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About 10 minutes after the world learned that Robert Francis Prevost was named the first American pope in the roughly 2,000-year history of the papacy, the Anaheim Ducks of the NHL quietly released a post on X stating that they’d hired Joel Quenneville as their next head coach. On its face, the move makes plenty of sense. Quenneville is a three-time Stanley Cup winner and ranks second all-time in coaching wins in the NHL. But the second you dig a little deeper, it becomes clear why Anaheim made the announcement when it did.
See, Quenneville’s three Stanley Cup victories came as the head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks. In 2021, the Blackhawks organization settled a lawsuit with former prospect Kyle Beach. Beach alleged that Blackhawks assistant coach Brad Aldrich had sexually assaulted him in 2010, when Chicago went on to win the Stanley Cup. Aldrich quietly resigned following the season, and Quenneville wrote him a positive review. Beach also claims that Quenneville could have removed Aldrich from the organization sooner and was aware the allegations, but told Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman that the playoffs and winning a Stanley Cup were too important.
Ultimately, the NHL indefinitely suspended Bowman, Quenneville, and disgraced executive Al MacIsaac. The league quietly revoked those suspensions last summer, and Bowman now works in the same role for the Edmonton Oilers.
Anaheim Ducks Get Raked Over The Coals Following Joel Quenneville Announcement
Fast forwarding back to present day, the Ducks chose the most opportune time possible to announce their hiring of Quenneville on social media. But even then, the organization couldn’t outrun the backlash.
NEWS: We’re proud to announce Joel Quenneville as our new head coach!
He becomes the 12th head coach in franchise history.
Read More ⬇️https://t.co/kzBTO114DH#FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/mJq3fG2LwY
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) May 8, 2025
“‘Proud’ (is) such an interesting term to announce a coach who let a major sexual assault committed by one of his staff go unreported,” one fan replied.
“Nothing to be proud about. Disappointed in this organization,” wrote another.
Ultimately, the only thing stopping Anaheim from making the hire was how it felt about the allegations against Quenneville and whether ownership and the front office were okay with it. Apparently, the answer to that question is “yes.” Now it’s up to Ducks fans to decide how they feel about it. But it’s a shame that the organization has put them in that position.