Bettman says Kyle Beach claims left him ‘distressed,’ stands by $2M Blackhawks fine

Bettman was commissioner at the time of the alleged sexual abuse by then Blackhawks’ assistant coach Brad Aldrich in 2010.

When former Chicago Blackhawks player Kyle Beach went public with allegations that he had been sexually abused by an assistant coach in 2010, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said that he could tell the 31-year-old former NHLer was still in pain.

“I was horrified, it was emotional, I was distressed,” said Bettman referencing Beach’s first public interview with TSN’s Rick Westhead.

“I knew that he was suffering by just watching him…I was sorry as a personal matter that anybody, particularly him, had to go through what he was discussing.”

Bettman, who was speaking publicly for the first time on Nov. 1, was commissioner at the time of the alleged sexual abuse by then-Blackhawks assistant coach Brad Aldrich in 2010. Beach had reported the incident to team officials, many of whom were aware and have since stepped down from their various positions around the league with different organizations.

The NHL’s top boss said he had spoken with Beach after he went public on Oct. 27 and pledged to work with him on efforts to confront abuse and offered counselling resources to himself and his family.

“This certainly has been a disturbing and difficult week for all of us,” said Bettman in starting off his remarks. “I’m sorry for what he has been through and thought he has been courageous, especially this past week.”

The longtime commissioner of the NHL said that the findings of the report by an outside law firm were clear cut that there was inherent wrongdoing in how Beach’s situation was handled.

“It is clear that what happened was inappropriate, it was wrong on every level and it was not handled correctly by the Blackhawks organization,” said Bettman.