NHL reveals what Quenneville, Bowman & MacIsaac did to get reinstated

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Josh Tupper
July 10, 2024 (9:25 PM)

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The National Hockey League has recently explained its decision to reinstate former Chicago Blackhawks staff members Joel Quenneville, Stan Bowman, and Al MacIsaac. As of today, July 10th, all three are eligible to be hired by any team in the league.

The NHL had previously punished Quenneville, Bowman, and MacIsaac in October 2021 for their inadequate response to the sexual assault allegations brought forward by Kyle Beach during the Blackhawks' 2010 Stanley Cup run.

"As of today, NHL teams are free to hire Stan Bowman, Al MacIsaac and Joel Quenneville. They were reinstated on July 1.

Those men were previously ineligible to work as punishment for their inadequate response to sexual assault allegations brought forth by Kyle Beach in Chicago," TSN's Chris Johnston said.

The NHL explained that although the responses from Quenneville, Bowman, and MacIsaac were unacceptable at the time, all three have used their time away from hockey to better themselves and show genuine remorse for what happened to Kyle Beach. They have participated in programs designed to teach how to respond to and address alleged acts of abuse.

"While it is clear that, at the time, their responses were unacceptable, each of these three individuals (Messrs. Bowman, Maclsaac and Quenneville) has acknowledged that and used his time away from the game to engage in activities which, not only demonstrate sincere remorse for what happened, but also evidence greater awareness of the responsibilities that all NHL personnel have, particularly personnel who are in positions of leadership. Moreover, each has made significant strides in personal improvement by participating in myriad programs, many of which focused on the imperative of responding in effective and meaningful ways to address alleged acts of abuse. The League expects that they will continue this commitment in any future capacity with the NHL and/or one of our Clubs," the NHL said.

Reinstating Quenneville, Bowman, and MacIsaac is a difficult decision for the NHL. Their failure to help a player within their organization while prioritizing a Stanley Cup victory was inexcusable. Many hope that the NHL consulted with Kyle Beach before deciding to reinstate these individuals.