Content warning: This article contains alleged depictions of sexual assault.
Four years after he resigned from the Florida Panthers amid a sexual-assault investigation involving his former team, Joel Quenneville is back in the NHL. Quenneville will reportedly become Anaheim Ducks' next head coach, according to multiple reports.
The news comes less than a year after Quenneville was reinstated by the NHL following his resignation from the Panthers in 2021. Quenneville resigned as the team's head coach after the NHL launched an investigation into claims Chicago Blackhawks' video coach Brad Aldrich sexually assaulted two players in 2010. Quenneville served as the Blackhawks' head coach from 2008 to 2019, when the alleged assault reportedly occurred.
An independent investigation into those claims found that Quenneville — as well as multiple members of the Blackhawks' front office — were aware of the allegations against Aldrich, but declined to take action until three weeks after those allegations came to light within the organization. Prior to the independent investigation's findings, Quenneville claimed he was unaware of the alleged assault.
The Blackhawks were in the midst of a playoff run at the time, and team executives reportedly did not want to invite negative publicity during the postseason. The Blackhawks went on to win the Stanley Cup that season. It was the team's first championship in nearly 50 years.
The investigation also found that another instance of sexual assault involving Aldrich and a player allegedly occurred during the three-week window in which members of the team knew about the allegations surrounding Aldrich, but did not report them to the Blackhawks' human resources department.
At the time that report was released, Quenneville was in his third season as the Panthers' head coach. A day after the investigation's findings were released, Quenneville coached the Panthers, sparking outrage from fans and others in the hockey world. The next day, Quenneville resigned.
Following Quenneville's resignation, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said he would need to meet with the coach before he could hold another job in the NHL. In July 2024, Quenneville — along with other members of the Blackhawks' front office — was reinstated by the league.
Shortly after the independent investigation findings came to light, former Blackhawks prospect Kyle Beach came forward as one of the players who was reportedly assaulted by Aldrich. At the time, Beach — who was selected by the team in the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft — claimed many within the organization were aware of the alleged abuse. Multiple former Blackhawks players and staff members said they — and the team — were aware of the reported abuse.
Following the team's 2010 Stanley Cup win, the Blackhawks went on to win the Stanley Cup in both 2013 and 2015. All three championships came under Quenneville.
After a slow start to open the 2018-19 NHL season, the Blackhawks fired Quenneville. He joined the Panthers the following year, and put up a 79-40 record with the franchise before his resignation.
This story will be updated.