PWHL Minnesota has found itself back in the spotlight for the wrong reasons. Months after firing their General Manager, head coach Ken Klee has found himself in the hot seat due to a former staff memeber coming forward and alleging there was a “toxic and unprofessional work environment” with the club.
First reported by The Hockey News, the staff member, who requested to stay anonymous, shared their experience with the outlet.
“The rumbling from the “lower end girls,” were that basically they feel bullied by the veterans and the leadership group, because they’re all tight with Ken (Klee) and they’ve got Ken’s ear,” they said. “Ken was telling players to not go on the ice because they were taking reps away from the important players who were actually going to play.”
Ken Klee’s Path To PWHL Minnesota
Klee became the head coach of PWHL Minnesota just before the start of the season. He played in the NHL as a defenceman in the 90s and 2000s with several teams. Most notably, Klee played with the Washington Capitals for nine seasons before getting traded to Toronto. After retirement, he turned to coaching and was behind the bench for the U.S. Women’s team at the 2015 and 2016 for the Four Nations Cup.
Originally, Charlie Burggraf was the head coach of Minnesota, but stepped down a week before the first game. Klee received the call and immediately headed out to the North Star State.
When Klee was interviewing for the position, he originally wanted to be both the head coach and the general manager. Once Burggraf vacated the position, Klee came in and worked with then GM Natalie Darwitz. Darwitz was fired in June, and news came out that Klee and captain Kendall Coyne-Schofield led the charge for her to be removed due to “clash” between Klee and Darwiz.
“When Charlie was let go and Ken came in, it couldn’t have been more opposite. Arrogant, smug…from that day forward there started to be a divide in my opinion; divide in the staff, divide in the players, it became a very toxic environment,” said a former staff member to The Hockey News about Klee and Darwitz’s relationship. “There were times when you could tell Ken and Natalie went above and beyond to not cross paths.”
These anonymous members of Minnesota’s staff had glowing and raving reviews of Darwitz. The review that the PWHL conducted proved that not everyone at the club felt that way.
The Current Allegations Against Klee
After the first person came forward, more people shared their experiences. They claimed that Klee had used the r-word in conversation. He referred to a younger player with the nickname “Dumbo”, and made a statement directed at a player on another team about their race when watching film.
Additionally, Klee notified a handful of employees this past week who were hired by Darwitz that they will not be returning to the club next season.
“I have never seen something so toxic and handled so unprofessionally,” one person said.
The PWHL has stated they are investigating these claims and will act based upon what they find. Their whole statement provided to The Hockey News is as follows:
“The PWHL is committed to fostering a culture and workplace environment that is inclusive, respectful, and free from misconduct. From the beginning of the league, personnel have been assessed through various means, including external professional reviews, an anonymous tip line, and internal evaluations. We hold ourselves to the highest standards. All reports are taken seriously, and we will continue to investigate, assess, and act accordingly based on our findings.”
What could the future look like for the League?
As the PWHL continues to investigate these allegations, it brings up a larger issue that we see in women’s professional sports. People in positions of power are abusing the pull they have and creating environments that are no longer safe to the athletes.
A prime example is the Sally Yates report of the NWSL in 2022. The report investigated allegations about emotional and sexual abuse by former managers in the NWSL. It brings up the failures that the league, clubs and the entire body of U.S. Soccer made in trying to mitigate and eradicate the abuse.
While that might not be the same level or severity of abuse that people in the PWHL Minnesota’s player pool, coaching staff or front office is facing, the league has an obilgation to make sure it doesn’t get any worse. The allegations need to be taken seriously and investigated thoroughly.
Conversely, the league could find some harmful stuff in their investigation and take the necessary steps to correct the wrongdoings. That would ensure that the behaviour doesn’t continue.
Either way, this is a really important moment in the PWHL’s history and how the league responds will set a standard going forward.
Main Photo: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
