawks to make its findings public.

The lawyer for the former Chicago player suing the team said her client, known in court documents as John Doe 1, will not cooperate with the Jenner & Block probe, citing the team's actions leading up to the announcement of the investigation.

"The Blackhawks have been lying all along, denying in court documents that this sexual misconduct even took place, so why would we have any faith now in an investigation that has been paid for by the Blackhawks?" attorney Susan Loggans told Westhead on July 9. "Also, there is no assurance from anyone, not at the Blackhawks and not at the NHL, that the results of the team's investigation will be made public. Why would we bother to participate in an investigation that may ultimately be buried and hidden from public view?"

Loggans said she would have allowed her client to participate in the team investigation if Jenner & Block had agreed to her interviewing Bowman, MacIsaac, Gary and McDonough.

Loggans said the request was denied.

"All I wanted was equal treatment," Loggans said. "The team says its lawyer is now doing an investigation, and I am doing an investigation. We're both attorneys with clients. No different. The Blackhawks are just looking to gain credibility by saying it will have another investigation but this is all just window dressing."

On Tuesday, 2009-10 Blackhawks defenseman Brent Sopel urged his former teammates to begin "telling the truth publicly" about being aware of the allegations at the time. Sopel said the allegations were discussed by players in the locker room during the Western Conference Final.

"...I'd say pretty much every player said, 'Holy s--t' and was shocked by it," Sopel told Westhead. "We were all in the same dressing room. It was something that was discussed for at least two or three days. [Then head coach Joel] Quenneville was in the same office as [Aldrich]. We heard about it."

Then-assistant coach John Torchetti told Westhead he recalls Vincent telling him that he advised the front office to call Chicago police but does not remember Vincent explaining the outcome of the meeting.

"It's so upsetting, it's so glaring, because of what this guy was able to do after he left the Blackhawks," Torchetti said. "You have to know what kind of guy Paul Vincent is. This guy is loyal to a fault, the most loyal guy you are going to meet in the game. His background helps explain why he gets so upset about issues like abuse."

No timeline has been provided for the completion of the Jenner & Block investigation.

Former Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Brent Sopel said his 2009-10 teammates should be "telling the truth publicly" about being aware of the allegations of sexual assault against then-video coach Brad Aldrich.

In an interview with TSN's Rick Westhead, the retired NHL veteran said most of the players and coaches knew during the 2010 Western Conference Final that two Blackhawks players had accused Aldrich of sexual assault.

"...I'd say pretty much every player said, 'Holy s--t' and was shocked by it," Sopel said. "We were all in the same dressing room. It was something that was discussed for at least two or three days. [Then head coach Joel] Quenneville was in the same office as [Aldrich]. We heard about it."

The Blackhawks are facing two lawsuits related to Aldrich. One from a former player who says the team covered up Aldrich's abuse and another from a former high school hockey player in Houghton, Michigan, who Aldrich abused three years later in 2013. The second lawsuit says the Blackhawks provided Aldrich with a positive reference, allowing him to remain in hockey and continue assaulting players.

Multiple members of the 2010 Blackhawks have corroborated that then-skills coach Paul Vincent met with team president John McDonough, vice president Al MacIsaac and general manager Stan Bowman ahead of the Western Conference Final in San Jose, California, to discuss calling Chicago police. The front office reportedly declined to do so. Aldrich remained with the club through a successful Stanley Cup Final run and departed the following offseason. He served nine months in prison after pleading guilty to criminal sexual conduct with the high school player in Michigan.

The NHL franchise denies the allegations and is seeking to dismiss both suits.

Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews, who, other than Patrick Kane, is the only remaining member of the 2009-10 team still playing for Chicago, recently told The Athletic's Mark Lazerus he was unaware of the allegations against Aldrich until the start of training camp in 2010-11 and refuted that everyone on the team knew, something an unnamed Blackhawks player had previously told The Athletic.

"When that player commented that everybody on the team knew, that wasn't true," Toews said. "As far as I know, some guys may have caught whispers of it and some guys were clueless until the next year. I don't think that was an accurate statement."

Sopel told Westhead members of the 2009-10 team may have a financial incentive to keep quiet about the alleged cover-up.

"I understand that doing the right thing is hard," Sopel said. "A lot of those guys who were on that 2009-10 team are still with the Blackhawks getting paid and they're either still playing, or in broadcasting or coaching, management or scouting or being an ambassador for the team. That's why they are not saying anything. Guys want to protect their jobs. But they should still be doing the right thing and telling the truth publicly about what happened."

