[News] NHL will not discipline Cheveldayoff with respect to Brad Aldrich

[YYC in LAX]

Embarrassing PR/QA. Roundabout pathetic answers IMO.

[powderjunkie]

Is everyone under the impression that the May 23 meeting contained complete and explicitly details of the full extent of the incident(s)?

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by powderjunkie

Is everyone under the impression that the May 23 meeting contained complete and explicitly details of the full extent of the incident(s)?

No, but it’s my impression they knew enough. And didn’t ask more.

[Macindoc]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

First of all, not keeping in their lane is one of the best ways for senior managers to get fired.

Secondly, ‘assistant GM’ in the NHL is not a senior management position. It's pretty much the bottom level of management, there may be multiple people with that title, and their duties vary widely from one team to another and even from one AGM to another in the organization.



Try ‘no authority to override the people who were supposed to be doing that job’.

I believe it was mentioned that several of the people at the crucial meeting didn't even remember that Cheveldayoff was there. That doesn't make it sound like he had enough authority for anyone even to bother paying attention to him. It appears that nobody involved was required to report to him, and a year after the incident he was out of the organization.

Aldrich was dealt with by the Blackhawks' HR department, and after that, I don't suppose Cheveldayoff was privy to any information that showed the incident had not been adequately dealt with. If he had gone public about it, it would have been with incomplete evidence, legally classifiable as hearsay. He couldn't have filed a credible police report unless other Blackhawks employees were willing to be involved.

Now, I could be wrong about these things, but clearly Bettman and the investigators did not find any proof that would implicate Cheveldayoff beyond his presence at the meeting. I don't believe that in itself constitutes grounds to fire him from a different job at a different employer over a decade later.

You’re right, it could cost someone their job. But it’s not a junior position; aside from the board of directors and ownership, who are generally not involved in day to day management, only the GM and president of hockey ops are more senior. It’s not like he was an intern. And you hope that people in such a position have the courage to do the right thing when they become aware that the organization is not taking immediate action to rectify a dangerous and unethical situation.

I agree that there may not have been many measures Cheveldayoff could have taken within the organization, aside from asking his superiors why Aldrich was still there instead of being immediately suspended pending any investigation by the club. But there was nothing stopping him from reporting the situation to police, other than the fear of losing his job (and if fired he would have had a legitimate grievance).

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by Macindoc

You’re right, it could cost someone their job. But it’s not a junior position; aside from the board of directors and ownership, who are generally not involved in day to day management, only the GM and president of hockey ops are more senior.

And nobody in management is more junior. Unless an AGM is specifically put in charge of a department, nobody reports to him.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

No, but it’s my impression they knew enough. And didn’t ask more.

I think at the press conference today it was claimed that only some verbal harassment and text messages were mentioned at the meeting, I could be wrong.

If Chevy did know more, when did he find out? How? From who? Would he hear the same rumours as the coach, who spends a considerable amount of time in the room and in direct contact with the players?

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

I think at the press conference today it was claimed that only some verbal harassment and text messages were mentioned at the meeting, I could be wrong.

If Chevy did know more, when did he find out? How? From who? Would he hear the same rumours as the coach, who spends a considerable amount of time in the room and in direct contact with the players?

The point is that they were pretty eager not to know.

it’s a little suspect that an all hands meeting like that was called over text messages and verbal harassment.

[Saqe]

Haven't followed this story after Q got fired. Can someone fill me in if Winnipeg is going to fire Chevy too? Or what's going on. Too lazy to read the whole thread.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Saqe

Haven't followed this story after Q got fired. Can someone fill me in if Winnipeg is going to fire Chevy too? Or what's going on. Too lazy to read the whole thread.

The answer is no. Nothing is going to happen to him.

[Saqe]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

The answer is no. Nothing is going to happen to him.

I thought he was in the meeting and the whole time. What's his excuse for not doing anything? Not that I really care but seems like a double standard.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by Saqe

Haven't followed this story after Q got fired. Can someone fill me in if Winnipeg is going to fire Chevy too? Or what's going on. Too lazy to read the whole thread.

