The Anaheim Ducks introduced Joel Quenneville as the franchise’s 12th coach on Thursday and before they could get to the three-time Stanley Cup winner’s attributes, they addressed the Chicago Blackhawks scandal.
Quenneville had been out of hockey since he resigned as Florida Panthers coach in October 2021 after an outside law firm’s investigation determined several Blackhawks team leaders failed to respond promptly to allegations that video coach Brad Aldrich sexually assaulted player Kyle Beach in 2010.
The league had barred Al MacIsaac, Stan Bowman and Quenneville because of their ‘inadequate response’ and cleared them to return in July.
‘What happened to Kyle Beach was horrific and inexcusable,’ Quenneville said Thursday. ‘I was sick to my stomach when I learned what had taken place. Had I known what had happened, I would have taken swift action. I own my mistakes. … I take full responsibility for not following up and asking more questions.’
General manager Pat Verbeek detailed the ‘comprehensive review’ he had done, including talking to Beach. Quenneville said he talked to Beach, too, including Thursday morning.
‘I apologized to him and expressed my regret for not following up and taking action,’ he said.
He said he understands people saying he doesn’t deserve a second chance, but he said he has talked to experts about abuse prevention — he read a long list — and will show doubters that the Ducks organization will be a safe place for players.
Quenneville, 66, will replace Greg Cronin, who was fired after two seasons. The Ducks improved by 21 points last season but still finished 16 points out of the playoffs. They finished last in the league on the power play and in the bottom five in goals, penalty killing and 5-on-5 play.
Verbeek says he sees a similarity to where the Ducks are and where the Blackhawks were when Quenneville took over and led them to three championships, starting in 2010. He said he became convinced Quenneville would be his coach after they watched and discussed video during their second meeting.
“I was impressed with the little details on how to play better defense, how to control the puck, how to become a puck-possession team,’ said Verbeek, who was Quenneville’s teammate in New Jersey and Hartford.
Quenneville has 969 wins with St. Louis, Colorado, Chicago and Florida, ranking second in NHL history.
Verbeek said he could have gone with a different coach to avoid backlash but once he was satisfied with the team’s review, it came down to a hockey decision.
“It’s my job to find the best coach for our team, and I believe that I have found the best coach for this team,” he said.