Sopel said he assumed "for years" the Blackhawks had contacted local authorities about the allegations. After learning that was not the case, Sopel said he feared the Blackhawks would retaliate against his charity if he went public with what he knew in 2010. The Brent Sopel Foundation raises funds for children with dyslexia, a condition the 44-year-old Canadian has. 

Sopel said players may also struggle to speak openly because of the culture around the sport beginning at the youth level.

"Other sports like baseball, basketball and football, most of those guys are going to university for at least a few years and growing up a bit more," Sopel said. "In hockey, we're moving away from home at 15 to play junior hockey, riding 25 hours on a bus. Our lives are only hockey. That's it. Everything revolves around the sport. Many guys aren't equipped to talk about anything else."

One of the players who says he was sexually assaulted by a former Chicago Blackhawks video coach will not cooperate with the investigation commissioned by the team.

An attorney for the former player, Susan Loggans, provided a statement to TSN's Rick Westhead:

The Blackhawks have been lying all along, denying in court documents that this sexual misconduct even took place, so why would we have any faith now in an investigation that has been paid for by the Blackhawks?

Also, there is no assurance from anyone, not at the Blackhawks and not at the NHL, that the results of the team’s investigation will be made public. Why would we bother to participate in an investigation that may ultimately be buried and hidden from public view?

Loggans went on to claim the Blackhawks' investigation is "just window dressing." 

She told Westhead she floated a proposal where the former player would conduct an interview with representatives from Jenner & Block LLP. In return, she would have the opportunity to speak with executives from the team. According to Westhead, the Blackhawks didn't grant the request.

In February 2014, Brad Aldrich was sentenced to nine months in jail after pleading guilty to fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct with a student between 16 and 18 years of age. He had most recently served as a volunteer at Houghton High School in Michigan after having worked for the Blackhawks.

The renewed scrutiny toward Aldrich began after a former player from Chicago's 2010 Stanley Cup-winning squad filed suit against the organization. The player said he and a teammate were sexually assaulted by Aldrich, and he took issue with how thoroughly he thought the organization vetted the claims.

Adam Rogowin, the team's vice president for communications, responded and said the Blackhawks took the allegations "very seriously" and that they "lack merit" based on what team officials discovered at the time.

The franchise was subject to a second lawsuit in May from a former high school hockey player in Michigan. The plaintiff's representatives said the Blackhawks displayed "utter indifference or conscious disregard for the safety of others" by not firing Aldrich and subsequently providing positive recommendations to prospective employers.

Westhead reported June 17 that high-ranking executives of the Blackhawks, including then-president John McDonough, vice president of hockey operations Al MacIsaac and general manager Stan Bowman staged a meeting in May 2010 with then-skills coach Paul Vincent.

During the conversation, Vincent alerted the officials about allegations made against Aldrich by two players.

"The players allegedly told Vincent that on separate occasions Aldrich had gotten them drunk in his apartment, watched pornography, and then tried to perform oral sex on them," Westhead wrote.

Although Vincent suggested the team report the allegations to Chicago police, the Blackhawks reportedly didn't take that step.

The Athletic's Mark Lazerus, Katie Strang and Scott Powers spoke with a different member of the 2009-10 team who said that "every single guy on the team knew" what had been leveled against Aldrich.

"That doesn't bother me, that they let him take pictures with the Cup," the player said. "What bothers me is they fired him, but they didn't take it to the cops. ... They let him get a job with a U-18 team. They let him go work with minors. They let this happen."

Blackhawks CEO Danny Wirtz wrote in a June memo the organization would hold an "independent review" into the matter.

Duncan Keith could be on his way to the Edmonton Oilers as the Chicago Blackhawks continue discussing possible trades for their longtime No. 1 defenseman.

According to The Athletic's Scott Powers and Daniel Nugent-Bowman, there's mutual interest between the Oilers and Hawks, and Keith wishes to be closer to his son in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley.

Per Nugent-Bowman:

The Oilers aren't willing to make the trade at all costs. They'd like Chicago to retain salary or to take a bad contract off their hands, the source said.

James Neal is the most obvious option. He has a $5.75 million cap hit for two more seasons, a dollar figure and term that almost matches Keith's. Neal is also the team's leading buyout candidate; the buyout period ends July 27 — a day before free agency begins.

Nugent-Bowman also suggested right winger Zack Kassian and goaltender Mikko Koskinen as potential trade chips for Edmonton. Keith is coming off a four-goal, 11-assist season over 54 games in which he averaged 23:25 of ice time per game.