Originally Posted by Saqe

I thought he was in the meeting and the whole time. What's his excuse for not doing anything? Not that I really care but seems like a double standard.

No offense, but if you're too lazy to read the whole thread or watch the interview, it's probably best to just leave it.

There's a lot of discussion on why his involvement was different (or wasn't according to others), so you're not going to get an easy summary without bias.

[CGY12]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

I think at the press conference today it was claimed that only some verbal harassment and text messages were mentioned at the meeting, I could be wrong.

If Chevy did know more, when did he find out? How? From who? Would he hear the same rumours as the coach, who spends a considerable amount of time in the room and in direct contact with the players?

If thats actually true, that is reason enough for immediate investigation and putting the coach on leave by the org, regardless of where you are in the playoffs. So that excuse doesn't hold any clout IMO. Coach Q, Bowman and whoever else was involved in just turning the page are pathetic excuse for leaders and human beings.

[SutterBrother]

I wonder how Cheveldayoff’s behavior would have differed if it was his own 20 year old son who was sexually assaulted?

Probably would have just let HR handle it after a couple cup parties and a parade with the abuser.

I mean he was the “junior” executive in the room right? Only 41 years old. Can’t expect him to act like an adult at that age…

Plus in the 10 years since, he had other things to worry about.

Its a joke he’s still employed.

[GioforPM]

If Chevy had no say at the meeting or no power to do anything why was he even there?

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

If Chevy had no say at the meeting or no power to do anything why was he even there?

You’ve never been required to attend a meeting that didn’t pertain to you at all? It’s what meetings were invented for.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

You’ve never been required to attend a meeting that didn’t pertain to you at all? It’s what meetings were invented for.

I have always felt at any meeting I was called to, especially of senior management, that I had the ability to speak up. And as AGM I suspect guys from the minors were more in his bailiwick.

This wasn’t an assembly hall meeting. It was an emergency meeting of the top brass. Q said it was highly unusual. The downplaying by Chevy is weasely IMO. And then the rest of his conference is about how great he is and how he doesn’t have to ask his staff - anyone knows they can come to him.

Chevy’s the Sgt. Schultz of the Blackhawks.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

And what should Chevy have said when he spoke up at the meeting?

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

And what should Chevy have said when he spoke up at the meeting?

“I think we need to suspend him today. We should also have an investigation for the full story and if it’s all true, we need to fire him.”

Guess what they would have found out if that happened? Not only was it all true, it was worse, and they maybe call the cops.

I find this “it was text messages and verbal harassment” story a little far fetched, give there were two or three coaches and two veteran players that knew what happened.

[dustygoon]

I don't know. I think Q and Bowman being launched into the sun is reasonable. But it's plausible that 1) the description of the abuse by others in that meeting was misread or muted and 2) Chevy being the low man on the totem pole could have assumed others would handle it. He might not have read the severity of this issue to be of the whistleblower variety.

Not great, but the focus shouldn't be on Chevy. It should be on 1) helping Kyle reach a fair settlement without Chicago undermining his case, 2) examining the toxic culture at the Blackhawks and the league itself including Bettman transitioning out, and 3) setting up training, incentives, and punishments to avoid this in the future including looping in Sheldon Kennedy. A public hanging of Bowman to send a message should be in the cards....never allowed to work for the NHL again, fine, etc.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by dustygoon

I don't know. I think Q and Bowman being launched into the sun is reasonable. But it's plausible that 1) the description of the abuse by others in that meeting was misread or muted and 2) Chevy being the low man on the totem pole could have assumed others would handle it. He might not have read the severity of this issue to be of the whistleblower variety.

Not great, but the focus shouldn't be on Chevy. It should be on 1) helping Kyle reach a fair settlement without Chicago undermining his case, 2) examining the toxic culture at the Blackhawks and the league itself including Bettman transitioning out, and 3) setting up training, incentives, and punishments to avoid this in the future including looping in Sheldon Kennedy. A public hanging of Bowman to send a message should be in the cards....never allowed to work for the NHL again, fine, etc.

I have never said “fire Chevy”. I think he just shouldn’t get completely away with his shoulder shrug. He was almost patting himself on the back for how the Jets are run.