Florida Panthers coach Joel Quenneville will coach the Florida Panthers in their game against the visiting Boston Bruins on Wednesday night before heading to New York to meet with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on Thursday.
Quenneville is under scrutiny for his reported role in the 2010 Chicago Blackhawks’ mishandled sexual assault allegations against former video coach Brad Aldrich.
The veteran NHL coach, who was Chicago’s head coach in 2010, claimed he only learned about allegations made against Aldrich last year. But that was contradicted by the findings of the independent investigation by law firm Jenner & Block, which reported that Quenneville was one of several lead figures in the room when allegations against Aldrich were discussed on May 23, 2010.
This occurred as the Blackhawks were making a run to the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals, and the investigation’s findings mentioned that Quenneville voiced his “desire to focus on the team and the playoffs” and was “angry and was concerned about upsetting team chemistry.”
Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman and senior vice president Al MacIsaac resigned this week amid the fallout of the investigation.
Quenneville told reporters Wednesday that he addressed the Panthers about his impending meeting with Bettman, adding, “I think we try to eliminate all distractions, and that was one of them.”
The Panthers have started the season 6-0-0.
–Field Level Media