NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 29, 2021
Joel Quenneville resigns as Panthers head coach while Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has a meeting today with league commissioner Gary Bettman as fallout from the Blackhawks scandal continues. Details plus game recaps and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.
QUENNEVILLE RESIGNS AS PANTHERS COACH, CHEVELDAYOFF HAS A MEETING TODAY WITH BETTMAN
FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: Joel Quenneville resigned yesterday as head coach of the Florida Panthers in the wake of the Chicago Blackhawks sexual assault scandal. His resignation came following a meeting yesterday with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. Assistant coach Andrew Brunette takes over as the interim head coach.
Former Florida Panthers coach Joel Quenneville (NHL Images).
This move is a result of an independent investigation into sexual assault allegations made by former Blackhawk Kyle Beach against the club’s former video coach Bradley Aldrich during the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs. Quenneville told investigators he first heard of the allegations through the media but it was determined he was part of the meeting of front office executives to discuss the matter.
The Panthers released a statement that the conduct described in the report on the investigation was “troubling and inexcusable”, adding it stood in direct contrast to their values as an organization and what the club stood for.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: But not so much to keep Quenneville from being behind the Panthers’ bench against the Boston Bruins on Wednesday, just one day after the report’s findings were released. It’s puzzling why they didn’t at least do that until Quenneville had his meeting with Bettman. It was a bad look for the Panthers.
According to the report’s findings, Quenneville recommended the Blackhawks wait to take action against Aldrich until after the playoffs so as to avoid any unnecessary distractions for their players as they pursued the Stanley Cup.
Quenneville was once a highly-respected NHL head coach with three Stanley Cups and a Jack Adams Award on his resume. He’s second all-time in wins (969) among the league’s bench bosses. All of that is meaningless now. I doubt he’ll ever coach another game in the NHL again.
TSN: Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff will meet with Bettman in NHL headquarters today. The meeting was moved up from Monday. Cheveldayoff was the Blackhawks assistant GM and took part in that fateful meeting about Beach’s allegations against Aldrich.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: There are numerous calls on social media for Cheveldayoff’s firing but a recent report indicated he had the support of Jets ownership. Where he stands following his meeting today with Bettman remains to be seen.
Kyle Beach released a statement on Twitter yesterday expressing gratitude for “the outpouring of endless love and support” he’s received since stepping forward to identify himself as the player allegedly sexually assaulted by Aldrich. He expressed the hope his story would bring about change “to promote safety, as well as the health and well-being of society as a whole.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: I cannot even imagine what Beach endured as a sexual assault survivor over the past decade. I hope his story brings about the change he seeks and the peace he deserves.
The league is reportedly going to implement “enhanced training measures” specific to dealing with sexual abuse and allegations of abuse. A third party will be employed to handle this with league oversight. Any report or hint of sexual abuse or assault will be immediately reported to the commissioner’s office.
Aldrich still has his name on the Stanley Cup. TSN reports it’s up to the Blackhawks to file a petition to the league to have his name removed. So far, that has not yet taken place.
THE SCORE: Boston Bruins winger Taylor Hall called for a change in hockey culture. “This is a game that’s, I guess, what you would call an old boys’ club, and there’s definitely some secrecy and things that need to change. Hopefully, they can.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Amen to that, Taylor. Here’s hoping that change happens soon.
GAME RECAPS
NHL.COM: The Carolina Hurricanes set a franchise record for their longest season-opening win streak by blanking the Boston Bruins 3-0. The Hurricanes have won six in a row as Frederik Andersen turned in a 33-save shutout. Tony DeAngelo, Nino Niederreiter and Andrei Svechnikov were the goal scorers.
Cale Makar had a goal and an assist to collect his 100th career point in the Colorado Avalanche’s 4-3 victory over the St. Louis Blues. He’s reached that mark in the sixth-fewest games (108) by NHL defensemen. J.T. Compher scored twice for the Avalanche. Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington received a 10-minute misconduct for swinging his stick at Avs center Nazem Kadri.
The Calgary Flames completed the sweep of their five-game road trip by downing the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-0. Jacob Markstrom kicked out 45 shots for the shutout while Johnny Gaudreau tallied his first goal of the season.
