The name is gone but the reminder will remain.
According to Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press, the Hockey Hall of Fame has etched former Chicago Blackhawks video coach and sexual abuser Bradley Aldrich’s name from the 2010 Stanley Cup engraving with a series of x’s.
Aldrich was found to have sexually assaulted former Blackhawks prospect and first-round pick Kyle Beach after an investigation was launched independently following allegations brought to the fore from Beach and his legal team earlier this year. The assault occurred during Chicago’s run the Stanley Cup in 2010 while Beach was a member of the Black Aces. Aldrich leveraged his position of power over Beach, who was 20 at time time, as a member of the coaching staff and decision-making core on the team the prospect was trying to break onto.
Both Aldrich and Beach were included in the Stanley Cup celebrations only weeks after the assault occurred and after a complaint was made and information reached members of management. The decision was made to ignore the complaints at the time, and the issue wasn’t brought to human resources until the championship was won. Aldrich was allowed to leave the organization quietly, but not before Aldrich made unwanted advances on another employee.
He would still receive a Stanley Cup ring and a day with the Stanley Cup that summer.
Aldrich continued his abuse and misuse of power in the years after being allowed to leave free of punishment. He was convicted and sentenced to nine months in prison after sexually assaulting a 16-year-old high-school athlete in 2013.
Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz issued an ask last week of the Hockey Hall of Fame to remove Aldrich’s name from the trophy the organization has won three times since 2010.
Wirtz wrote in the letter: “Aldrich’s involvement with the team during the 2010 season has cast a pall on the players’ extraordinary work that year. The names of some of hockey’s most talented athletes appear on the Stanley Cup. But so does the name ‘Brad Aldrich’ whose role as video coach made him eligible for the engraving. His conduct disqualified him, however, and it was a mistake to submit his name. We are sorry we allowed it to happen.”
The name was struck from trophy on Sunday, officially. The names of the Tampa Bay Lightning were also added that day.
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