Blackhawks owner asks HOF to remove Aldrich's name from Stanley Cup
Chicago Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz wrote a letter to Hockey Hall of Fame chairman Lanny McDonald asking for Brad Aldrich's name to be X-ed out on the Stanley Cup, according to ESPN's Emily Kaplan.
An independent investigation revealed the team didn't promptly act after finding out that Aldrich, then a video coach with the Blackhawks, allegedly acted in a sexually inappropriate way toward a player during the club's 2010 playoff run. Kyle Beach, who says Aldrich sexually assaulted him, identified himself as the player earlier this week.
"Aldrich's involvement with the team during the 2010 season has cast a pall on the players' extraordinary work that year," Wirtz's letter reads. "The names of some of hockey's most talented athletes appear on the Stanley Cup. But so does the name 'Brad Aldrich,' whose role as video coach made him eligible for engraving. His conduct disqualified him, however, and it was a mistake to submit his name. We are sorry we allowed it to happen."
Wirtz added, "The Stanley Cup is an evolving piece of art. It always has been. Names have been engraved and then changed for years. Taking a stand on the unforgivable behavior of Aldrich should include erasing his name from the Cup."
McDonald spoke with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on Friday and both parties agree the Blackhawks' request is appropriate, according to Hockey Hall of Fame media director Kelly Masse. The two parties will have further dialogue.
Blackhawks executives were informed of Aldrich's alleged behavior in May 2010 while the club was in the Western Conference Final, according to the report from law firm Jenner & Block. The organization didn't act until reporting the complaint to human resources several days after the team won the Stanley Cup in June, and the team allowed Aldrich to resign without an investigation.
Jenner & Block's findings led Chicago general manager Stan Bowman to step down from that post and subsequently also his role as GM of the 2022 U.S. men's Olympic hockey team. Blackhawks senior vice president of hockey operations Al MacIsaac left the organization as well. Joel Quenneville, the Blackhawks' head coach from 2008-18, resigned from his post with the Florida Panthers on Thursday.