TRAIKOS: Don’t expect Quenneville and Cheveldayoff to join Bowman on unemployment line

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As all the time, the main target was on profitable the sport.

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With a win towards the Boston Bruins on Wednesday evening, the first-place Florida Panthers had an opportunity to begin the season with a 7-0-0 file and improve their lead atop the Atlantic Division standings.

So when head coach Joel Quenneville spoke to his gamers, he instructed them to stay targeted on the upcoming recreation — and never his upcoming assembly with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman over a 2010 sexual-assault allegation that concerned considered one of Quenneville’s former assistant coaches.

“I feel we attempt to get rid of all distractions,” stated Quenneville. “And that was considered one of them.”

Speak about a poor alternative of phrases. Then once more, it was becoming.

In spite of everything, Quenneville’s alleged want to “get rid of all distractions” was one of many explanation why then-video coach Brad Aldrich’s alleged sexual assault towards a Chicago Blackhawks prospect was buried by the group within the first place. The evening that Quenneville, who was then the pinnacle coach of the Blackhawks, and others — together with then-president John McDonough, then-GM Stan Bowman, then-assistant GM Kevin Cheveldayoff — first realized of the allegations was the identical evening that the Blackhawks had clinched a spot within the Stanley Cup ultimate.

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“Quenneville appeared offended and was involved about upsetting staff chemistry,” an impartial investigation into the alleged assault revealed.

A decade later, not a lot has modified.

It’s nonetheless all about profitable. In any respect prices.

The query now turns into whether or not profitable will trump doing what’s morally proper.

Will the Panthers, who beneath Quenneville have turn into the most effective staff in hockey, doubtlessly danger “upsetting staff chemistry” by eradicating their head coach for one thing that occurred greater than a decade in the past? Will the Winnipeg Jets do the identical to Cheveldayoff, who has been their GM for the previous 10 years?

What do you assume?

If there was any likelihood Quenneville was going to be fired for what occurred a decade in the past, then he wouldn’t have been allowed to educate towards the Bruins. As of Wednesday, nobody throughout the Jets group had requested Cheveldayoff for his resignation. Nor does anybody count on him to supply it on his personal.

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An apology, certain. Possibly a hefty tremendous. However in contrast to Bowman, it’s uncertain that anybody else is getting fired. I’m not even certain it might accomplish something, except for punishing a few groups that had nothing to do with Chicago’s mess within the first place.

Eradicating Bowman from his job as common supervisor was the precise transfer — and the simple transfer — since he was in cost on the time and since he was nonetheless working for the Blackhawks. Not solely that, however with the best way that the Blackhawks had began the season, possession was in all probability already trying to find excuses to let him go. As ahead Alex DeBrincat instructed reporters on Wednesday, it was “a change that wanted to occur.”

However that is the place it will get difficult.

The report makes it clear that each Quenneville and Cheveldayoff knew an alleged sexual assault had occurred between an assistant coach and a participant on the apply squad. However we nonetheless don’t know the extent of how a lot they knew — or wished to know.

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Bear in mind, Cheveldayoff was the assistant GM on the time. He was low on the totem pole, primarily in command of the cap and the minor-league affiliate. That’s not an excuse. Nevertheless it explains why he would have left the matter within the palms of Bowman and McDonough.

Quenneville, nevertheless, has no excuse for not eradicating Aldrich from his teaching employees, or on the very least retaining him away from the participant who was assaulted.

Had Quenneville nonetheless been teaching the Blackhawks, it might have been simple for them to half methods. He didn’t simply flip a blind eye to the abuses that had been happening inside his teaching employees — he additionally allowed them to proceed by placing the success of the staff forward of the well-being of the gamers.

Even when Aldrich was ultimately let go, he didn’t go away empty-handed. As an alternative, he obtained what amounted to a letter of advice from Quenneville that Aldrich then used to amass a training job with a highschool staff in Michigan, the place he was put ready to sexually assault an adolescent.

“Aldrich did a terrific job for the teaching employees in making ready us for all of our conferences and coordinating a number of duties that we ahead his manner,” Quenneville wrote in overview that was dated on June 29, 2010. “Brad has a number of folks counting on him on the identical second and has a manner of deflecting and accommodating everybody without delay … Congrats on profitable the Stanley Cup!”

Deflecting. Or avoiding a distraction.

Nevertheless you wish to phrase it, it’s all about placing wins above every part else.

mtraikos@postmedia.com

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