Gary Bettman speaks on Joel Quenneville returning to the NHL
Gary Bettman spoke to the media today at the beginning of the Stanley Cup Finals, and addressed the prospect of Joel Quenneville and Stan Bowman returning to the NHL.
Bettman stated that both Quenneville and Bowman remain ineligible to return to the NHL, and he has yet to consider if that will ever change. Now years removed from their disbarment for the NHL and with everyone getting older, a return to hockey is beginning to look entirely unlikely.
If Quenneville and Bowman are never re-instated, it would be a just decision from the NHL. Both held leadership roles and were proven to ignore claims of abuse just to further the success of the Blackhawks team when Kyle Beach spoke up. It's a disgusting stain on the NHL and the Blackhawks organization, and it'd be fitting if neither were ever welcomed back into hockey.
Recently, Joel Quenneville's daughter posted on X that Kyle Beach reached out and gave the coach his blessing to return to hockey. It's a good sign, but the reality is that Quenneville's actions (or lack thereof) in Chicago may permanently bar him from ever coaching professionally again.
We'll have to see if perhaps Bettman reassess the situation again over the offseason, but now years removed from the Blackhawks' scandal, it may just be best to leave things as-is, learn from it, and move on.
| POLL | ||
Do you think Quenneville or Bowman should be allowed back into the NHL? | ||
| Yes, they should be allowed back eventually | 100 | 43.3 % |
| No, there's consequences for their actions | 118 | 51.1 % |
| See Results | 13 | 5.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
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