Joel Quenneville remains the Panthers coach as of Thursday. | AP Photos
Quenneville met Thursday with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, but there hasn’t been a decision yet.
RALEIGH, N.C. — Three days after an investigation found former Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville was involved in the Hawks’ 2010 sexual assault scandal, his seemingly tenuous future as Panthers coach remains unknown.
Quenneville met with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman in New York on Thursday. He was accompanied to the meeting by Panthers president Matt Caldwell and general manager Bill Zito, ESPN reported.
But there has been no resolution yet. All options — termination, resignation or suspension — remain on the table, TSN reported.
Ex-Hawks GM Stan Bowman told Jenner & Block investigators that Quenneville lobbied against taking immediate action regarding former Hawks video coach Brad Aldrich’s alleged assault of Kyle Beach during a now-infamous May 2010 meeting of Hawks leadership.
On Wednesday, Beach added to the pressure against Quenneville, saying he witnessed meetings about the assault in Quenneville’s office and that there’s “absolutely no way that he can deny knowing it.”
Meanwhile, Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff — a former Hawks assistant GM who was found to have also been in that 2010 cover-up meeting — moved up his scheduled meeting with Bettman to Friday, TSN reported.
Beach: Hawks trying to ‘destroy’ lawsuit
In a new statement Thursday, Beach thanked the hockey community for its “outpouring of endless love and support” this week.
But Beach also said his “battle is really just beginning,” alleging the Hawks “continue to attempt to destroy my case in court.”
The Hawks did file a support to their motion to dismiss Beach’s lawsuit Tuesday. But they said Wednesday that was done only to meet an unfortunately timed, court-mandated deadline and that they do intend to settle the case, with initial talks scheduled with Beach’s lawyer next week.
The legal proceedings have been lengthy and convoluted all summer, so it may take weeks to determine each side’s true intentions moving forward.
