Three of the Blackhawks‘ most influential people during the 2010 sexual assault scandal — former general manager Stan Bowman, former coach Joel Quenneville and former executive Al MacIsaac — 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 be eligible for any franchise to hire starting July 10.
“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, whom the Jenner & Block investigation placed by far the most blame on for orchestrating the cover-up of former video coach Brad Aldrich’s assault of former forward Kyle Beach, was not reinstated Monday and almost certainly never will be.
Quenneville, now age 65, made an appearance on a St. Louis-based podcast, The Cam & Strick Podcast, in April, saying he was never aware of the severity of what had occurred between Aldrich and Beach but should have “followed up and asked more questions to get to the seriousness of it,” admitting he “definitely didn’t handle it properly.”
Bowman, 51, has been seen hanging out in NHL circles dating back to the 2023 NHL draft in Nashville. The Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported Bowman will be a “top candidate” for the Oilers’ vacant GM position in the wake of Ken Holland’s departure.
MacIsaac, 56, now works as a financial representative for Lifetime Financial Growth in Michigan, according to his LinkedIn profile.