Jake Allen also had a 45-save shutout in the Montreal Canadiens’ 4-0 win over the San Jose Sharks. Josh Anderson had a goal and an assist for the Habs as they picked up their first win in San Jose since 1999.
Tampa Bay Lightning winger Alex Killorn netted two goals in his club’s 5-1 victory over the Arizona Coyotes. It was the Lightning’s first home win of the season. Steven Stamkos had a goal and an assist.
The Buffalo Sabres blew a 3-0 lead but an overtime goal by Rasmus Asplund gave them a 4-3 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. The Sabres’ record stands at 5-1-1 while the Ducks are winless (0-3-2) in their last five. Ducks center Adam Henrique picked up his 200th career goal.
Winnipeg Jets center Pierre-Luc Dubois scored two goals to beat the Los Angeles Kings 3-2. Kyle Connor assisted on all three Jets goals. The Kings have dropped six in a row.
Sean Couturier and Claude Giroux each collected two points as the Philadelphia Flyers nipped the Vancouver Canucks 2-1. Martin Jones got the win with 27 saves. Quinn Hughes replied for the Canucks.
The Seattle Kraken got two goals by Haydn Fleury to defeat the Minnesota Wild 4-1. Philipp Grubauer turned aside 30 shots for the win. The expansion Kraken has won two straight on home ice. The Wild played without Mats Zuccarello and Rem Pitlick as both entered COVID protocol yesterday.
IN OTHER NEWS…
NBC SPORTS WASHINGTON: Capitals winger T.J. Oshie is listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury.
NEW YORK POST: Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov said he’s fully recovered from his undisclosed injury and is ready to return to action. He missed all of training camp and the Isles’ regular-season games to date.
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: Blue Jackets forward Max Domi has recovered faster than anticipated from a fractured rib. The club took him off injured reserve yesterday and he could be in the lineup tonight against the New York Rangers.
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL: The Golden Knights signed defenseman Zach Whitecloud to a six-year contract extension with an annual average value of $2.75 million.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: That could turn into quite the bargain for the Golden Knights if he should turn into a top-four shutdown defenseman.
YARDBARKER: The Golden Knights also signed blueliner Ben Hutton to a one-year, $750K contract.
The bruins looked overwhelmed ……no second line centre goaltending sucks. Swayman needs sometime in the minors Ullmark strictly a second stringer. Just mail in the season stick a fork in em they’re done. Turned it off after third goal. Fire Sweeney and take Lurch with you.
You cant blame goalie for odd deflections. Yes after an empty netter with less than a minute left I see why yuo would .
Rick, aren’t you the same guy who has been saying that Swayman should be the starter for the last 6 months?
Let you in on a secret – The B’s aren’t a serious cup contender. The goal is to get in the playoffs, and if playing well and healthy at the TDL, add. Hope to catch fire and give it a go.
Long shot, but better than no shot.
Ah, don’t waste your time on them, Ray. They’re clearly fair weather fans, if not trolls. A few of the Bruins posters on here get it, but those two are not part of that demograph.
I don’t believe they even watch the games, and if by some slim chance they do, they certainly don’t understand what they’re viewing.
And trading for Eichel will guarantee the B’s will win the division and sweep through to the Cup.
(HAHAHAHA)
Lol. Put a mask on, Paul.
Bruins made a huge mistake going bargain basement buying this offseason, on what they spent they could’ve brought in a couple of players who would make a difference in the scoring dept not depth player it’s why you have a minor league system use those players as depth …Brad,Pasta,Hall don’t get goals this team is in trouble because there’s no secondary scoring & the D just isn’t good enough …. They should’ve traded Frederic when his stock was higher and DeBrusk just isn’t that good ….. BTW BM … team might be tired and you played 6 games this season …Come On Man
can the Bruins bury ullmark in providence to save 5million and give Rask some cash?
They have to do something and quick Swayman’s gotten ordinary very quickly. Ullmark is not a starter. At the very least get ahold of a good second line centre.
They wouldn’t save $5.5m. Up to about $1.2m. can be buried. The rest stays on the cap hit.
