The Chicago Blackhawks and Sexual Assault – A Symptom of a Larger Problem
Written by Mitchell MacDonald
Thumbnail Photo by NBC Sports
From the moment executives first heard of allegations of sexual assault committed by former video coach Brad Aldrich in the midst of the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Chicago Blackhawks mishandled the incident. The team would go on to win the Stanley Cup in June, but the cost of realizing this dream was far too great.
Photo by Martin Rose | Getty Images. Kyle Beach.
When confronted with the possibility of a lawsuit in late 2020 regarding the sexual assault that occurred a decade prior, the Blackhawks informed the National Hockey League (NHL) that the allegations levied against them for their role in covering up Aldrich’s assault against Kyle Beach (John Doe 1) were baseless. Beach’s story has been well-publicized following his interview with Rick Westhead of TSN this year. This discussion occurred in the aftermath of the Jenner and Block investigation, which clarified the role the team played in suppressing the reporting of the sexual assault that Beach experienced. Throughout the duration of the investigation, Beach remained a nameless figure. In the days following its release, he came forward to share his story.
Evidently, there was widespread condemnation of the Blackhawks willingness to cover up a sexual assaul. However, less discussed is the notion that the manner in which the team initially handled the situation was merely a symptom of a more significant problem in the sport – one which the organization actively nurtured.
The inaction of the Blackhawks allowed Aldrich to continue coaching in several settings. Upon the quiet conclusion of his employment with the NHL in the weeks following the Stanley Cup Final in 2010, Aldrich was still involved with the sport via USA Hockey, the University of Notre Dame, Miami University in Ohio, and Houghton High School in Houghton, Michigan. During his tenure at Houghton High School, Aldrich sexually assaulted a 16-year-old hockey player, a crime for which he was convicted in 2013. The Blackhawks bear a significant level of responsibility for enabling this assault to occur.
In an article for TSN, Westhead noted that a lawyer involved with Beach’s lawsuit against the Blackhawks stated, “Aldrich’s day with the Cup was tantamount to a letter of reference that helped him get other jobs in hockey.” Rather than strip him of the pomp, frills, and celebration that accompanies winning a Stanley Cup, the Blackhawks allowed him to be seen with the most prestigious and revered trophy in the sport. Henceforth, his services would have been considered very desirable to potential employers.
Coaches like Brad Aldrich can thrive in the hockey world due to the lack of accountability demanded of them. This much was made blatantly obvious when the Blackhawks promptly swept Kyle Beach’s encounter with Aldrich under the rug. The issue is further compounded when one considers how executives of the team had been previously made aware of his conduct in May of 2010, yet Aldrich received a glowing performance review in June following the conclusion of the playoffs.
Photo by NBC Sports. Brad Aldrich’s name was struck from the Stanley Cup.
Aldrich, and other coaches like him, are too often left to their own devices, allowing them to establish an unhealthy and predatory power dynamic with players. Manifestations of this include a striking note made in the Jenner and Block investigation, wherein they state “…Aldrich threatened John Doe by telling John Doe he needed to act like he enjoyed the sexual encounter or John Doe would never play in the NHL “or walk” again…” Threatening the career of a player helps to foster an environment that prevents them from speaking out about their experiences.
Hockey is riddled with individuals akin to Brad Aldrich. Robert Dawson, who coached in the Assiniboine Park Hockey Association in Manitoba, faces a litany of charges that include sexual assault and the printing and possession of child pornography. Bernard Lynch coached junior hockey in Saskatchewan over three different decades and “was the subject of a warrant on charges of sexual assault and assault” in the spring of 2021. The story of Sheldon Kennedy also demonstrates that the rampancy of sexual assault in hockey is neither new nor surprising – his former junior hockey coach Graham James “sexually assaulted him more than 350 times between 1984 and 1990.”
On December 15, 2021, Kyle Beach and the Blackhawks settled his lawsuit. Yet, justice for the abuse suffered by Beach was not delivered swiftly, and financial compensation is incapable of alleviating the anguish and pain that he experienced due to their negligence. At the time of writing, John Doe 2 (another victim of Brad Aldrich’s predatory behaviours), has not yet seen resolution or closure in his own lawsuit against the Blackhawks.
The actions of Aldrich and the ensuing response (or lack thereof) of the Blackhawks were both shameful and appalling. Hockey culture is in dire need of a jolt – it is of the utmost importance to stop enabling the actions of abusers and to blacklist them from the game, including the various roles they hold within it. Yet, when presented with the opportunity to spur meaningful, positive change, the Blackhawks stood pat. Instead, the organization stood by an abuser and granted him the opportunity to continue to act on his darkest desires.
Blood, sweat, and tears – these are three things that are often associated with winning and success in hockey. But the Blackhawks held little regard for the tears shed by Kyle Beach, because in the eyes of the organization, they would have been for the wrong reasons. The entire mentality of team executives throughout the 2010 playoffs was predicated on one idea: winning above all else, and at any cost. Young men have been victimized and taken advantage of for decades in hockey-related settings, and the insight gained from the investigation into the Chicago Blackhawks solidifies this notion. At every turn, the team stuck with the status quo – a culture of silence and fear.