The National Hockey League announced that they will reinstate disgraced Chicago Blackhawks staff members Stan Bowman, Joel Quenneville, and Al MacIsaac, and they can be hired effective July 10th.
NHL Reinstates Three Discraced Blackhawks Staffers
#NHL announces that former #Blackhawks executives Stan Bowman, Joel Quenneville and Al MacIsaac have been reinstated and are now eligible to seek employment in the league again.
Can be hired after July 10. pic.twitter.com/AVjkHLbeJP
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) July 1, 2024
Three main pieces of the front office staff behind the Chicago Blackhawks team that won three Stanley Cups in five years, have been reinstated following their indefinite suspension from the NHL.
Stan Bowman was the General Manager of the Chicago Blackhawks and is the son of Hall of Fame Head Coach and executive Scotty Bowman. He, along with the other two members of the organization reinstated, failed to properly report the error and decided to focus on the upcoming 2010 Stanley Cup Finals. He was fired in 2021 due to his mishandling of the assault back in 2010.
Joel Quenneville, who was coaching the Florida Panthers, was fired from the Blackhawks after a 6-6-3 start to the 2018 season. Quenneville was involved in meetings with upper staff members before the 2010 Stanley Cup finals and resigned from his position in Florida following meetings with Gary Bettman to discuss his role in the allegations.
Al MacIsaac was the Senior Vice President of the Chicago Blackhawks and resigned in 2021 following the allegations.
How This Affects The NHL
Although there will forever be the stain of the 2010 sexual assault allegations on their resume, NHL executives now have experienced staff members if there is a vacancy.
As of July 10th, they can apply for jobs in the NHL, and it can be assumed that a team will take the PR heat and hire one of the three.
Stan Bowman, a GM that took a young core to three cups in five years, will most likely get some looks from teams looking for an executive to help bring in the right pieces and carry them over the top. Although the Oilers have someone in the interim general manager role, they could look to bring on the former executive as they have been looking to win their first cup since 1990.
The same applies to Joel Quenneville. Although the Columbus Blue Jackets’ head coaching job is expected to be filled within the next few weeks, there will be other vacancies that open up within the next season or two as teams underperform and look to save their season.
MAIN PHOTO: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