Good riddance to Quenneville, Chevy is next … we can’t deal with the distraction of homosexual rape on our quest for the Stanley Cup … pathetic
JQ gone….. Chevy next??
Dominoes falling
Re some of the posts yesterday citing the difference in Beach’s and Aldrich’s size ….. it made me cringe that this was brought up…. Aldrich had the power of authority and threatened career repercussions . Beach has gone through hell and back and his stature is challenged as a rational for him not being able to defend himself?????…. are you fuddle duddle kidding me? For those taking this position (that it was Beach’s fault that he didn’t use his size to ward Aldrich off) … if you respond here to my post on this , I won’t respond back…. No response is worthy or warranted
Re League implementing enhanced training measures👍👍👍👍👍 … overdue but glad it is happening
Pens…. The offensive bubble has burst….. it was coming anyway (5 of top 6 players out)…. Marino is starting to struggle a bit; hope it’s short lived. Rodrigues has been Consistently very good , so that is a big plus. Lafferty needs to go to WBS, plain and simple. Don’t play Sid tomorrow vs Devils…. Next game after is Flyers and a week away (next Thursday)…. Gives him that much more time to fully heal, come back with wrist at full strength and zero pain
Habs…. Much much better… Allen 45 of 45 👍👍👍👍👍 .
Panthers streak and coaching…. I think they should win tonight regardless of media attention (streak and JQ stepping down)…. Playing Wings
But then coming up to a string of tougher games….@ Bruins, vs Caps, vs Canes , @ Rangers…. Let’s see how their core responds…. If they win tonight and get 4 of 8 points vs Bruins, Caps , Canes, Rangers …. With all this going on …. That would be 20 of a possible 24 points…. That would HAVE to put them as #1 on cup favs (at that point in time)…. Will be interesting to see
Whitecloud …. 6 @ $2.75 M…. This contract will be absolutely excellent for Knights in a couple of years… I’m a big Whitecloud fan… good on ya ZW… undrafted and on the rise 👍👍👍👍
I’m interested to see what comes of this meeting with Chevvy as it has been quiet on that front.
He was the Jr guy in the meeting. Did he say anything? Was he over ruled? Ignored? Or did he just go along?
One thing we know about Bettman is he will be prepared and know the answers to most of the questions he will be asking before Chevvy gives them. He has more details than what was in the report I would think.
Seems like a dead man walking to me, but let’s wait and see what happens.
Hi Ray
Looks like nada
Per TSN….
NHL said…
“”As the Jenner & Block Report, subsequent review by the League this week, and today’s interview with Cheveldayoff make clear, Cheveldayoff’s participation at the May 23, 2010, meeting involving senior leaders from the Blackhawks’ management team was extremely limited in scope and substance,”
Kind of seemed that way early Pengy, but then with Bettman meeting with him, I thought he might be next.
Happy it wasn’t involved in any decisions or the process. He is a good GM hockey wise.
I will respond to you, Pengy, on Beach’s size. You’re absolutely 100% correct.
Chevy is gone. Just a matter of when.
Strange how over the years, some pretty good Habs teams have gone into San Jose and lost badly. Yet, now that they’re playing as poorly as they have in quite a while, they pick up a convincing win in a rink that has been a graveyard for them. Hopefully this will give the team momentum to pick up their game.
it just may
I hate to disagree with you but I do. The offensive bubble has popped? They put up 45 shots and had a number of very good shots at that. Markstrom was the difference, he played way above his norm. Marino, all things considered, has been really good. A former 7th round pick now playing 25 minutes a game and trying to adapt to all that new responsibility as well as running the 1PP. Rodriguez is not a centre and I don’t know if he’s in the lineup if the whole team is healthy. I think the lines would look something like
Guentzel Crosby Rust
Zucker Malkin Kap
O’Connor Carter Heinen
ZAR Blueger McGinn
That leaves Rodriguez, Boyle, Simon, and Lafferty on the outside. Good thing for those guys this team never gets healthy.
The pens won’t do Didly this year
Hi Dee
All good with the disagreeing…. that is what this forum is all about
You are bang on in that I didn’t give enough credit (where credit is certainly due) to Markstrom
He had some absolutely spectacular saves; two absolutely great ones on Rodrigues alone.
