Chicago Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz has written a letter to the Hockey Hall of Fame asking for former video coach Brad Aldrich’s name to be removed from the Stanley Cup. According to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, Wirtz is asking the Hockey Hall of Fame to “consider x-ing out” Aldrich’s name because “while nothing can undo what he did, leaving his name on the most prestigious trophy in sports seems wrong.”
Wirtz added that Aldrich’s name should be removed because it is the team’s “moral belief” that a convicted sex offender shouldn’t have his name on the Stanley Cup.
“Names have been engraved and then changed for years,” Wirtz wrote in the letter. “Taking a stand on the unforgivable behavior of Aldrich should include erasing his name from the Cup.”
On Tuesday, the Blackhawks announced the findings of an independent investigation into alleged sexual abuse by Aldrich. The investigation found that Aldrich sexually assaulted former Blackhawks player Kyle Beach back in 2010.
The report also revealed that the Blackhawks organization mishandled the situation after learning about the allegations.
As a result, Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman announced that he was stepping down from his post following the findings of the investigation. In addition, Florida Panthers head coach Joel Quenneville, who was the Blackhawks head coach in 2010, resigned from his position on Thursday.
