Blackhawks

#54      
Tear it down; build it back differently.
Every person who was in that room in San Jose in 2010 who is still with the organization should be fired. Quenneville and the Jets GM should both be suspended at least through this season, if not the next. Gary Bettman has an opportunity to make a very strong statement here.

Who am I kidding? Stan was allowed to "step aside," the Hawks won't fire anyone else, and Bettman really doesn't care about making statements. As per usual, nothing will change, although be on the lookout for strongly-worded statements about how this sort of thing must never happen again.
 
#57      

ChiefGritty

Chicago, IL
As per usual, nothing will change, although be on the lookout for strongly-worded statements about how this sort of thing must never happen again.
The good news is that the background reality on this stuff has changed night-and-day since this incident occurred. No one in power looks at this stuff the way they did in 2010. They fear the consequences of failing to protect the little people in the organization.

(Beach being a top draft pick and therefore ostensibly one of the most valuable assets in the organization is a very inexplicable detail, I don't know what to make of that)
 
#58      
(Beach being a top draft pick and therefore ostensibly one of the most valuable assets in the organization is a very inexplicable detail, I don't know what to make of that)

That may be the single most bizarre thing about all this to me. He was the 11th overall pick in ‘08 and had just scored 52 goals for Spokane the season leading into this thing happening to him.

Why wasn’t there significantly more concern about one of the team’s top young assets? Why didn’t the GM bring down hell fire on a coach who did this to his draft pick? (Yeah, I know Bowman wasn’t GM yet when Beach was picked, but he was assistant GM.) In subsequent years, were the Hawks’ brass sitting around wondering why things weren’t working out for this kid who’d had so much promise?

I’m not saying a lesser prospect would deserve worse treatment. Just that if anyone were to be treated this callously how could it have possibly been this kid?
 
#59      
That may be the single most bizarre thing about all this to me. He was the 11th overall pick in ‘08 and had just scored 52 goals for Spokane the season leading into this thing happening to him.

Why wasn’t there significantly more concern about one of the team’s top young assets? Why didn’t the GM bring down hell fire on a coach who did this to his draft pick? (Yeah, I know Bowman wasn’t GM yet when Beach was picked, but he was assistant GM.) In subsequent years, were the Hawks’ brass sitting around wondering why things weren’t working out for this kid who’d had so much promise?

I’m not saying a lesser prospect would deserve worse treatment. Just that if anyone were to be treated this callously how could it have possibly been this kid?

The coach is in a protected class of the alphabet mafia. The Blackhawks would have been branded as intolerant.
 
#60      

chiefini

Rockford, Illinois
As a lifelong Blackhawks fan, the three most disturbing parts of this for me are the facts that Beach has suffered immeasurably for the past 11 years in silence, the accused Coach got to celebrate the Stanley Cup victory, participate in the festivities, and even take The Cup home with him after being accused, and finally, that a coach I considered “the best coach in hockey” turns out to be a horrible human being.
 
#61      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky
As a lifelong Blackhawks fan, the three most disturbing parts of this for me are the facts that Beach has suffered immeasurably for the past 11 years in silence, the accused Coach got to celebrate the Stanley Cup victory, participate in the festivities, and even take The Cup home with him after being accused, and finally, that a coach I considered “the best coach in hockey” turns out to be a horrible human being.
As a former Blues coach also..........disturbing to find out peeps that you respect deserve none.....
 
#62      
As a lifelong Blackhawks fan, the three most disturbing parts of this for me are the facts that Beach has suffered immeasurably for the past 11 years in silence, the accused Coach got to celebrate the Stanley Cup victory, participate in the festivities, and even take The Cup home with him after being accused, and finally, that a coach I considered “the best coach in hockey” turns out to be a horrible human being.
I agree with all of that, and would add that Toews turns out to not be a leader at all, and just went along with the boys. I have a Toews sweater, but I will be ordering one with a different name on it.
 
#64      
And in a move that makes no sense considering the issues the replacement is having right now, Bill Guerin is expected to be named as Bowman's replacement as GM of the U.S. Men's Olympic Hockey Team.
 
#65      

bdutts

Houston, Texas
There's apparently some discussion that Eddie Olczyk may pursue the position of President of Hockey Operations that Bowman had.

I would definitely vet him to see what he did or didn't know, if they go that way. I'd also dig around to see what happened when he was coach of the Penguins. "media" apparently knew what happened to Beach as per the interview. Not sure if that was radio and television crew or beat writers or whatever. But I would dig around and see what they can uncover.

I'd prefer they go outside of the org for the Hockey Ops and GM roles to get a fresh perspective.
 
#66      
As a lifelong Blackhawks fan, the three most disturbing parts of this for me are the facts that Beach has suffered immeasurably for the past 11 years in silence, the accused Coach got to celebrate the Stanley Cup victory, participate in the festivities, and even take The Cup home with him after being accused, and finally, that a coach I considered “the best coach in hockey” turns out to be a horrible human being.

To your first point: We must now ask, how many OTHERS have been suffering in silence as well? Years and years to account for due to the sordid behavior of a predator (and others like him. There have been similar incidents in hockey history).

To your second point: We must be aware that MOST things never come to light. Most things stay successfully hidden. In the sports world and all others. How many others in hockey and other sports have been allowed to celebrate victory while victims suffered in silence?

To your third point: JOE PATERNO. And other “beloved” successful coaches who got caught (and the many that didn't).

I have great respect for Blackhawk fans who have had to put up with decades of nonsense from a franchise that uses the passion of the fans as a shield for treating them badly. And as I pointed out earlier, this is a generational pattern.

You love your team, but you hate what they have done and you wonder if things will really ever change. And instead of sports being a refuge of fun, it becomes complicated and upsetting just like everything else.
 
#67      

Illiniaaron

Geneseo, IL
I looked up the longest winless streak to start a season and it was 15 by the Rangers in the 1940s. Almost two thirds of the way there. This team is so bad, season is over before it began.
 
#68      
I looked up the longest winless streak to start a season and it was 15 by the Rangers in the 1940s. Almost two thirds of the way there. This team is so bad, season is over before it began.

I still don't hate the roster. I'll be interested to see what this team looks like with a new coach.
 
#70      
How is Colliton still the coach of this team??
I have held the belief that he'll be here up to Thanksgiving and launched sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

That said, I can't help but wonder how/if the Kyle Beach story affects Colliton's status.
 
#75      

Joel Goodson

respect my decision™
It wasn't working and had to be done, but the majority of this failure is on the players and Bowman.

They couldn't elevate Crawford. I can't stand King, but evidently he's strictly a place holder. If Davidson picks the new HC, he'll get the interim tag lifted.