Brad Aldrich’s name crossed out at Stanley Cup over allegations of sexual assault by former player

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The name of a former Chicago Blackhawks video coach was struck from the Stanley Cup after a former minor league affiliate publicly accused him of sexual assault, the Hockey Hall of Fame confirmed Thursday . The decision to strike Brad Aldrich, who denies the allegations, comes after the results of an independent investigation into his alleged conduct were made public in October.

A spokesperson for the Hockey Hall of Fame confirmed the decision and shared a photo of the Cup with X’s engraved on every letter of its name. The spokesperson said only one other name was struck from the cup: when the Oilers’ Peter Pocklington added the name of his father, who was not on the squad.

The move was made at the behest of Blackhawks president Rocky Wirtz, according to CBS Chicago.

An updated photo of the Chicago Blackhawks, 2009-10 Stanley Cup Champions engraving. Photo by Steve Poirier / Hockey Hall of Fame

“The names of some of hockey’s most talented athletes appear on the Stanley Cup. But so does the name ‘Brad Aldrich’ whose role as video coach made him eligible for engraving,” Wirtz said. in a letter to the Hockey Hall of Fame, CBS Chicago reported. “However, his conduct disqualified him and it was a mistake to submit his name. We are sorry we allowed this to happen.”

The news comes amid a year of unrest for the Blackhawks, who ordered an independent investigation into the player’s claims after filing a civil lawsuit in May. The player, who has since identified himself as Kyle Beach, alleged that Aldrich sexually assaulted him in May 2010, after being called in as backup for the playoffs.

Aldrich told independent investigators the encounter was consensual and denied assaulting Beach, according to the report.

Beach reported the alleged assault to the team’s mental skills coach, according to the report. But when this allegation was taken to a larger group of team officials, including then-general manager Stan Bowman and then head coach Joel Quenneville, the group waited to let them know. human resources until the team has completed its championship run, the report said.

The report says it is not clear exactly what the group knew about the nature of Beach’s allegations, although they all remember being told of “an unwelcome sexual advance.”

The team went on to win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1961. When a human resources official was made aware of the allegation days later, he allowed Aldrich to resign without investigation, the report said. which means his name was engraved on the Cup, he was allowed to host the Cup in his hometown, and he went on to work for USA Hockey, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Miami in Ohio and a Michigan high school.

In 2013, Aldrich was arrested and pleaded guilty to fourth degree criminal sexual conduct involving a minor, according to the report.

The report said there was no evidence that CEO Danny Wirtz and his father, Rocky, were made aware of the allegations until Beach decided to take legal action.

On the day the report was released, the NFL fined the Blackhawks $ 2 million for their handling of the investigation. Soon after, many officials named in the report resigned, including Bowman and Quenneville.

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Victoria albert

Victoria Albert is editor-in-chief of CBS News. Contact her at [email protected]

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