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NHLPA Announces Findings from Blackhawks Probe After Kyle Beach Allegations
April 15, 2022
The NHL Players' Association on Friday announced the findings from an independent report into the Chicago Blackhawks' handling of the Kyle Beach investigation conducted by law firm Cozen O'Connor.
The investigation determined it could not "identify any individual wrongdoing or institutional failures of policy or procedure" by NHLPA executive director Don Fehr, NHLPA personnel or the SABH program "concerning the handling of Beach's reports."
The findings come after Fehr recommended the NHLPA hire an outside law firm to conduct an investigation into how it handled sexual assault allegations made by Beach against former Blackhawks video coach Brad Aldrich.
Beach said in October 2021 he was sexually assaulted by Aldrich during the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs in an interview with TSN's Rick Westhead. He was listed as "John Doe" in the initial civil law suit against the team.
The Blackhawks then hired law firm Jenner & Block to investigate the allegations, and the organization was fined $2 million by the NHL after it concluded Chicago senior executives, including general manager Stan Bowman and senior vice president of hockey operations Al MacIsaac, were aware of the allegations but didn't do anything to address them until after the team's Stanley Cup run. Bowman and MacIsaac both resigned from the franchise.
The Jenner & Block investigation also stated Fehr was notified twice about the allegations against Aldrich. He told investigators he couldn't remember either conversation related to the Blackhawks video coach, though he didn't deny they occurred.
During his interview with Westhead, Beach said he had "reported every single detail to an individual at the NHLPA" and questioned how Fehr could continue to serve as the NHLPA's executive director.
Based on the findings of the Cozen O'Connor investigation, it appears Fehr will remain in his position with the union.