Two of the Blackhawks’ most influential executives during the 2010 sexual-assault scandal — former general manager Stan Bowman and Al MacIsaac — as well as former Hawks coach Joel Quenneville were reinstated by the NHL on Monday.
After nearly three years out of the league — since resigning in 2021 during the fallout from the scandal — they will become eligible on July 10 for any franchise to hire.
“While it is clear that, at the time, their responses were unacceptable, each of these three individuals 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,” the league said in a statement.
“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.”
Former Hawks president John McDonough, on whom the Jenner & Block investigation placed by far the most blame for orchestrating the cover-up of former video coach Brad Aldrich’s assault of former forward Kyle Beach, was not reinstated and almost certainly never will be.
That investigation determined that McDonough, Bowman, MacIsaac, Quenneville, fellow executives Kevin Cheveldayoff (now the Jets’ active GM) and Jay Blunk and team counselor Jim Gary held a now-infamous meeting in May 2010 in which the alleged assault was discussed but never appropriately addressed.
Quenneville, 65, made an appearance on the St. Louis-based Cam & Strick Podcast this past April, claiming he was never aware of the severity of what had occurred between Aldrich and Beach but admitting he should have “followed up and asked more questions to get to the seriousness of it.” He also said he would like to coach in the NHL again.
Bowman, 51, has lain low publicly but has been seen hanging out in NHL circles since the 2023 draft in Nashville, Tennessee. The Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported Bowman will be a top candidate for the Oilers’ vacant GM position.
MacIsaac, 56, works as a financial representative for Lifetime Financial Growth in Michigan, according to his LinkedIn profile.
