Despite new findings that Joel Quenneville indeed knew about the 2010 sexual assault allegations made against former Chicago Blackhawks video coach Brad Aldrich, he still will be on the bench for the Florida Panthers' game against the Boston Bruins on Wednesday.
Quenneville stated over the summer he was unaware of the allegations, but a new report from law firm Jenner & Block revealed he knew what happened while he was coach of the Blackhawks during their Stanley Cup run. In fact, Quenneville reportedly was involved in a meeting in 2010 with Blackhawks brass to discuss the allegations.
The Panther head coach will meet with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on Thursday regarding the allegations.
"I think we try to eliminate all distractions," Quenneville told reporters Wednesday when asked if he discussed the matter with his team, per ESPN's Emily Kaplan.
There still are plenty of questions surrounding how so many people could sit back and not say anything -- including Quenneville. The 63-year-old wouldn't say much, and will withhold comment until he meets with Bettman.
"I respect you all doing your job here and have your own questions here," Quenneville said. "But I won't be commenting further until my meeting with the commissioner."
Former Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman, who stepped down from his role Tuesday, revealed Quenneville said he was "unable to deal with the issue" while the Blackhawks were prepping for a playoff run, according to the 107-page report from Jenner & Block.
It remains to be seen what exactly will come of Quenneville and Bettman's meeting, but it certainly will be interesting to see if there is any discipline handed down.