Quenneville coached the Blackhawks for 11 seasons beginning in 2008 and won the Stanley Cup with them in 2010, 2013 and 2015 before being fired Nov. 6, 2018. The 63-year-old was in his third season with the Panthers.
"The National Hockey League agrees with the decision tonight by Joel Quenneville to resign his duties as head coach of the Florida Panthers," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. "In his former role as Chicago Blackhawks head coach, Mr. Quenneville was among several former members of the Club's senior leadership group who mishandled the 2010 sexual assault claim by former player Kyle Beach against the Club's then-video coach, Brad Aldrich. And, following a meeting with Mr. Quenneville that took place this afternoon in my office, all parties agreed that it was no longer appropriate that he continue to serve as Florida's head coach.
"I admire Kyle Beach for his courage in coming forward, am appalled that he was so poorly supported upon making his initial claim and in the 11 years since, and am sorry for all he has endured.
"We thank the Panthers' organization for working with us to ensure that a thorough process was followed. Given the result, there is no need for any further action by the NHL regarding Mr. Quenneville at this time. However, should he wish to re-enter the League in some capacity in the future, I will require a meeting with him in advance in order to determine the appropriate conditions under which such new employment might take place."
Andrew Brunette was named Panthers coach Friday; previously an assistant under Quenneville, Brunette's first game will be later Friday, when Florida visits the Detroit Red Wings (7 p.m. ET; ESPN+, HULU, NHL LIVE).
Brunette, who had been an assistant under Quenneville, said Friday his status is "day to day," and he's trying to help the Panthers get through this.
"It's been a whirlwind for obviously everybody involved, and it's been a real sad day for hockey with Kyle Beach and everything he's gone through," Brunette said. "We really feel for him. Our sympathies are for
at the center of the investigation into the allegations against Aldrich and the Blackhawks. The No. 11 pick of the 2008 NHL Draft, Beach, now 31, never played in the NHL. He was 20 years old at the time of the alleged incident.
"It's a big step for me, my process of recovery, as I process the events that happened and as I truly deal with the underlying issues that I have from them," Beach said. "For me, I wanted to come forward and put my name on this. To be honest, it's already out there. The details were pretty accurate in the report, and it's been figured out. More than that, I've been a survivor, I am a survivor. And I know I'm not alone."
