Marc Bergevin Says He Wasn't Aware of Brad Aldrich Allegations While with Blackhawks

Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin said Sunday he was "not aware" of sexual assault allegations brought against Chicago Blackhawks video coach Brad Aldrich by two players during the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs, when Bergevin was the Hawks' director of player personnel.

Bergevin was asked about the situation as his Habs prepare to play in the 2021 Stanley Cup Final against the reigning champion Tampa Bay Lightning beginning Monday night.

"It came out recently, there was a meeting that I heard that was done in Chicago, I was not part of any meeting, and I was not part of any decision based on that," Bergevin told reporters. "And I was not aware of anything going on at the time. So you can go on the record with that."

In April, one of the two players who allege Aldrich sexually assaulted them filed a lawsuit against the NHL team seeking $150,000 in damages. The court filing stated Aldrich "threatened to injure [him] ... physically, financially and emotionally if the plaintiff did not engage in sexual activity."

TSN's Rick Westhead reported June 17 there was a meeting between several members of the Blackhawks front office and coaching staff in May 2010 after multiple players on the roster alerted skills coach Paul Vincent of the allegations against Aldrich.

That meeting featured Vincent, team president John McDonough, vice president of hockey operations Al MacIsaac, general manager Stan Bowman and team sports psychologist James Gary, per Westhead. Bergevin was not named in the report among those in attendance.

Vincent suggested the organization should report the incidents to Chicago police, but his suggestion was rejected, and the team allowed Aldrich to remain on the coaching staff for the remainder of the playoffs as the Hawks went on to win that year's Stanley Cup title, according to the TSN report.

An unnamed player from the 2009-10 Blackhawks roster said the situation was not a secret.

"Every guy on the team knew about it," the player told Mark Lazerus, Katie Strang and Scott Powers of The Athletic on Friday. "Every single guy on the team knew."

Aldrich left the organization after the 2010 Stanley Cup run ended. He later spent time as a coach at Houghton High School in Michigan and at Miami University in Ohio.

In 2014, he was sentenced to nine months in jail and five years of probation after he pleaded guilty to fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct with a student between 16 and 18. He also had to register as a sex offender in the state of Michigan.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The Athletic there wasn't an active investigation into the situation within the league as of Friday.

"We have been in contact with the Club regarding the matter but there is no ongoing investigation. We do not have any further comment at this time," he said.

Bergevin, a 55-year-old former NHL defenseman, left the Blackhawks in May 2012 to become general manager of the Canadiens.