The name of the former Chicago Blackhawks video coach Brad Aldrich has been removed from the Stanley Cup after several years of ongoing sexual assault allegations. His name is the first in history to be fully removed from the trophy.
In 2010, Aldrich had invited the 20-year-old rookie at the time, Kyle Beach, to his apartment for dinner. Beach later told the Blackhawks that he had been sexually assaulted by Aldrich that night. Beach also explained that his career was threatened. “To be honest, I was scared mostly. I was fearful. I had my career threatened. I felt alone and darker,” he said about the following days after the assault.
Beach had spoken up in 2010, but the team leaders at the time decided that an investigation would be bad publicity during their playoff push. The Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup that year and allegations were not made public until months after.
Beach said that seeing Aldrich celebrate the Stanley Cup victory as if nothing had happened made him feel “like nothing.” He said, “It made me feel like I didn’t exist. It made me feel like he was in the right and I was wrong.”
Aldrich was asked months later to either resign or allow an investigation to take place. He resigned and has since worked for USA Hockey, Notre Dame and other universities. However, in 2013 he was arrested for criminal sexual conduct including with a minor. He pleaded guilty and is a registered sex offender in Michigan.
Recently, Beach filed a lawsuit against the Blackhawks using the name John Doe but has since revealed his identity publicly. The Blackhawks’ chairman Rocky Wirtz wrote to the Hockey Hall of Fame asking that Alderich’s name be taken off the trophy.
“Taking a stand on the unforgivable behavior of Aldrich should include erasing his name from the Cup,” he wrote. “Out of respect to each and every player who sacrificed to earn their place on the Cup, our request is based on principle and our moral belief that a convicted sex offender does not belong on the Stanley Cup.”
