The Flyers-Oilers provided a wild end to Philadelphia’s opening period in their 5-3 win. Connor McDavid got his seventh win of the year with 17.8 seconds remaining to tie the game at 2. Cam Atkinson responded with 0.7 seconds remaining to give the Flyers their lead.
After Kyle Beach’s interview, NHL, Blackhawks and Panthers have much to learn
The hockey world still struggles to comprehend Kyle Beach’s honest, heartbreaking and courageous interview.
Beach hopes people will learn from his mistakes so that it doesn’t happen again. His goals extend far beyond hockey and the NHL.
People fail early tests, unfortunately.
The Blackhawks issued a press statement after the Beach interview was aired. They apologized for the “then-executives’ and their “delay in taking action” on the allegations against Brad Aldrich. Beach stated that Joel Quenneville believed that winning a Stanley Cup was more important that [addressing] sexual abuse during the interview with Rick Westhead.
In the second paragraph, it also mentioned “a new leadership team that is dedicated to winning championships.”
“Tone deaf,” is a broad description of the Blackhawks’ statements regarding Beach’s interview.
Tone deaf: Joel Quenneville, appearing behind the Florida Panthers bench after the release of the investigation and Beach’s interview. It would be prudent for Quenneville wait at least until his Thursday meeting with Gary Bettman, before he returns to the role of Panthers head coach.
Quenneville wasn’t made available to media after the Panthers beat Bruins. Instead, Bill Zito, Panthers General Manager, made the announcement.
The NHLPA Executive Director Donald Fehr issued a statement on Wednesday night, in response to the Blackhawks Report. It stated that Beach had informed union representatives about the abuse.
“Kyle Beach went through a terrible experience and showed great courage by sharing his story. It is clear that he was not supported by the system in his time of greatest need. We are all part of that system.
In a media interview, Mr. Beach said that he had told someone at NHLPA about what happened several months later. He refers to one of the NHL/NHLPA program doctors. Although the program is confidential between the players and the doctors it should have led to further action from our side due to the serious nature of the incident. It was a grave failure that it didn’t. “I am deeply sorry and will make changes to prevent it from happening again.”
The NHL and its teams have not been quick to respond to similar situations. The league should make long-term decisions to avoid similar situations in the future and hold all those responsible accountable.
The results so far aren’t encouraging, however.
The Panthers are undefeated but not unblemished
Normaly, a Panthers team that improves to 7-0-0 is a good story. It’s great to see Anthony Duclair really establish himself as a top NHL scorer.
Joel Quenneville’s continued presence behind the Panthers bench dampens all those happy feelings. The Panthers chose to have Bill Zito offer a lengthy “no comment” statement after the game.
The Panthers are a team that has been insignificant for years and must fight for attention. This decision will attract almost all the attention if Quenneville is not placed on leave (at least).
