Jets GM Cheveldayoff criticized for his official statement following NHL’s verdict in Hawks’ scandal

On Friday morning, the National Hockey League announced that Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff was not responsible for the improper decisions made by the Chicago Blackhawks related to the Brad Aldrich matter in 2010 and will not be disciplined. The decision comes after Cheveldayoff, who was assistant general manager of the Blackhawks during the 2009-10 season, met with commissioner Gary Bettman in New York.

Blackhawks draft pick Kyle Beach came forward and revealed that he is in fact “John Doe”, Brad Aldrich’s victim from the team’s sexual assault scandal. Cheveldayoff’s name has come up in the report, though the NHL has determined that the former Hawks assistant GM’s participation at the May 23, 2010, meeting involving senior leaders from the Blackhawks’ management team was extremely limited in scope and substance. In fact, in the course of the investigation, most of the participants in the May 23 meeting did not initially recall that Cheveldayoff was even present.

Cheveldayoff was assistant general manager of the Blackhawks during the 2009-10 season. That’s when Blackhawks draft pick Kyle Beach became the victim of Brad Aldrich. Aldrich served nine months in prison and was convicted for sexually assaulting a teenage boy in 2014, just four years after he was dismissed from the Blackhawks. But, as we now know, the Blackhawks allowed Aldrich to remain on staff for nearly a month after the team was made aware of his assault on Beach. The team included Aldrich in its Stanley Cup celebrations that offseason, even inviting him to a team party where Beach was also present.

Joel Quenneville resigned from his position as head coach of the Florida Panthers on Thursday after he met with Bettman. Stan Bowman resigned from his position as general manager of both the Blackhawks and United States men’s Olympic hockey team back on Tuesday, while Al MacIsaac, the only other member of the group listed still with the Blackhawks, was also dismissed.

Cheveldayoff, who’s been the Jets’ general manager since 2011, said in July he had “no knowledge of any allegations involving Mr. Aldrich” until being asked just prior to the end of his tenure with the Blackhawks.

He made this official statement following the league’s verdict:

Fans and pundits were quick to react to his statement, upset that the word sorry or an apology to Beach was not included in it.

And it goes on...