CHICAGO –
The Chicago Blackhawks have settled a lawsuit filed by a former player who says he was sexually assaulted by an assistant coach during the team’s 2010 Stanley Cup championship.
After representing the Blackhawks and former first-round selector Kyle Beach met with the mediator for the first time on Wednesday, they announced that the session resulted in a confidential settlement.
“The Blackhawks hope that this resolution will bring some measure of peace and closure to Mr. Beach,” the team said in a statement issued by owner Rocky Wirtz, son and team president Danny Wirtz, and Susan Loggans, Beach’s attorney.
“As for the Blackhawks, we remain steadfast in our commitment to ensure that going forward, this team will be a beacon of professionalism, respect, and integrity in our community. We remain grateful for the trust and support of the Blackhawks community, and we promise to continue working every day to earn and maintain that trust.”
Loggans is also part of a second lawsuit filed in May by a former high school student Aldrich was found guilty of assaulting in Michigan. There was no word in the joint statement about that lawsuit.
The Blackhawks said in late May that Beach’s allegations were unfounded. But an independent review, commissioned by the team and published in October, found the organization mishandled Beach’s allegations that he was assaulted by Aldrich during the team’s 2010 Stanley Cup. Aldrich told investigators the meeting was consensual.
The fall included top executives losing their jobs in Chicago and extending to other teams, including Florida, where veteran coach Joel Quenneville — the Blackhawks coach at the time — stepped down. The NHL fined Chicago $2 million.
Loggans and attorneys for the Blackhawks held settlement talks in early November, meeting for about an hour. She said after the discussions that “each side has a different point of view.”
The investigation commissioned by the team found no evidence that Rocky or Danny Wirtz knew of the allegations before Beach’s lawsuit was brought to their attention prior to the filing. Danny Wirtz in October said he had instructed the group’s attorneys to seek “a fair solution that fits the totality of the circumstances.”
