Chicago Blackhawks lawsuit: Ex-'Black Aces' player alleges 2010 sexual assault by former video coach

‘John Doe’ is a former teammate of Kyle Beach, who has also accused Brad Aldrich of assault, Romanucci & Blandin suit says

ByABC7 Chicago Digital Team WLS logo

Sunday, November 5, 2023 9:42PM

Kyle Beach comes forward as John Doe in Blackhawks sex assault scandal

CHICAGO (WLS) — The Chicago Blackhawks organization is being sued for alleged sexual abuse and harassment of a former player during its 2009-2010 Stanley Cup season.

Local firm Romanucci & Blandin filed the civil suit in Cook County on Thursday.

The video in the player above is from a previous report.

The “John Doe” complaint alleges that former video coach Brad Aldrich “groomed, harassed, threatened and assaulted” the player, who is a former member of the Blackhawks’ “Black Aces” squad and teammate of Kyle Beach, and that the organization covered up his allegations.

The suit also says the Blackhawks put “Stanley Cup Championship aspirations ahead of the welfare of its players.”

READ MORE | Kyle Beach story shows male same-sex sexual assault survivors face unique challenges, experts say

Back in 2021, the Blackhawks released details of an independent investigation that found the organization waited three weeks during the Stanley Cup season in 2010 to look into allegations by former center Beach that Aldrich sexually assaulted him.

Beach chose to speak out about what happened to him.

“To see him paraded around, lifting up the cup at the parade, at the team pictures at the celebrations, it made me feel like nothing,” Beach said. “It made me feel like I didn’t exist.”

SEE ALSO | Blackhawks scandal: NHL veteran Brent Sopel speaks out in support of former teammate Kyle Beach

Aldrich would leave the team after the Stanley Cup celebration, eventually heading back to his hometown, where he was convicted of sexual abuse of a minor in 2013, for assaulting a 16-year-old high school player. Aldrich is now a registered sex offender in Michigan.

The team’s general manager and president, Stan Bowman, resigned in 2021, and the club was fined $2 million.

RELATED | Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz’s response baffles sex assault survivors: ‘It was pretty staggering’

READ MORE | Chicago Blackhawks scandal: Meet attorney Reid Schar, investigator who unraveled front office

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