Blackhawks sued again for ignoring assaults - ESPN

A second former player has sued the Chicago Blackhawks, claiming they covered up sexual assault allegations leveled against video coach Brad Aldrich in 2010.

The lawsuit, which was filed on Thursday in Cook County (Illinois) Circuit Court, cites 15 counts of negligence, and claims that Aldrich «groomed, harassed, threatened, and assaulted» the player, who is remaining anonymous as John Doe. In a news conference Monday, Doe's lawyer, Antonio Romanucci of Romanucci & Blandin, claimed the Blackhawks «allowed and perpetuated the conduct, and placed winning over the health and welfare of its players.»

John Doe's lawyers identified him as a player who was between 19 and 20 years old when he was called up as a Black Ace — a prospect who joins the team for the postseason — during Chicago's run to the 2010 Stanley Cup Final. During that time, according to his lawsuit, Doe was targeted and sexually harassed by Aldrich, who «used his authority» to threaten Doe's career. Doe claims that evidence and reporting of Aldrich's misconduct to team leadership was not handled appropriately. According to his lawyers, Doe left the Blackhawks organization shortly after and has been playing professionally in Europe ever since.

Doe's claims are similar to those made by Kyle Beach, another Black Ace who reached a settlement with the Blackhawks in 2021 after filing a lawsuit. Beach's claims — that he was sexually assaulted by Aldrich during the 2010 playoffs and that senior team leaders put off handling it until after the Stanley Cup was awarded — ignited an independent review by the law firm Jenner & Block.

Those findings resulted in the NHL office fining the Blackhawks $2 million for its «inadequate internal procedures and insufficient and