Leafs forward Wayne Simmonds sounds off on Kyle Beach situation

Earlier this year, an unidentified player from the 2010 Stanley Cup-winning Chicago Blackhawks sued the organization for ignoring his claims that he and another player were being sexually assaulted by an assistant coach, and that the team did nothing to stop it.

The player, only previously known as "John Doe", has been revealed to be Kyle Beach, who made his identity known during an exclusive televised interview late last month. 

The fallout so far has resulted in the resignations of GM Stan Bowman, as well as senior director of hockey administration Al MacIsaac. Meanwhile, Florida Panthers coach Joel Quenneville, who was Chicago's bench boss at the time, also resigned. 

The hockey world continues to react, as Vegas Golden Knights goalie Robin Lehner issued a direct challenge to his peers and the NHLPA on how they handle these situations. And it wasn't long until the Toronto Maple Leafs chimed in with a message of support and echoing Lehner's sentiments. 

Enter forward Wayne Simmonds, who had this to say: 

 “First of all, I want to send my condolences to Kyle Beach. Everything that happened is heartbreaking. I found myself watching that interview, and I started to tear up a little bit. The thing that got me was when they asked him about the 16-year-old, and heapologized. To me, he has nothing to apologize for. He was the one who was wronged.

“This is something that's systemic. I find in the NHL when something happens bad, the guys are afraid to speak up because of repercussions. And that's something that's definitely got to change. It's unacceptable. I think within our dressing room — within a lot of other teams’ dressing rooms — now the culture is starting to change and starting to roll over, considering the new blood, fresh blood that's coming into the league.

“I'm in lockstep with what Robin Lehner said last night. More players got to speak up. More players got to do their part. We don't want this to continue to happen. As we go down the line here, we got to make it better for the guys that are coming in after us. It's not about us anymore. It's about what happens to the young kids that are coming into the league now.

“I feel everyone must be held accountable. Whether it's NHL, NHLPA — everyone has to be held accountable. There's no excuses. This can't just be another fleeting moment where it's here now and then gone tomorrow.”