After a Disastrous Week, Is Anyone In Charge At The NHL?
Some errors just come at you. Some errors you invite in the door, pout them a drink and say, “Howdy”.
The past week in the life of the NHL has been a messy mixture of both. Safe to say the week that included the expansion draft of the Seattle Kraken, the NHL Amateur Draft and the 2021 trade/ free agency will not be cited in business schools as a model of management or communications.
The nonsense began at the midweek when U.S. giant ESPN— returning as an NHL broadcaster after decades away— dedicated an entire special to introducing the members of Seattle’s new club. It was to be a re-introduction to the NHL for the network.
ESPN sent Chris Fowler, one of their top anchors, to host the show. There were present and former NFL Seahawks players (Marshawn Lynch) to announce the draftees, location shoots around the city and reveals of the team’s first uniforms. Drafted players were clandestinely smuggled in to be introduced. Just one problem.
The names of all the draftees— which were to be the news value to the special— were leaked to the press well before the ceremony. Before ESPN ever introduced a single name of the modest cast of the Kraken the entire squad was known to the public. Who leaked the names? (Guessing it wasn’t ESPN or the NHL or even the players. Hint: the likely culprits rhyme with magents.)
Talk about your damp squibs. Fowler, who’s clearly not a hockey lifer, did his best to liven the event, joking with players, hosts and guests. But ESPN certainly couldn’t have been happy that their re-entry burned up as it made it to air.
Next, the “story that somehow isn’t a story about sexual abuse by a video assistant coach on the Chicago Blackhawks” was given a new life. As we wrote last month , a scandal involving former assistant video coach Brad Aldrich starting in 2010 is threatening to consume the Hawks and the NHL.
“A former Chicago Blackhawk player (known only as John Doe) is suing the team alleging that the then-assistant Chicago coach sexually assaulted him in 2010 during a playoff run to a Stanley Cup title, and that the team did nothing after he informed a now-retired team employee.
According to the lawsuit the unidentified player reported the alleged abuse to a mental-skills coach on the team. That coach (who denies the claim) allegedly convinced the player it was his fault. The lawsuit, filed on May 7 in Cook County Circuit Court, says Aldrich also assaulted another unidentified Blackhawks player at the period the Hawks were one of the top teams in the NHL, winning three Stanley Cups.
But another Blackhawks coach, Paul Vincent, told news outlets he told team executives, including team President John McDonough and general manager Stan Bowman, to report the allegations to Chicago police, but his request was rejected. Vincent reportedly says he will be happy to testify in court on behalf of the complainant. Vincent told TSN. “I will stand up in court and say what happened. I know what the team did to cover this up, and coming forward was the right thing to do”.
In a tweet, former Blackhawk Brent Sopel was frank. “·Jun 25 The front office staff should be in jail. The NHL is showing there (sic) true colours. Gary (Bettman) doesn’t care about anyone but himself. This is absolutely disgusting that the NHL is doing nothing”. Most damning is where were the dozens of hockey “insiders” in the media during this time? The people we are told have their ear to the ground on all things happening in the league?”
TSN’s Rick Westhead and The Athletic’s Katie Strang released new documents last week that alleged the coach had threatened one of the Hawks players with a baseball bat and that Hawks management had put his name on the Stanley Cup and allowed him a day with Cup after Chicago’s 2010 triumph. All highly unacceptable.
Hawks GM Stan Bowman issued a statement saying that he can’t talk now but will be vindicated later. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman saw no reason to ask Bowman to step aside, either. (Nor has USA Hockey where Bowman is GM of the 2022 Olympic men’s team.) If the victims haven’t suffered enough Bettman personally introduced Bowman to make the Hawks first-round pick (The Hawks GM was surrounded by women hockey players in a transparent bid to switch the topic. ) Again, incredible optics for a league that says it takes sexual abuse seriously.
The Montreal Canadiens then offered the pièce de resistance on NHL insensitivity. Logan Mailloux was selected by the Canadiens with the 31st overall pick in the Friday night draft, despite the Canadian teenager asking teams not to pick him after he was fined for an offense of a sexual nature in Sweden last year. Mailloux, 18, was fined by Swedish police for showing a photo to his teammates via Snapchat depicting him and a woman engaged in a consensual sexual act. The photo was taken without consent of the woman, who went to local police.
A number of teams struck Mailloux from their draft lists a result. Under the circumstances, Mailloux asked his name be withdrawn from the draft. But Habs GM Marc Bergevin— ironically, a player in Chicago during Aldrich’s actions— blundered ahead, selecting the toxic player.
When press and public reacted in horror, the organization put out some puffery. “We are making a commitment to accompany Logan on his journey by providing him with the tools to mature and the necessary support to guide him in his development.” There was no reference to helping the young woman. Incomprehensible.
Meanwhile Bettman stood aside, allowing all this to unfold. Imagine how NBA commissioner Adam Silver would have reacted. It is time to ask if Bettman is still engaged in the work of having his league taken seriously or whether he’s playing out the string. What should have been a great NHL week was tarnished. And he had the power to stop most of it.
Bruce Dowbiggin @dowbboy is the editor of Not The Public Broadcaster (http://www.notthepublicbroadcaster.com). The best-selling author of Cap In Hand is also a regular contributor to Sirius XM Canada Talks Ch. 167. A two-time winner of the Gemini Award as Canada's top television sports broadcaster, his new book Personal Account with Tony Comper is now available on http://brucedowbigginbooks.ca/book-personalaccount.aspx