He went on to work with USA Hockey, the University of Notre Dame, Miami University in Ohio, and Houghton High School in Houghton, Mich. He was allowed to bring the Stanley Cup for a day in his hometown, his name was engraved on the trophy, he received a championship ring, and he attended a Stanley Cup banner-raising ceremony. Only later in June did the Blackhawks' director of human resources meet with Aldrich and offer him the chance to undergo an investigation into what happened with Beach or to resign.Īldrich resigned but received a severance and a playoff bonus and continued to be paid a salary for several months. Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images The 2010 Stanley Cup Championship banner is featured during a ceremony before the Chicago Blackhawks home opener in October 2010. It made me feel like he was in the right and I was wrong."Īccording to the investigators' report, Aldrich also made a sexual advance on a Blackhawks intern who was 22 years old during the team's events.
The team's leaders didn't make the allegations public or remove Aldrich from the team until well after the team won the Stanley Cup.Īldrich continued to assault others, the report findsĪfter the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup, the team allowed Aldrich to remain on the team and celebrate the win.īeach said witnessing his abuser celebrating with the team made him "feel like nothing. The front office met and decided to "avoid bad publicity" as the team approached the playoffs. Mental skills coach and team counselor Jim Gary shared Beach's allegations with other leaders of the Blackhawks including President John McDonough, Executive Vice President Jay Blunk, Assistant General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff and head coach Joel Quenneville. I felt alone and dark," he said of the days after his attack.īeach went on to report the assault to other members of the team.
Beach said Aldrich threatened his place on the team and sexually assaulted him that night. He invited Beach to his apartment during the second week of May, providing dinner and drinks.
The Blackhawks were in the midst of what would become a Stanley Cup run.Īldrich, who was 27 at the time, was the team's video coach. They can fill in for a regular team member if needed. In 2010, Beach, who was 20 years old, joined the Blackhawks as a "Black Ace," a player added to a team's roster during a playoff run after the player's minor-league season is over. The report broke down the circumstances and reaction to John Doe's assault. In late June 2021, the law firm Jenner & Block was hired by the Blackhawks to conduct an independent investigation into Beach's claims from his lawsuit. "It was no longer my word against everybody else's," he said.Īn independent investigation supports Beach's claims
After the 107-page report was published, the team ousted two top officials who were there at the time of Beach's assault: Blackhawks General Manager Stan Bowman and senior director of hockey operations Al MacIsaac.īeach, who is now a professional hockey player in Germany, said during the interview with TSN that he felt vindicated by the report. On Tuesday, an independent investigation confirmed Beach's claims. Upper management of the Blackhawks ignored his complaints until after the team won the Stanley Cup that season. According to his allegations, Beach had complained to team leaders back in 2010 that video coach Brad Aldrich sexually assaulted him. In a televised interview Wednesday night, Kyle Beach revealed himself as the previously anonymous John Doe who filed a lawsuit in May against the team. A former Chicago Blackhawks player came forward publicly as the man who filed a lawsuit against the hockey team over how the organization mishandled his sexual assault allegations.