Winnipeg Jets coach Paul Maurice says he is relieved for Kevin Cheveldayoff after the team’s general manager was not given any punishment by the NHL following a meeting with commissioner Gary Bettman on Friday about the Chicago Blackhawks’ sexual abuse scandal.
“You know, the lowest man on the totem pole is the easiest to get rid of,” Maurice said in a lengthy press conference with reporters after the team’s practice in San Jose on Friday. “Had there been anything close to on gathering what was decided upon with the other men, then that decision would have been easy and simple for the league. So, I’m relieved for Kevin and for his family, because I believe him in what he says and I believe in him.”
A report published this week after an independent investigation by Jenner & Block shed new light on sexual assault allegations against a Blackhawks coach during the team’s run to the 2010 Stanley Cup. Among the key findings in the report were witness testimony about a meeting on May 23, 2010 involving members of the Blackhawks leadership team — including general manager Stan Bowman, team executives John McDonough, Al MacIsaac and Jay Blunk and head coach Joel Quenneville. Cheveldayoff, who was the assistant GM with the Blackhawks at the time, was also present.
But Bettman said in a statement Cheveldayoff was not a member of the Blackhawks’ senior leadership team and could not be held responsible for the club’s actions.
“There’ll be members of the media and there will be people out there and say, ‘Why didn’t everybody go?,'” Maurice said. “Because it wouldn’t have been right, because they look, they investigated and they looked through and they talked to everyone they could. And at the end of it, serious people who brought down serious consequences said, ‘No, it shouldn’t happen here. That wouldn’t be right.’ And I trust them.”
Cheveldayoff did not address the media on Friday, but released a statement.
Statement from Winnipeg Jets General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff: pic.twitter.com/lgiS5jbH5s
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) October 29, 2021
Maurice said he hasn’t read the report, but has watched the interview with Kyle Beach, who identified himself as John Doe. The coach also said Cheveldayoff addressed the team earlier this week in Los Angeles.
“He was adamant that all players are included in this room and have a right to be in this room and and I’m not going to do it justice,” Maurice said. “It was strong and it was good … To talk, it was impactful, it was important. Let me let me just say this. I believe him and I believe in him as a man.”
Jets winger Brenden Dillon said his thoughts were with Beach, a fellow B.C. native.
“When I heard that Kyle was John Doe — he’s from B.C. where I grew up, we played against each other — it just you makes you open your eyes. He’s not somebody I’m talking with all the time, but someone you feel like you know. It’s tough to watch for anybody. I think we all feel terrible for him.”
Jets owner Mark Chipman and Cheveldayoff will meet with the media on Monday, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
Jets coach Paul Maurice says he’s relieved for GM Kevin Cheveldayoff
Source: Healthy Lifestyle
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