Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman “stepped aside” and left the organization Tuesday, the day the findings of an investigation into decade-old sexual misconduct allegations were released.
CEO Danny Wirtz made the announcement. Kyle Davidson, the assistant general manager of hockey operations, will replace Bowman on an interim basis.
Senior vice president of hockey operations Al MacIsaac also left his position.
Bowman was concluding his first year as general manager in 2010 when former video coach Bradley Aldrich allegedly assaulted two players. Reid Schar, a former U.S. attorney, interviewed 139 witnesses during a four-month investigation and found the team failed to take action following a May 23, 2010, meeting to discuss the allegations of sexual assault.
Among the members of the organization who were present were Bowman, then-president John McDonough, then senior vice president Jay Blunk, now-Florida Panthers coach Joel Quenneville and Kevin Cheveldayoff, the general manager of the Winnipeg Jets, Schar said.
Wirtz said Tuesday he told team attorneys to attempt to settle lawsuits brought against the team by two plaintiffs.
“It is clear the organization and its executives at that time did not live up to our own standards or values in handling these disturbing incidents,” the Blackhawks said in a letter to the community. “We deeply regret the harm caused to (plaintiff) John Doe and the other individuals who were affected and the failure to promptly respond. As an organization, we extend our profound apologies to the individuals who suffered from these experiences. We must — and will — do better.
“What we do off the ice is equally as important as anything we do on it. Our ownership and leadership teams are committed to ensuring that the Blackhawks adhere to the highest ethical, professional, and athletic standards. We will not tolerate behavior that is antithetical to our values from any member of the organization, nor will we accept the type of inaction that allows such issues to continue unchecked.”
The NHL levied a $2 million fine against the Blackhawks for their “inadequate internal procedures and insufficient and untimely response” to the matter. Half of the money will be donated to Chicago-area organizations that work with survivors of sexual assault and other forms of abuse.
“This response should send a clear message to all NHL Clubs and all NHL personnel that inappropriate acts must be addressed in a timely fashion,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement.
Bettman said that Bowman, MacIsaac, McDonough and Blunk will have to meet with him before accepting any future positions in the NHL.
As for Quenneville and Cheveldayoff, Bettman said he will have “personal meetings in the near future with both individuals to discuss their roles in the relevant events a detailed in the Report. I will reserve judgment on next steps, if any, with respect to them.”
Bowman, the son of legendary coach Scotty Bowman, was in his 19th season with the Blackhawks. He added president of hockey operations to his title last Dec. 16.
Now 48, Bowman became the youngest general manager to lead a team to a Stanley Cup when the Blackhawks won it in 2010. They repeated the feat in 2013 and ’15, giving Bowman three Stanley Cup victories.
He was named GM on July 14, 2009, after working in the hockey operations department for eight years.
Chicago is off to an 0-5-1 start this season and posted a record of 493-315-110 in the Bowman era. In the six full seasons since their most recent Stanley Cup win, the Blackhawks made the playoffs three times, losing in the first round each time.
Bowman was also named as the general manager of the U.S. Olympic men’s hockey team for the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing. There has been no recent update to his status.
MacIsaac, 54, had been with the Blackhawks since 2000.
–Field Level Media
