One of the most successful coaches in NHL history is returning to the bench, but not without some controversy. The Anaheim Ducks hired three-time Stanley Cup winner Joel Quenneville on Thursday, May 8, after Quenneville served a three-year ban by the league.
Why was Quenneville out of the NHL?
Quenneville was the coach of the Florida Panthers from 2019 to 2021 and resigned after an NHL investigation found he failed to properly address sexual abuse allegations from player Kyle Beach in 2010. At the time, both were with the Chicago Blackhawks.
At the time of the ban, commissioner Gary Bettman called Quenneville’s actions, along with those of general manager Stan Bowman and executive Al MacIsaac, “unacceptable.” Bettman lifted Quenneville’s ban in July 2024 after meeting with him.
Thursday, the coach said his top priority is to make the Ducks organization a safe working environment for players and staff.
“Over nearly four years, I have taken time to reflect, to listen to experts and advocates, and to educate myself on the realities of abuse, trauma and how to be a better leader,” Quenneville said. “I hope others can learn from my inaction.”
Ducks General Manager Pat Verbeek said the team conducted an extensive review of the abuse case over the past two weeks, which included speaking with Kyle Beach.
“Joel has paid a price and faced the consequences, and after careful deliberation with so many, we believe he has taken the necessary steps to return to the game as the head coach of the Anaheim Ducks,” Verbeek said. “I know Joel is a man of character. We have a long history, and I know who Joel is as a person.”
Who opposes the move to hire Quenneville?
Though Quenneville said Thursday he became better educated about sexual abuse signs over the last four years, others are not convinced. The law firm Romanucci & Blandin, representing a second player allegedly assaulted by the same Blackhawks staff member, released a statement to The Athletic.
“We are deeply troubled to hear about the hiring of Coach Q by another NHL team this week, despite his complicity in the Blackhawks’ clubhouse regarding sexual abuse of a player and now active litigation about sexual abuse of another player by a staff member,” the statement reads. “The leadership expected of a Head Coach and the decency expected as a human being should have guided him to protect these players at all costs. We hope and expect his new team will hold him and the entire management team to the highest standards of conduct and not sacrifice player well-being for winning.”
Unbiased. Straight Facts.TM
Joel Quenneville is second on the NHL’s all-time regular season wins list behind only Hall of Famer Scotty Bowman.
The top five:
Scotty Bowman: 1,244
Joel Quenneville: 969
Paul Maurice: 916
Barry Trotz: 914
Lindy Ruff: 900
What kind of success has Quenneville had?
Anaheim will be Quenneville’s fifth stop as a head coach. He led the Blackhawks to win the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015. He is second on the NHL’s all-time wins list with 969, trailing only Detroit legend Scotty Bowman.
On Thursday, he was asked about the chance to work with Anaheim’s young stars like Leo Carlsson, Mason McTavish and Cutter Gauthier.
“You got a lot of young kids that have some speed and some skill,” Quenneville said. “We’ve got some ingredients that we feel can make them better as well. These are competitive kids that we want to make sure we grow an identity earlier on in the season, and fulfilling that on a day-to-day basis is what we’re going to be all about.”
The Ducks fired their former coach, Greg Cronin, on April 19, after his second season behind the bench. The change came despite a 21-point improvement in the standings. Anaheim has not made the playoffs in seven seasons.
