The Tragic Real Life Story Of Kyle Beach
The following article includes allegations of sexual assault.
Canadian hockey player Kyle Beach took the next leap in his career when he was drafted to the Chicago Blackhawks in 2008. He first garnered the attention of NHL scouts while playing for the Western Hockey League's Everett Silvertips at only 17 years old. Silvertips assistant coach, Mark LeRose, praised the player's talent. "He leads our team in points, but he also leads in the locker room and leads on our bench," LeRose said in an interview with NHL.com. "We chart different statistics and he's by far our best player as far as creating chances for and being on the ice for chances against."
It seems Beach's potential was evident from the start. Following the player's NHL draft, the Blackhawks would go on to win a Stanley Cup in 2010. Despite this success, however, the team would also face an allegation by Beach that he was sexually assaulted by Blackhawks video coach Brad Aldrich, per NPR. When the team failed to take his claims seriously, the hockey player took matters into his own hands. He anonymously filed a lawsuit against the team, alleging they mishandled his sexual assault allegations. In October 2021, Beach revealed himself as the player behind the lawsuit, and he's since opened up about his traumatic experiences.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Kyle Beach told the Chicago Blackhawks he was sexually assaulted
According to NPR, Brad Aldrich invited Kyle Beach to his apartment back in 2010. The assistant coach offered the player drinks and food. Soon after, the alleged assault took place. It was reported that Aldrich even threatened to have Beach removed from the Blackhawks. The hockey star spoke on the emotions he felt after the incident in an interview TSN's SportsCentre. "To be honest, I was scared mostly," Beach said. "I was fearful. I had my career threatened. I felt alone and dark. Sorry, it's tough to recall these moments. I felt like I was alone and there was nothing I could do and nobody I could turn to for help."
The hockey player told TSN that former Blackhawks skills coach Paul Vincent was the first person he opened up to about the alleged assault. "He tried to do everything he could back then and when this came to public light, he stood his ground and spoke his truth," Beach said of Vincent. "It is men like him that make hockey great." According to NPR, Beach later told other team leaders about the alleged assault. Mental skills coach and team counselor Jim Gary and Blackhawks President John McDonough were among those aware of the allegations. Still, the team took no action against Aldrich until some time later.
The hockey player sued the Chicago Blackhawks
Following his 2010 sexual assault claims, Kyle Beach filed a lawsuit against the Chicago Blackhawks for mishandling his complaints, per The Washington Post. He filed the lawsuit anonymously and was named "John Doe" in reports. According to NPR, the Blackhawks decided to hire independent investigators to explore Beach's claims. Not only did the investigation support the former Blackhawks player's allegations, but it also revealed that there were also reports of other victims. Investigators found that Brad Aldrich also inappropriately interacted with a 22-year-old Blackhawks' intern. "Aldrich made a sexual advance on a Blackhawks intern who was twenty-two years old, physically touching the intern," read the investigation report. "The intern rebuffed Aldrich's advance and did not report the encounter to management or Human Resources."
Beach came forward and identified himself as the anonymous victim behind his lawsuit against the Blackhawks following the release of this independent investigation. He also spoke with TSN's SportsCentre and explained why he no longer wanted to remain anonymous, explaining it was part of his recovery process. "For me, I wanted to come forward and put my name on this," Beach said. "To be honest, it's already out there. The details were pretty accurate in the report, and it's been figured out. More than that, I've been a survivor, I am a survivor. And I know I'm not alone."
Brad Aldrich stayed with the Blackhawks despite the allegations
Brad Aldrich did not face consequences from Kyle Beach's sexual assault allegations until long after the team was made aware of them. Sadly, this led to Aldrich continuing his inappropriate behavior with others, including a Blackhawks intern, per NPR. According to the outlet, the assistant coach later resigned, though he was still invited to participate in celebratory events after the team won a Stanley Cup in 2010. Beach spoke to TSN's SportsCentre about how he felt seeing Aldrich live without facing any repercussions. "To see him paraded around lifting the [Stanley] Cup, at the parade, at the team pictures, at celebrations, it made me feel like nothing. It made me feel like I didn't exist. It made me feel like, that I wasn't important and ... it made me feel like he was in the right and I was wrong."