There were a good load of the 45 though that were from unblocked viewing and Markstrom just in position to save.
That does not take away from his overall night
Perhaps bubble bursting was a little melodramatic/ over-hyped/mis-guided/mis-stated.
I am very pleased with what Pens have accomplished having 5 of their top 6 players out.
Rodrigues as a permanent Centre on the team for sure does not beat out Sid, Gino, Carter and of course Teddy B is well suited as 4C with his defensive/grit abilities.
That said… not only do I disagree with you on Rodrigues being out of the line-up; I think he has rightfully earned a top 9 spot and can easily fit in wing top 6 whenever needed.
He has been P&V for all games; fully energized. He’s 3-2-5 in 7GP and I have like all that he is giving this year. He has earned his spot on the team
Laffy is just not NHL material right now. He needs to be in WBS… permanently
I have to be fair to a player that I have dumped on many times. So far, Ruhweedel has not been the costly player he was in the past. He’ll never be a big producer or shot blocker or heavy hitter; but so far this season (fingers, eyes, toes crossed) he has upped his D game
Kappy has been off to a slow start but I think he will likely play much better on Gino’s wing (eventually) or Sid’s (if they put him up) and on Carter’s (with Sid back and before Gino returns)
I’ve been more impressed with Heinen than McGinn so far… time will tell
Pettersson has stepped it up big time— very pleased there
Boyle is fitting right in but with all C’s back I don’t see him as a fit on 4th line wing
O’Connor has stepped it up; hope this keeps on
Re Marino and your assertion ” Marino, all things considered, has been really good”… do I think he has it in him… yes. He has had 3 very good games; 2 fairly good ones; but awful IMHO the last two. Hence my assertion that I hope he gets better. 7 games is not really enough to go on. He has changed D partners and it takes an adjustment period.
Matheson fits in; I’m neither ecstatic or despondent at what he has brought
Miss Ceci tho
I love the Petterssson/Marino pairing when it happens.
Dumo has had some rough games; he’s shaken off slumps before; no long term concerns.
Carter doing great and will continue to upon return I believe
Rusty— no issues
Gentzel will see a surge once Sid is back
ZAR, ups and downs, more ups than downs so good to go
I think that leaves Zucker…. and my continued dissapointment in him has not changed.
He has the ability , can score, has some good shots; but he often flubs passes (giving and taking) and is out of position often. Ability and energy is their but when Malkin comes back , Zucker MUST be kept on the bench when Gino is on the ice. He just destroys Malkin’s game.
Overall, a lot better than I expected with 5 of top 6 out
I still say have Sid miss tomorrow; wait until next Thursday
Cheers
I wouldn’t give an automatic “W” to the Panthers tonight. Detroit has been playing well enough to beat anyone not bringing their A game to the rink, as they did in Washington on Wednesday.
Hi Iago
Certainly not guaranteed, you are absolutely correct…. but IMVHO , strong chance that Panthers come out with 2 points.
That’s your typical “Rome has spoken, the case has ended” attitude, Pengy. It hasn’t worked here, and it won’t work in court. You must expect Aldrich’s legal representatives to just concede that whatever Beach says is true, and that he should be handed an appropriate financial reward. I don’t. I think they will do their best to show that the sex was consensual, not necessarily because they believe that, but because it’s their job to defend their client even if he is an ogre.
If you would put your blinding self-righteousness aside for a moment, you might see that Blackhawks players who were there aren’t nearly as anxious to condemn or applaud as you are from your keyboard.
They should be just as condemning. That is the real problem.
I think if Chevvy requested his meeting be moved up, he knows what’s coming.
Frederik Andersen is a glaring example of just how important a sound 6-man D can be in front of a good goaltender. In these pages – not to mention elements of the media – he was often singled out as “the reason” the Leafs could not manage a single playoff round win in his time there, including this past season when his overall record was a 2.96gaa and a 0.895 save %. So far, with a strong defensive system in front of him through 6gp, he has a sparkling 1.33gaa and a save % of 0.956, including a SO.
