Why things will always be complicated between Joel Quenneville and the Blackhawks

No Blackhawks head coach has ever delivered more championships to Chicago than Joel Quenneville. As we later found out, no head coach turned out to be more controversial than Quenneville.

It will be interesting to see what type of reception Quenneville gets when he returns to the United Center tonight as the head coach of the Anaheim Ducks.

He will be returning to Chicago for the first time after the Jenner Report was released in October 2021. The report detailed the non-action Quenneville took after learning of sexual assault allegations former first-round pick Kyle Beach made toward video coach Brad Aldrich during the 2010 Stanley Cup run.

Quenneville was forced to resign as the Florida Panthers' head coach after the release of the report. He was also suspended indefinitely by the NHL.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman reinstated Quenneville last spring after deeming the work Coach Q did to take accountability for his actions was enough to resume coaching in the NHL. The Ducks were desperate enough to climb up the NHL standings to take on his controversial past because Quenneville wins.

There will always be people who believe Quenneville deserved a second chance. Some think winning three Stanley Cups deserves special recognition tonight.

Then there will be people who believe his inaction will forever stain the franchise and his legacy. They believe he should never be coaching another NHL team again.

That is where things will always be complicated

Quenneville claimed he was never made aware of the situation involving Aldrich and Beach. The Jenner Report refuted that. The report also detailed that a meeting took place between Blackhawks leadership to discuss the allegations. Quenneville reportedly "shook his head and said that it was hard for the team to get to where they were [the playoffs] and they could not deal with this issue now."

He could not be bothered with providing simple safety measures because a Stanley Cup had to be won.

By ignoring Beach's allegations, Aldrich was allowed to quietly leave the organization. He eventually became a volunteer coach at a school in Michigan, where he was arrested for sexually assaulting a male student. Aldrich eventually pled guilty to criminal sexual assault.

That is what makes the Blackhawks' inaction, and Quenneville's reported recommendation to do nothing, look horriifc.

Quenneville claims he is a changed man. He claims he is a better leader now. Some will never buy it and claim his actions are unforgivable.

Others cannot wait to shower him with love, especially tonight.

Outside of one major lapse in judgment, Quenneville is the man who led the Blackhawks to three Stanley Cup titles. The 2010 title snapped a 49-year championship drought.

That is something most fans will never forget. They will cherish that glorious era of Blackhawks' hockey. They will overlook Quenneville's terrible decision to not address the heinous actions of one of his coaches because championships mattered more than the safety of a player serving as a "Black Ace" (an extra skater allowed to be around the team in the playoffs in case of injuries).

Most importantly, they are willing to give him a second chance because they want to remember the glory days during this franchise's centennial season. It is hard to celebrate 100 years of Blackhawks hockey without acknowledging the contributions Quenneville made. It is also hard to forget the terrible decision Quenneville made in 2010. That is why things will always be complicated with Coach Q.