The native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, has never played fewer than 50 games in a season, with the exception of the lockout-shortened campaign in 2012-13. He's one of seven players the Hawks rostered on each of their three Stanley Cup-winning teams in 2009-10, 2012-13 and 2014-15 (Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Brent Seabrook), and he won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2014-15 as well as the Norris Trophy in 2009-10 and 2013-14.

Per Powers:

Keith, who turns 38 later this month, isn't the Norris-caliber defenseman he was in the past and probably has been playing too much for the Blackhawks in recent years. That said, there are teams who can probably envision Keith still being effective in a lesser role and would like having his experience around. The question is whether a team would fully take on Keith's contract, which has a $5,538,462 cap hit for two more years.

"We weren't looking to move him, but it was initiated by Duncan," a source told Powers. "He'd like to be closer to his son. He's getting older, and Duncan didn't get to see him much last season. We understand that."

The Blackhawks have made the postseason just once since 2016-17 and haven't advanced past the first round since 2014-15. Edmonton, meanwhile, is close to contending for a Stanley Cup with Hart Trophy winners Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

Duncan Keith's 16-year stint with the Chicago Blackhawks may have reached its end. 

According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the Blackhawks are working with Keith to move him to a team in either Western Canada or the Pacific Northwest this offseason. Keith has family in the area, including a young son, he would like to be closer to. 

Keith, 37, has been one of the Hawks' most valuable players over the last decade, helping the team win three Stanley Cups in six years in addition to taking home the 2015 Conn Smythe Trophy. In 1,192 regular-season games with Chicago, the defenseman has tallied 105 goals and 520 assists and averaged 24:57 of ice time per night. 

Keith is one of seven players who had a role in Chicago's runs to the Stanley Cup in 2009-10, 2012-13 and 2014-15 along with Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa, Brent Seabrook and Niklas Hjalmarsson. 

Sharp was traded to the Dallas Stars after the 2014-15 season. Hjalmarsson was traded to the Arizona Coyotes after the 2016-17 season. Hossa was forced into retirement ahead of the 2017-18 season because of a progressive skin disorder. Seabrook—Keith's longtime defensive partner—was forced to retire in March after multiple injuries to his hips and shoulder. Toews missed all of the 2020-21 season with what he called "chronic immune response syndrome," and while he's training to return to the ice, it's unclear if he'll play again. 

Kane and Keith remain the only two players from the Hawks dynasty to contribute on a nightly basis. Keith continued to show his ability to play significant minutes last season, averaging 23:25 of ice time.

The No. 54 overall pick of the Blackhawks out of Michigan State in 2002, Keith has two years remaining on a 13-year, $72 million deal. He carries a salary-cap hit of $5.5 million each of the next two seasons. 

News of a potential trade comes as the Blackhawks confront increasing scrutiny over the handling of former video coach Bradley Aldrich in 2010. The franchise is facing two lawsuits stemming from alleged sexual abuse by Aldrich, including the alleged abuse of two Blackhawks players during the 2009-10 season and a high school player in Michigan in 2013. 

Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews addressed being diagnosed with chronic immune response syndrome, which left him unavailable for the 2020-21 NHL season.

The three-time Stanley Cup winner explained how he was experiencing prolonged recoveries and that his immune system "was reacting to everything that I did, any kind of stress, anything that I would do throughout the day."

Toews has since resumed training in Chicago and referenced his goal of getting back on the ice for live games.

The Blackhawks announced in December that Toews would be out indefinitely with an undisclosed medical issue. The 33-year-old said he had felt "drained and lethargic" at times during the offseason, which led him to seek out doctors for an explanation.

Neither he nor the team provided much beyond that after the initial announcement, so Toews' comments Wednesday provide the necessary context to eliminate any lingering rumors or speculation.

The good news is that Toews and his doctors appear to have figured how to manage the diagnosis to allow for him to play again.

In addition to being the team captain, Toews is eighth in franchise history in games played (943) and sixth in goals (345). Along with Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith, he's also one of the last players remaining from Chicago's run atop the NHL in the 2010s.

"He’s obviously a huge part of our team and we’ve missed him,” Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton said of Toews. “He does a lot of different things that add up to winning. First and foremost, it’s his competitiveness, and how badly he wants to win. He kills penalties, he plays power play, he plays against top players, he wins faceoffs. Obviously an important player."

The Blackhawks will undoubtedly benefit from the tangible things he brings to the table next season along with the advantages of his experience and leadership.