It wasn't until 2013 that Aldrich faced any legal consequences for his repeated inappropriate behavior. According to NPR, the former Blackhawks assistant coach was arrested in connection with the sexual assault of a teenager. Aldrich pleaded guilty and went on to serve time in prison. He was also required to register as a sex offender, per FOX 32 Chicago. Years later, in 2021, Aldrich's named was crossed off of the Stanley Cup the Blackhawks received in 2010.
The Blackhawks attempted to get Beach's case dismissed
It seems the Blackhawks continually fought against Kyle Beach's claims of sexual assault throughout the legal process. According to TSN, the team's legal representatives filed a motion to dismiss Beach's lawsuit, claiming that the player's reports of a repressed memory did not exempt him from the statute of limitations. "Mr. Beach argues that his failure to timely file this lawsuit is excused because he repressed memories of the assault, but this claim cannot toll the statute of limitations," the team shared in a statement. They continued to discount Beach's accusations, writing: "Mr. Beach knew immediately in May 2010 that he had been assaulted; that the assault was wrongful; and that he had been harmed by it."
Beach talked about the effects the attack had on his memory in an interview with TSN's SportCentre. "I've suppressed this memory and buried this memory to chase my dreams and pursue the career that I loved and the game that I love of hockey," he shared. Beach explained he struggled to talk about the incident at all. "I did not talk about it, I did not discuss it, I didn't think about it. And now that I'm beginning to heal, I begin to look back and it definitely had impacts on my life," he stated.
The Blackhawks tried to get Kyle Beach to dismiss his lawsuit
According to NPR, the Blackhawks had lawyers request a dismissal of the lawsuit as part of their plan for a settlement. In October 2021, Rick Westhead, who interviewed Kyle Beach after he came forward, spoke on a possible settlement on Twitter. He shared that a Blackhawks representative planned to reach out to Beach's lawyer. In December 2021, it was reported that the team reached a settlement with Beach, per NBC News.
A statement released by both parties' legal teams stated: "The Blackhawks hope that this resolution will bring some measure of peace and closure for Mr. Beach," per NBC News. The Blackhawks also suggested they would change for the better moving forward, sharing: "As for the Blackhawks organization, we remain steadfast in our commitment to ensure that, going forward, this team will be a beacon for professionalism, respect and integrity in our community." The team's statement contradicts their previous claims that Beach's allegations had "no merit," The Score reported.
Rocky Wirtz was defensive against Kyle Beach's allegations
Apart from attempting to get Kyle Beach's case dismissed by discounting his possible trauma and claiming his allegations had "no merit," Blackhawks team leaders spoke insensitively about the allegations. In February 2022, the team's owner, Rocky Wirtz, seemed to immediately get defensive when a reporter inquired about Beach. When asked about how the team would prevent "power imbalance[s]" to avoid incidents of sexual assault in the future, Wirtz responded, "We're not going to talk about Kyle Beach. We're not going to talk about anything that happened. Now we're moving on. What more do I have to say?" (via ESPN).
Wirtz later released an apology statement after receiving backlash for his response. "Tonight, at the Chicago Blackhawks town hall, my response to two questions crossed the line," he said, per Sports Illustrated. "I want to apologize to the fans and those reporters, and I regret that my response overshadowed the great work this organization is doing to move forward." This town hall was an opportunity for the team to mend its public reputation, but Wirtz's remarks likely had the opposite effect.
The Chicago Blackhawks issued an empty apology
After the findings of the Blackhawks' independent investigation came to light, the team issued an apology. The statement was shared to the team's Twitter account. "First, we would like to acknowledge and commend Kyle Beach's courage in coming forward," the apology read in part. "As an organization, The Chicago Blackhawks reiterate our deepest apologies to him for what he has gone through and for the organization's failure to promptly respond when he bravely brought this matter to light in 2010." The team's years-late apology did not receive positive responses. One Twitter user wrote: "Putting 'Winning championships' before ethics and professionalism in that last sentence feels apt." Another shared: "If you were really sorry you wouldn't of swept it under the rug for the past decade."
Kyle Beach has since moved on to bigger and better things. After leaving the Blackhawks, the hockey player signed with a European team. "I'm playing in Germany right now in a city called Erfurt for the Black Dragons," Beach said, per TSN. "It's a small club in the third league in Germany. But they treat it like a family, we're treated very, very well. The management — they're very, very open and they do absolutely everything they can for us to make us feel safe, included, and that's something that I really appreciate with where I am in my career right now."