UPDATE:On December 15, the two parties – Kyle Beach and the Chicago NHL team – reached a settlement. This means they have reached an agreement to settle the lawsuit out of court. Details have not been made public.
Chicago NHL team faces lawsuit
⭐️HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW⭐️
- Content Warning: This story contains details that some readers may find distressing. If this topic seems triggering, ask an adult or someone you trust to read it with you.
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Kyle Beach, who was the 11th overall pick in the 2008 NHL draft, claims he was sexually assaulted by a Chicago NHL coach in 2010.
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The issue was brought to the team’s senior executives, but they ignored it at the time.
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Earlier this year, Beach filed a lawsuit against the team using an anonymous name.
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Last week, he spoke publicly about the incident for the first time.
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Keep reading to find out what’s happened since. ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️
The NHL is dealing with the fallout from a major sexual assault allegation.
Kyle Beach, a professional hockey player from Vancouver, British Columbia, has accused a former video coach for the Chicago NHL team of sexually assaulting him.
Nothing has been proven in court, but the abuse allegedly took place 11 years ago, when Beach was 20 years old.
According to an independent investigation, the team’s top executives knew about the problem at the time and ignored it because they wanted to focus on winning the Stanley Cup that year – which they did .
Last week, Beach spoke publicly for the first time in an emotional interview on TSN.
“It’s been a…it’s a big step for me, my healing process,” Beach said.
Since then, former Chicago NHL coaches who worked for other teams have resigned and the NHL commissioner has apologized.
But some say the league needs to do more to address the allegations and prove that sexual assault will not be tolerated in the NHL.
“The best way to protect yourself is to be aware of these kinds of things.” – Greg Gilhooly, author and lawyer
Kyle Beach skates against the Detroit Red Wings during a preseason game in September 2010. (Image credit: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Where the story starts ?
In 2008, Kyle Beach was selected as the 11th overall pick in the NHL draft by the Chicago NHL team, meaning he was considered one of the best young players that year.
In 2010, he was a “Black Ace” for Chicago, which meant he practiced regularly with the team in case they needed a replacement player.
“It was an extremely special moment for me and for my family and the next step for me in pursuing my dream in the NHL that I have dreamed of and worked for my whole life,” Beach told TSN.
“Unfortunately, a few weeks later, those memories were tainted and my life was changed forever,” Beach said in the interview.
Beach was the 11th overall pick in the 2008 NHL Draft. (Image credit: Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images)
Beach said that in May of that year, Brad Aldrich, who was then the team’s video coach, sexually assaulted him.
Sexual assault can mean many things, but it generally refers to any type of unwanted sexual touching.
Beach said he talked to a trainer named Paul Vincent at the time, who tried to help him.
According to TSN, Vincent brought the issue to team officials, but they ignored him.
An investigation by an independent law firm released Oct. 26 found that the Chicago NHL team failed to act on Beach’s allegations.
It also says the team president was aware of the allegations, but did not want negative publicity during that year’s Stanley Cup Final.
Beach never played a regular season game in the NHL.
What happened after the alleged attack?
After the alleged assault, Beach said he tried to move on and focus on hockey.
“I suppressed that memory and buried that memory to pursue my dreams and pursue the career that I loved,” Beach told TSN.
Beach played with a team in Salzburg, Austria, in 2014. (Image credit: Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images)
A few years ago, when Beach was playing in Germany, he said he decided to Google Aldrich’s name.
That’s when he found out Aldrich had spent nine months in prison for sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl in Michigan.
Beach said it gave him the courage to come forward again.
Why is this making headlines now?
In May, Beach filed a lawsuit against the Chicago NHL team, leading to an investigation by the NHL. Two other people also filed complaints.
After the investigation was made public last week, Beach identified himself as one of the people behind the lawsuit.
Until then, he was known only as “John Doe”, in an attempt to protect his privacy.
“I wanted to come forward and put my name on it,” Beach said.
The consequences
Since this came to light, some of the people who knew about the incident have resigned from their roles.
Chicago general manager Stan Bowman has resigned.
Former Chicago coach Joel Quenneville, who until recently coached the Florida Panthers, also resigned.
On November 1, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman apologized.
“As I told Kyle on Saturday (Oct. 3), I’m sorry for what he went through and I think he was brave, especially last week,” Bettman said during a virtual call with the media.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said the league would review its policies, but he defended its progress in preventing sexual misconduct. (Image credit: Tina Lovgreen/CBC)
As for Aldrich, he now owns a window repair business in the United States, but he served time behind bars for another assault.
Beach’s lawyer, Susan E. Loggans, is hoping for a cash settlement in which the team would pay Beach money to compensate him for the salary he would have earned if he had continued to play in the NHL .
According to Loggans, the Chicago NHL team is currently fighting the lawsuit and trying to avoid a cash settlement.
A separate criminal investigation would need to take place to hold Aldrich accountable.
How will this change the NHL?
Bettman said he wanted to work with Beach to combat abuse in the league.
But critics say this issue has not been properly addressed in the past.
Lawyer and author Greg Gilhooly, who himself was sexually assaulted by a hockey coach when he was a teenager, said the measures taken so far in Beach’s case are not enough.
“What’s happening is the team and the league are trying to do everything they can to protect themselves,” Gilhooly told CBC Kids News.
He also questions the independence of the investigation, since it was the team that financed it.
Greg Gilhooly says the NHL’s apology isn’t enough and it should also settle the lawsuit. (Image submitted by Greg Gilhooly)
Beach’s lawyer also said she was “skeptical” that this would lead to changes in the NHL.
How children can be safe
“I think it’s important for kids to understand that the reason these stories make headlines is because they don’t happen every day,” Gilhooly said.
He stressed that anyone who is a victim or witness of such a thing must speak out.
“The best way to protect yourself is to be aware of these kinds of things,” he said.
Gilhooly said a lot has changed in the 11 years since Beach first tried to tell this story.
“It’s 2021. And if you tell a story about an adult doing something like that, we’ll believe you,” Gilhooly said.
He also said that children who experience such a situation should not be ashamed, because it is not their fault.
Need support?
There is a way for children to get help if they think they have been abused in sport.
A free helpline is available for kids to call or text daily between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. ET.
Call or text 1-888-83-SPORT or email [email protected].
You can also call Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868 or text CONNECT to 686868.
Do you have any further questions? We will do our best to think about them for you. Ask your parent or guardian for permission and email us at [email protected].
With files from CBC Sports, The Canadian Press, Reuters
