generic Jonathan Toews says his comments about Chicago Blackhawks management ‘took attention away’ from Kyle Beach
“Undeniable” was one reaction Jonathan Toews had after watching former Chicago Blackhawks prospect Kyle Beach give an emotional TV interview about allegedly being sexually assaulted by former video coach Brad Aldrich in 2010.
“It’s undeniable, a lot of emotions,” Toews said. “Definitely my heart goes out to Kyle and what he went through and how tough it must’ve been to be silent for so long where no one’s hearing you or understanding what you went through.”
Toews said he detracted from Beach’s revelations when the Hawks captain defended Stan Bowman, former president of hockey operations and general manager, and Al MacIsaac, the former senior vice president of hockey operations, who resigned Oct. 26 after an independent investigation by Chicago-based law firm Jenner & Block determined they played significant roles in concealing Beach’s complaint at the time.
Toews said he hasn’t been in contact with former coach Joel Quenneville, who resigned as Florida Panthers coach last week after he also was implicated in the report.
“I realize my comments about the whole situation kind of took attention away from Kyle and his situation and what he actually went through,” Toews said, “and toward those relationships that I mentioned, whether it’s Stan, Al or Joel. Obviously I have a long history with Joel, but that’s not really the point here.”
A day after Bowman and MacIsaac left the organization under pressure, Toews lamented their exits.
“Regardless of mistakes that may have been made,” Toews said Oct. 27, “for someone like Stan, who has done so much for the Blackhawks — and Al as well — to lose everything they care about and their livelihoods as well. ... I don’t understand how that makes it go away, to just delete them from existence and (say), ‘That’s it, we’ll never hear from them again.’”
Bowman, MacIsaac and Quenneville helped lead the Blackhawks to three Stanley Cup championships within a six-year span, beginning with the 2010 title the Hawks clinched more than two weeks after Beach’s allegation was discussed in a meeting among senior managers.
That meeting, which also included former team President John McDonough, resulted in “no action” being taken until after the Stanley Cup Final, according to the report.
Toews said he had no knowledge of Beach’s encounter with Aldrich until the following season’s training camp and denied Beach’s account that he was bullied by teammates and subjected to homophobic slurs, at least where the Hawks were concerned.
As a prospect who never played in an NHL game, Beach would’ve spent the majority of his time with the Rockford IceHogs, the Hawks’ minor-league affiliate.
However, after watching Beach’s interview with Canadian outlet TSN — and perhaps receiving some public backlash — Toews turned his focus Wednesday to getting a better understanding of Beach, whose attorney began settlement negotiations with the Hawks on Tuesday.
“I can’t change the past, I can’t undo what happened,” Toews said. “Just like to know more and more what Kyle feels and what he wants and what he envisions for the future for maybe someone like me in my position, what we can do to make a difference.”
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