Seasonal lamp-lighting may excite the adoring paint-your-face-in-team colours, jersey-wearing throngs, but an effective back end is what you need to win when it counts.
Ya George, very true.
Good for Freddie, played hurt for a long stretch because the team needed him to. His reward was getting destroyed by many in the fan base. Including on here.
Grubauer will miss the Avs.
Yes a few games in and Freddy is the same October Freddy Leafs fans have come to know…unlike some people who pretend to know. He’s always been a good goalie, the question is and always have been, since memories are quite short here, can he and will he keep it up all season long and when it matters most, in the post season. For 5 years that has been a no with his time with both the ducks and leafs but maybe the third time is the charm.
No, Ron. Simply put – although of course being an apologist for all their management gaffes you’ll never admit it – the Leafs D is now, and has been for several seasons, decidedly below average in ALL aspects of the position. And as long as they’re paying 4 players over 50% of the cap, they will never be able to acquire – or develop – top of the line. And if they do, they will simply be unable to retain them once they reach free agency – like Rielly coming up.
Bottom line – neither the Ducks nor the Leafs have had a collective D and a defensive system involving back-checking Fs as good as Carolina is right now. Yes, Andersen has always been a very good goalie. He was just an easy convenient target for elements of the fan base and local media looking for excuses for the actions of piss-poor management.
Enjoy the multiple goals and points racked up here and there by Matthews and Marner and Tavares during a long, long season because that will come to an abrupt end just as soon as the playoffs start. It isn’t a question of claiming to “know” – it’s been that way for several seasons now – what do you know that says it will suddenly change?
And Anaheim Ron ? He was 17-9 in the playoffs for the ducks early in his career. 11 wins including the wildcard round win and 1st round win before losing in game 7 in round 2 in 14/15.
Exactly Craig – which is the main reason the Leafs went out and acquired him for 2 high draft picks. Unfortunately they didn’t focus the same attention on solidifying the D and so, as good as he was, he wasn’t Houdini.
According to some thought processes in Leafs Nation, he was supposed to come in and personally make up for the deficiencies existing on the back end. Doesn’t work that way.
Toews, who was activated from COVID protocol about a half-hour before the game after entering protocols on Monday, defended the now-former general manager Stan Bowman and executive Al MacIsaac.
“To me, Stan and Al, make any argument you want, they’re not directly complicit in the activities that happened,” said Toews “It’s not up to me to comment on whether they’d like to deal with it differently or not. I just know them as people and I’ve had a relationship and friendship with them for a long time as part of the Blackhawks family.”
The Blackhawks captain went on to emphasize his regards for the former executives, calling them “good people” saying that he still holds a degree of respect for both Bowman and MacIsaac.
“People like Al and Stan have made coming to the Blackhawks, with players around the league coming to play for this team, as one of the special places to play hockey,” he said. “To me, I have a ton of respect for them as people. How the situation went down, what the timeline was, what they knew, I can’t really comment on that. It’s obviously a tough day.”
“Regardless of the mistakes that may have been made, someone like Stan, who has done so much for the Blackhawks — and Al as well — to lose everything they care about and their livelihoods … I don’t understand how that makes it go away … I have a lot of respect for them as people. They’re good people. When it comes down to how they feel looking back on the situation, that’s not up to me to comment on.”
The investigation determined that both Bowman and MacIsaac had knowledge of the May 8 or 9 encounter between Beach and Aldrich after taking part in a May 23, 2010, meeting hours after the Blackhawks had advanced to the Stanley Cup Final. Then-team president John McDonough did not report the allegations to human resources for three weeks — after the team won the Stanley Cup.
Above is copied from an article by Dani Mohr of the sporting news.
I read only the “low lights” of the report into the Hawks handling of Beach’s complaint.
But IMO the critical mistake was the Director of Human Resources for the Hawks granting Aldrich the right to hoist the Cup, in the same meeting Aldrich was told he was being terminated.
What the Hawks should have done is interviewed Beach right away, as the first step of a confidential investigation. Then they should have either sent Aldrich home on paid leave with instructions to not talk to anyone, or interview him to see if there was a prima face case. Requirements for confidentiality during such processes are common and help protect the integrity of the investigation process.
