Joel Quenneville back to the NHL? Maybe with the Blues, for whom he is their winningest coach?
Quenneville, who went on to immense coaching success in the NHL after being fired by the Blues in 2004, currently is in limbo following his abrupt resignation from the Florida Panthers in 2021 after his role a scandal allegedly involving Chicago Blackhawks personnel while he was with the team came into question.
Kyle Beach, a Blackhawks prospect who was practicing with the team during its run to the Stanley Cup championship in 2010, reached a settlement three years ago in a lawsuit he had filed that alleged he had been sexually assaulted that season by an assistant coach. Terms of the agreement were confidential.
Quenneville had remained mostly mum publicly on the topic until addressing it with 狐狸视频 hockey reporter Andy Strickland in the latest edition of 鈥溾 podcast he hosts with former Blue Cam Janssen. Strickland also is a member of Bally Sports Midwest鈥檚 Blues coverage team and host of a pucks-talk show on KFNS (590 AM) at 3 p.m. Fridays, and Janssen is a co-host of KFNS鈥 morning drive-time show.
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The lengthy Quenneville conversation begins about an hour and 16 minutes into the more-than-two-hour podcast, which contains some R-rated commentary beforehand.
Quenneville won the Stanley Cup three times while in Chicago and has 969 coaching victories, trailing only Scotty Bowman鈥檚 1,244 in NHL history. He was just beginning what would have been his third season with the Panthers when he resigned after being summoned to New York for a meeting with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, who said at the time 鈥渁ll parties agreed that it was no longer appropriate that he continue to serve as Florida鈥檚 head coach.鈥
It was not a suspension, but Bettman said Quenneville 鈥渓et the game down,鈥 and before he could return to the league, he would have to have 鈥渁 meeting in advance in order to determine the appropriate conditions under which such new employment might take place.鈥
Quenneville, 65, told Strickland he鈥檇 like to get back behind a bench.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e always looking at opportunities,鈥 he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 waiting for clearance to get that chance, to get back and coach. There鈥檚 people that will ask you, 鈥業s there interest鈥濃 or you鈥檙e thinking, 鈥榃hat are the possibilities of coming here? Are you interested?鈥 But there鈥檚 a process, too, before we can go to the next step. We鈥檙e still not there yet. ... There鈥檚 some places I would have loved to have gone.鈥
Strickland asked Quenneville if he thinks it鈥檚 fair that he鈥檚 not coaching now.
鈥淔air or whatever, depending on how you look at it, but I think that I deserve a chance to coach again,鈥 he said. 鈥... One day I think I鈥檝e coached my last game and the next day I鈥檓 sitting there (thinking), 鈥楪eez, I鈥檇 like to get ahold of that team, it would be fun to work with.鈥欌
He added that there are about 10 teams he鈥檇 be interested in, without naming any specifically, 鈥渟o it鈥檚 pretty wide open.鈥
The incident
Brad Aldrich was the Blackhawks鈥 video coordinator when Beach allegedly was sexually assaulted in 2010. A report released by law firm Jenner & Block in October 2021 indicated the alleged incident was covered up by team management 鈥渋n light of the need to protect team chemistry and avoid bad publicity during the ongoing playoffs. What is clear is that, after being informed of Aldrich鈥檚 alleged sexual harassment and misconduct with a player, no action was taken for three weeks.鈥
The report also said Stan Bowman, the team鈥檚 general manager at the time, 鈥渞ecalled that, after learning of the incident, Quenneville shook his head and said that it was hard for the team to get to where they were, and they could not deal with this issue now.鈥
The Blackhawks were fined $2 million by the NHL when the situation came to a head in 2021 for what the league said was 鈥渢he organization鈥檚 inadequate internal procedures and insufficient and untimely response.鈥
Quenneville told Strickland he could have handled things another way.
鈥淚鈥檓 not blaming anybody. I blame myself for some things I could have and should have done differently,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 put it all together that it resembled sexual abuse or sexual assault by not asking more questions. And I take ownership on that. I think that had I known more, I think I could鈥檝e 鈥 I would鈥檝e handled it completely different.鈥
Quenneville also said he 鈥渉ad a name鈥 for the club鈥檚 upper management.
鈥淚 called them 鈥榯he firm.鈥 Not in a derogatory way at all. But just the way they did business. It was a matter of fact, you know, legal, business-like law firm. And that鈥檚 basically what it was. You knew your job and job description. You knew your role. You knew to stay in your lane. And you knew who the boss or bosses were.鈥
He also added, 鈥淲hat I learned over this process is I definitely didn鈥檛 handle it properly.鈥
The background
Strickland has known Quenneville since he began covering the Blues in the 1999-2000 season and said he has followed the allegations closely since the story surfaced in 2021.
鈥淐onsidering I knew Joel, I took on an even greater interest,鈥 Strickland told the Post-Dispatch. 鈥... I鈥檓 pretty sure he knew that if and when he was ready to talk, I would like to interview him. But I wasn鈥檛 routinely asking for an interview.鈥
The conversation took place last week while Quenneville was in town for former Blue Kelly Chase鈥檚 event to raise money to fight cancer.
鈥淚 think he felt like this was the right time to speak publicly for the first time,鈥 Strickland said. 鈥淚t has been three years, and I know those around him were encouraging him to tell his story.鈥
Strickland said he does not think that Quenneville doing the interview with a 狐狸视频 reporter, while in 狐狸视频, was a calculated move to gauge the mood for a possible return to the Blues.
鈥淣ot at all,鈥 Strickland said. 鈥淚f I was based in any other city, I think I still would have conducted the interview. It worked out perfectly in that he was coming to (Chase鈥檚) event, which allowed us to do it in person. Otherwise, we would have done the interview remotely.鈥
Quenneville took over as the Blues鈥 coach for 40 games in the 1996-97 season and compiled a record of 307-191-77 with them before being fired in 2004. His team-high 307 victories are 59 more than the runner-up, Ken Hitchcock.
The team currently has an interim coach, Drew Bannister, who has been at the helm since Craig Berube was fired in December, and Strickland thinks Quenneville would be happy to go to many NHL teams.
鈥淚 honestly think he just wants the opportunity to get back in the game and be a head coach,鈥 Strickland said. 鈥淚 think he鈥檚 earned the right to choose the best fit for him, but I would think he鈥檇 be interested in coaching a team that was ready to win and could compete.鈥
Strickland was pleased with the interview.
鈥淚 think he came across very sincere and believable,鈥 he said. 鈥淥thers who were in the room for the one and only meeting have confirmed what he says took place in the meeting. I think he summarized the dynamic of the Blackhawks infrastructure pretty well. I鈥檝e spoken to dozens of hockey people since the episode was released, I haven鈥檛 had anyone tell me otherwise.鈥