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Blackhawks, Quenneville met about allegation

BY DAVID WILSON The Miami Herald

MIAMI • Joel Quenneville was part of a 2010 meeting to discuss sexual assault allegations against a former Chicago Blackhawks video coach, an NHL investigation found, and the Florida Panthers coach will now meet with Gary Bettman to discuss his involvement in the organization’s “mishandling of the 2010 matter.”

The findings of the investigation were published Tuesday and contradicted a statement Quenneville made in July.

“I first learned of these allegations through the media earlier this summer,” Quenneville, a former Colorado Avalanche coach, said in a statement. “I have contacted the Blackhawks organization to let them know I will support and participate in the independent review.”

The investigation, however, detailed a 2010 meeting of “senior club management” after an unnamed player alleged sexual assault by then-blackhawks video coach Brad Aldrich. According to report by Chicago released by the Chicago law firm Jenner & Block, the meeting included Quenneville and “after discussion of the alleged incident and how the Club should be dealing with it — including the potential options of initiating an investigation, notifying appropriate members of the Human Resources Department, ensuring the immediate separation of Aldrich from the Club’s players, among other things — ultimately the determination was made and direction given that Hockey Operations personnel should devote their exclusive attention to on-ice matters heading into the Stanley Cup

Final, and that other appropriate Club personnel within the organization would take responsibility for ‘handling’ the Aldrich situation.”

Aldrich resigned after the 2010 Stanley Cup Final rather than agreeing to an investigation and he continued to be around the team. Two lawsuits were filed against the Blackhawks in May by the unnamed former Blackhawk and a former high school hockey player. Aldrich was later convicted of fourth-degree sexual assault for an incident involving a high school student in Michigan.

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