Blackhawks discussed video coach's alleged sexual abuse in 2010
The Chicago Blackhawks' management group held a meeting during the 2009-10 Stanley Cup Playoffs to discuss players' accusations about video coach Bradley Aldrich sexually assaulting them.
Former Blackhawks associate coach John Torchetti confirmed the events to TSN's Rick Westhead on Friday, while adding the team chose not to take further action.
Torchetti - who was the club's second-highest-ranking coach from 2007-2010 - revealed the players informed then-skills coach Paul Vincent, who went to management to tell the executives what the players said Aldrich had done.
Vincent said two of Chicago's players told him Aldrich had abused them around the time of Game 1 of the Western Conference Final on May 16, 2010. One day after Vincent asked team sports psychologist James Gary to discuss the matter, the two men met with team president John McDonough, general manager Stan Bowman, and vice-president of hockey operations Al MacIssac. Vincent wanted them to take the allegations to the Chicago Police Department's sex crimes unit, but they declined.
In May, an unnamed former Blackhawks player sued the organization, claiming Aldrich sexually assaulted him and a teammate. The player said he mentioned it to a team-employed sports psychologist, who told him it had been his own fault.
In early June, a former high school hockey player in Michigan also sued the franchise, claiming Aldrich sexually assaulted him in 2013. The former high school player said the team gave Aldrich a positive job reference letter despite knowing Chicago players had accused the video coach of committing sexual assault, according to Westhead.
That former player added that the club's letter had allowed Aldrich to get the job at the high school where the former player said the video coach assaulted him.
On Friday, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The Athletic's Mark Lazerus, Katie Strang, and Scott Powers the league had talked to Chicago about the matter but was not investigating the team.
Aldrich is no longer in the Blackhawks organization.