Either way, sending Aldrich home on paid leave and away from the club protects Beach and allows the Hawks to focus on their Cup run. Anyone in the Hawks’ organization who did know about the allegations doesn’t get more distracting information. Anyone who doesn’t know is none the wiser.
Allowing Aldrich to raise the Cup told Beach and anyone who knew about the allegations that Beach’s complaint was either unfounded, or that the matter had been dealt with by the organization.
IMO, hard to overstate the magnitude of that blunder.
Another key question is: did the Director of HR make that decision alone, or were they given permission by a senior executive?
I am going to re iterate my comments from yesterday once again. Everyone is going off on all levels of hockey, from team management to coaches to NHLPA to players etc, etc. Why is the player agent ,who is paid by the player not implicated in all of this. Young players rely on agents to guide them through their careers and look after their best interests. I would like to know if the agent was involved in all of this, it would seem to me Kyle would have most likely contacted him in his time of need and look for guidance. I also find it extremely hard to believe that the Wirtz family had no knowledge of the situation, it seemed everyone else knew. As for Kevin Cheveldayoff, he was an assistant GM, from what we are told in charge of managing the salary cap. With many superiors in the meeting, and McDonough saying he will handle the situation, it isnt a common practice in any organization to over step the chain of command whether it is hockey or any other business. You rely on your superiors for guidance and direction, you dont go around them and freelance.
Whistle blowers have been around for ever, and they ought to be protected for doing such.
Excellent question about the agent. I’m assuming we haven’t heard from him, or at this point even know who he was.
I’m sure the paycheck % was deposited correctly, though.
Very good points.
TLock: I have done a quick scan of the internet and found no references to Beach’s agent.
I don’t recall reading a comment from Beach re his agent as part of his complaints. If there are none that to me says Beach was satisfied with the representation of his agent.
Why wouldn’t the agent go to other avenues to expose this situation. If he didn’t he is just as guilty as everyone else. He didn’t look after the interests of his client. And I question the parents as well. Who lets this happen to their child without dealing with one way or another
This just in Tlock: it seems Beach had his agent working for him on this:
https://www.tsn.ca/fehr-nhlpa-doctor-failed-to-warn-usa-hockey-about-aldrich-despite-promises-beach-says-1.1713434
That’s more like it Avalanche. Showed up last night in an important matchup against the Blues. Blues can’t get over Kadri’s hit on Faulk. Binnington is a punk and Schenn too. Kadri whistled one by Binnington, that was great. Faulk stuck up for himself, enough said but the Blues were obsessed about it and the Avalanche took it to them. More effort like that from everyone on the Avalanche going forward. GO AVS!!!!!!!
Curious of why all the posters on here give Johnathan Toews a free ride with his comments.
No free ride from me, Caper. Anyone who was in a leadership position, and was privy to this information, should have to pay the piper. Chevy included. (Yet he gets off free of punishment). The Management group and players wearing a letter need to be held accountable.
The whole situation reeks.
It’s enough to turn me from this League. I am a hockey fan, but I can’t be bothered to support the NHL any longer. All of this hits pretty close to home, and I find myself wondering why nothing has changed, let alone improved.
Ah, yes. Money, and to save face. That’s the magic combination.
While this won’t make you feel any better SOP, it occurs in all facet of life.
Remember the VW diesel fuel mileage fiasco? Cost VW billions of dollars once they got caught, plus an avalanche of lawsuits from multiple countries and individuals — far far more expensive than if they had done the right thing at the beginning.
Just one of many examples from elsewhere.
Some folks have got on Toews and the players Caper.
I didn’t pay much attention to any other than Keith because he is local.
Some say they heard about it the following season – Toews. Keith said not until way later.
I don’t know what they knew and what they didn’t so I won’t speculate. Try my best not to on sensitive matters.
The people who made the decision not to remove Aldrich immediately and start an investigation deserve to get fired. They did.
Not sure what you do to players who knew and didn’t support Beach? What would you suggest?
I sure as heck don’t.
No free ride from me either.
I almost wish I was a Blackhawks fan just so I could burn my Jersey.
With the the they’re playing we can probably expect a series of bonfires in Chicago.