NHL says it will not discipline Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff in Blackhawks sexual assault investigation

WINNIPEG -

The National Hockey League said Friday that Winnipeg Jets General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff was not responsible for improper decisions made by the Chicago Blackhawks and will not be disciplined as a result of the sexual assault investigation involving a former assistant coach.

The news comes after a meeting between Cheveldayoff and Commissioner Gary Bettman.

“While on some level, it would be easiest to paint everyone with any association to this terrible matter with the same broad brush, I believe that fundamental fairness requires a more in-depth analysis of the role of each person,” said Bettman said in a news release. “Kevin Cheveldayoff was not a member of the Blackhawks senior leadership team in 2010, and I cannot, therefore, assign to him responsibility for the Club’s actions, or inactions. He provided a full account of his degree of involvement in the matter, which was limited exclusively to his attendance at a single meeting, and I found him to be extremely forthcoming and credible in our discussion.”

An investigation report released on Tuesday found that the Blackhawks mishandled allegations of an assistant coach sexually assaulting a player during the 2010 season.

The Blackhawks hired Jenner & Block to conduct what they called an independent review in response to two lawsuits filed against the franchise: one by player Kyle Beach alleging sexual assault by then-assistant coach Brad Aldrich in 2010 and another filed by a former student whom Aldrich was convicted of assaulting in Michigan.

Cheveldayoff was with the team at that time as an assistant general manager.

The Blackhawks were fined $2 million by the NHL. General Manager and President of Hockey Operations Stan Bowman resigned from his position.

Joel Quenneville, the head coach of the Blackhawks from 2008 to 2019, met with Bettman on Thursday afternoon and resigned from his position as Florida Panthers head coach soon after.

In a statement on the NHL website, the league said Cheveldayoff’s participation at a May 23, 2010 meeting involving senior leaders from Blackhawks management was 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,” the statement by the NHL said.

The NHL added that as assistant general manager at the time, Cheveldayoff was the lowest ranking club official, and was learning of the subject matter for the first time in the presence of Bowman, his then-boss, then-CEO John McDonough and then-head coach Quenneville.

“He had limited familiarity with the personnel involved; and he was essentially an observer to the discussion of possible next steps, which discussion, apparently, ended with Cheveldayoff believing that the matter was going to be investigated,” the NHL said.

The league also noted Cheveldayoff’s role with the Blackhawks at the time left him without the authority to make appropriate organizational decisions relating to the incident, and he did not have sufficient information to assess whether the matter was being adequately addressed by the Blackhawks.

“In short, Cheveldayoff was not a participant in either the formulation or execution of the Club’s response.”

CHEVELDAYOFF RELEASES STATEMENT

Cheveldayoff released a statement Friday in response to the NHL’s findings, saying he wanted to express his support and empathy for Kyle Beach and all he has had to endure since 2010.

“He was incredibly brave coming forward to tell his story. We can all use his courage as an inspiration to do a better job of making hockey a safer space for anyone who wants to play the game,” the statement said.

He also expressed gratitude to the NHL for the opportunity to meet with Bettman and share his recollection of events when he was assistant general manager of the Blackhawks in 2010.

- With files from CTV’s Joey Slattery and Devon McKendrick