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Gary Bettman addresses Joel Quenneville and Stan Bowman's NHL reinstatement status
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman addressed the current status of the ‘unofficial ban’ on former Chicago Blackhawks' coach Joel Quenneville and former GM Stan Bowman. Bettman stated that both Quenneville and Bowman are currently ineligible to work in the league.
Sun-Times’ Jeff Agrest reported that in a recent interview, Bettman mentioned that both Quenneville and Bowman have already expressed an interest in returning to the NHL.
“They're both not eligible. They both reached out, seeking an opportunity to come back. It's something I have to consider," Gary Bettman said.
NHL insider Chris Johnston also reported that Gary Bettman confirmed Quenneville and Bowman are still ineligible to work in the NHL. Bettman stated that he has yet to decide if or when their eligibility status might change. The Commissioner also said that he would have to evaluate their situations before making any decisions about their return to the league.
Joel Quenneville and Stan Bowman were not officially “suspended”
During the 2009-10 season, Chicago Blackhawks’ 20-year-old prospect Kyle Beach was allegedly sexually assaulted by then-video coach Brad Aldrich. This incident was reported to the team's management during their postseason run to the Stanley Cup, but it ended in a cover-up.
The fallout from the scandal became public in October 2021 when an independent report by the Chicago law firm Jenner & Block was released. The report revealed that then-HC Joel Quenneville and general manager Stan Bowman were among those who failed to act immediately on Beach's allegations.
As a result, Bowman resigned from the Blackhawks right after the report was published. While neither was suspended officially from the league, Quenneville stepped down as coach of the Florida Panthers two days later, following a meeting with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.
The scandal also implicated the Blackhawks' president and CEO at the time John McDonough, for trying to cover up the assault. McDonough was already released by the team in April 2020.
Last year, Quenneville and Bowman voluntarily attended a meeting of NHL coaches and general managers. Commissioner Bettman, however, had not decided if Quenneville and Bowman would be reinstated into the NHL.
He mentioned that their return would require his approval, and he was yet to determine if it was appropriate for them to come back after the meeting.
“Because I have to go through that process at some point, I don’t want to be discussing it publicly until I’m ready to tell everybody what I’m thinking,” Bettman said last year.
Now from Gary Bettman’s recent statements, it seems the Commissioner's stance has not changed. It remains to be seen if the two will ever return to the league.
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