VIDEO Hossa didn’t know about Beach’s case: You all know my story and you know that … – Športky.sk

TRENČÍN – Former Slovak hockey player Marián Hossa expressed regret over the case of sexual harassment of Kyle Beach in his former NHL club Chicago Blackhawks. The three-time Stanley Cup winner said he did not know about the incident, which took place during his first season in the “hawkish” jersey, as he said in his testimony to American investigators. Hossa also called for the creation of a foundation to prevent similar cases.

The 2009/2010 incident shook Chicago and the entire NHL. Allegations of disgusting practices are faced by former coach Bradley Aldrich, who sexually harassed not only Beach but also a student in Michigan. According to the file, the then president of Chicago John McDonough, Stan Bowman, assistant general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, executive vice president Jay Blunk, mental coach Jim Gary, director of administration Al MacIsaac and head coach Joel Quenneville knew about it.

However, the management of the club did not act at the time. The Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup that year, so they reportedly kept quiet about the case on the road to success. After Beach spoke, Stan Bowman resigned as general manager and president of the Blackhawks and ended up as the GM of the US national team for the 2022 Olympics. MacIsaac also left the club. Quenneville resigned as Florida coach.

“First of all, I want to say that it’s hard to imagine what Kyle had to go through. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for him to find the strength and live a life that will be as little affected by the negative events that I personally condemn.” Hossa told a news conference on Tuesday. “As far as I’m concerned, I was unaware of these events, and I stand behind it. I also said this in my testimony to the investigator. You all know my story and you know that at that time I was playing the third final in a row. I was fully focused only on hockey. But I think it’s right that those who knew about it have deduced their personal responsibility in recent days.

Hossa called for the creation of a foundation for prevention

The 48-year-old striker, who will be inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame on November 15, also called for an organization that could prevent similar cases in the future: “Finally, one idea, but please take it for granted. It may be appropriate for the NHL and NHLPA leaders to consider setting up a foundation to prevent similar cases. This could lead to anonymous reporting, psychological help, or educating players and employees on how to respond in such situations. “

Beach accused former video analyst Aldrich of sexually harassing him, who ended up on the Chicago team on June 14, 2010 without further investigation into the matter. Three years later, he confessed in another case of sexual harassment to a high school hockey player, who later also sued Chicago for failing to act against his former coach. Aldrich served nine months for this case.

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• VIDEO: TASR / Radovan Stoklasa
• Source: TASR