Touching on a variety of topics before the start of the Stanley Cup Final, Commissioner Gary Bettman spoke directly about the futures of executive Stan Bowman and head coach Joel Quenneville. With both rumored to be speaking reinstatement into the NHL, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports that neither will be back in the league next season.
Around this time last season, at the same press conference, Bettman confirmed that both were seeking individual appointments to consider reinstatement. As things would turn out, neither has returned to the NHL and may never be awarded reinstatement while Bettman is Commissioner.
Both Qunneville and Bowman resigned from their previous positions in 2021 after both were found partly responsible for “inadequate internal procedures and insufficient and untimely response in the handling of matters related to former video coach Brad Aldrich’s employment” according to the league’s investigation of the sexual assault allegations made by former-player Kyle Beach during the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs. Despite rumored interest around the league over the last two years, it appears both will have to continue and wait for Bettman to consider reinstatement.
Other notes:
- According to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, Deputy Commissioner of the NHL, Bill Daly, has begun taking calls from numerous General Managers across the league regarding LTIR usage around the salary cap in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Unlikely to be resolved before the end of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement between the league and the NHLPA, it is most likely an issue that will be debated over the next rendition of the CBA. Over the last several years, teams such as the Chicago Blackhawks, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Vegas Golden Knights have allegedly kept players “hidden” on LTIR throughout the regular season, only to be activated for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs to avoid the need for salary cap compliance.
- Even if the Blackhawks take Artyom Levshunov with the second-overall selection in the 2024 NHL Draft according to their reported interest, he may not be playing for them next season. In an interview between Levshunov and Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago, Levshunov is undecided about playing in the NHL next or returning to Michigan State University for his sophomore season. If selected by Chicago, it is more than likely that Levshunov would have direct access to top-level minutes, which could be enticing for the 18-year-old Belarusian. However, if Levshunov slips to third overall and winds up in Anaheim, a loaded defensive pipeline may make Levshunov reconsider and push his rookie campaign a year or two down the road.
Some lucky stupid team that would even think of hiring Bowman just got a huge break as long as Bettman never dies.
Even if the Hawks take Levshunov I’m sure they’d be happy to let him go back to school. The Hawks have enough D-Men to sort through for next year to see if they can make the NHL or end up in Rockford. Del Mastro, Allan, Kaiser Roos, Phillip, Crevier to go with Jones, Vlasic, Korchinski, Murphy. There’s a lot to process already. He can stay in school if he wants.
Those slimeballs can rot in Hockey Pergatory.
Purgatory is too good for them DarkSide. Send em directly to hell.
Hey, I just didn’t want to say the word.
God forgives, man does not.
Just proves God makes dumb mistakes too.
You know who’s forgiven Joel Quenneville? Kyle Beach.
Funny how the victim of this inncident says Coach Q should be reinstated but people totally uninvolved prefer to virtue signal.
Good on Kyle!
Good for the victim forgiving these guys.
But that isn’t the only consideration. It’s also about incentivizing the next people in the same situation. Turning a blind eye to rape in exchange for a Stanley Cup. That’s a big incentive to sweep a lot of things under the rug.
A lifetime ban now might be necessary to prevent a similar situation in the future.
Kyle thinks Coach Q should be reinstated. That’s good enough for me.
It’s quite reasonable for the league to have a much stricter standard than you have.
It’s not about me, it’s about the parties involved in the inncident, of which you’re not one of.
You’re not either, so maybe you need to follow your own logic and not have an opinion? But I know you’re just virtue signaling how edgy you are so you can’t.
Amazing how you wrote an entire post about what you think the league should do while I simply supported the position of Mr. Beach. Take your projecting elsewhere.
Allegedly…
8 comments are hidden because you muted the comment authors
Thank you PHR for the Mute button.
Let’s make it 9…
“Hooray for safe spaces, now I won’t be triggered….like all the snowflakes!!! Irony is lost on me!!!”
No one likes the principal but…objectively speaking Gary Bettman was, in fact, a great commissioner for the NHL (grew the game in many ways)…until he put himself in the HOF.
Ever since then, he’s been mailing it in with his feet on the desk and making more bad decisions than good, so…
Let’s enjoy this broken clock moment.
Hopefully Gary Buttman is replaced soon
The Ducks may have a loaded defense pipeline, but not so much on the right side. Sounds more like he doesn’t want to play in Anaheim.
Unfortunately, this is a cultural problem and not solely the cause of two men within the industry.
I would further my case by comparing this to the recent betting in basketball and baseball. Leagues are setting examples to dissuade future incidents, and I highly doubt either coach or GM will be reinstated.