NHL won't discipline Cheveldayoff for role in Blackhawks scandal
The NHL won't discipline Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff for his involvement in the Chicago Blackhawks' mishandling of an alleged sexual assault in 2010, the league announced Friday.
Cheveldayoff, an assistant GM with Chicago during the 2009-10 season, met with commissioner Gary Bettman on Friday. The league concluded that Cheveldayoff wasn't responsible for how the Blackhawks handled the complaint regarding former video coach Brad Aldrich.
"While on some level, it would be easiest to paint everyone with any association to this terrible matter with the same broad brush, I believe that fundamental fairness requires a more in-depth analysis of the role of each person," Bettman said.
"Kevin Cheveldayoff was not a member of the Blackhawks senior leadership team in 2010, and I cannot, therefore, assign to him responsibility for the club's actions, or inactions. He provided a full account of his degree of involvement in the matter, which was limited exclusively to his attendance at a single meeting, and I found him to be extremely forthcoming and credible in our discussion."
An independent investigation found Cheveldayoff was at a May 2010 meeting in which team executives were told Aldrich had behaved in a sexually inappropriate way toward a player, later revealed to be Kyle Beach.
Cheveldayoff released the following statement Friday:
First and most importantly, I want to express my support of and empathy for Kyle Beach and all he has had to endure since 2010. He was incredibly brave coming forward to tell his story. We can all use his courage as an inspiration to do a better job of making hockey a safer space for anyone who wants to play the game.
Further, I want to express my gratitude to the National Hockey League for the opportunity to meet with commissioner Gary Bettman, in person, and directly share my role in and recollection of events while I was assistant GM of the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010.
The investigation by law firm Jenner & Block determined that Blackhawks president John McDonough, general manager Stan Bowman, and head coach Joel Quenneville were present at the 2010 meeting. Bowman resigned Tuesday and Quenneville, who started coaching the Florida Panthers in 2019, resigned from that position Thursday.
The Blackhawks didn't report the allegations against Aldrich to human resources until after they had won the Stanley Cup in June 2010, per the investigation.
Cheveldayoff took over as Jets general manager in 2011.