This past week has not been good for the sport I love. Between Dallas fans taunting Elvis Merzlikins about the death of his friend and teammate, Matiss Kivlenieks, this summer and the publicity of the sexual assault charges in Chicago, the NHL needs to do something.
Sure, it is great that Stan Bowman, Joel Quenneville, and everyone else associated with the 2010 sexual assault of Kyle Beach in Chicago have been punished or resigned; however, that is not enough.
Beach made it clear that Chicago’s coaching staff and management were not the only ones he spoke to about the abuse. Beach also took the issue to the NHL and NHLPA.
Beach is quoted as saying “[the NHL] let me down and they’ve let others down as well, but they continue to try and protect their name over the health and well-being of the people who put their lives on the line every day to make the NHL what it is.”
You cannot seriously think a coach assaulting a player like Aldrich did to Beach and then the player discussing it with multiple entities in the NHL and NHLPA would not get to Gary?
Much like Bettman cannot deny knowledge of the abuse, neither can the NHLPA Executive Director, Donald Fehr. Beach also told the press multiple times that at least two different people with the players union spoke to Fehr directly about what happened to Beach. Yet, nothing ever came of it.
Fehr did apologize for the “serious failure” of the NHLPA to pursue further action, but in his statement Wednesday night, Fehr seemed to play dumb like he had never heard about the scandal. Weird.
I am sorry but if Bowman, Q, McDonough, and the rest are being punished; then Fehr and Bettman should be as well. They are as much a part of the cover up as the Chicago Blackhawks organization, am I right?
If the three NHL lockouts weren’t enough to end Gary’s reign of terror, the fact that he knew, covered up, and now is acting like the guiding light for Kyle Beach’s sexual assault should be the straw that breaks the camel’s back! What other professional sports commissioner gets booed by their fans at every appearance?
What do you guys think?
The Morning Skate 