BLACKHAWKS DOWN — The Weekly Opine

The Chicago Blackhawks (old logo pictured) messed up. Big time. (Photo credit Clip Arts Zone )

You make the call

Empty power play. Swing and miss. Airball. Whiff. Blown coverage. Unforced error. Go ahead, choose a sports phrase that equates to coming up short and it now applies to the once proud professional hockey franchise residing in Chicago.

Providing another example of boys gone wild, the Chicago hockey club (a.k.a. Chicago Blackhawks) has been uncovered as just the latest bastion of males, living in a still male-dominated society, who behave as if above reproach.

The Blackhawks – standing firm and refusing to change their nickname, despite pleas from offended Native Americans – won the Stanley Cup trophy in 2010, 2013, and 2015. For me, two things stand out from the Blackhawks 2010 title.

First, the team had not won a Stanley Cup since 1961, so ending the 49-year drought brought long-awaited joy to Chicago hockey fans.

Second, as was also the case when the Cubs ended 108 years of futility winning the 2016 World Series, Northside fans proved capable of trashing things, like fans across the city did in the past. Just as some Southside and Westside fans did when the Bulls rang up six NBA titles in the 1990s, the city’s hockey fans, and baseball fans, rained chaos on the Northside – pouncing on cars, busting business windows, and carousing beyond the pale.

As it stands today, the recent news about sexual assault within the hockey organization means that, in just two weeks, Windy City sports fans spiraled from Sky high to Blackhawks downer.

A broken record

As has often been proven, sports are a microcosm of society at large. On the criminal front, too often, this manifests in sexual assaults committed by a small minority of people involved in athletics.

College campuses are notorious for wayward athletes, coaches, and trainers abusing their celebrity status and power as they commit sexual assault. Often these barbaric acts go unpunished, with the participant’s prowess in the stadium/arena a key determinant as to the perverse pervasiveness of the coverup. Left in the wake are credible accusers who are hushed, and discarded like stale bread.

There is an uneasy mood at the United Center as fans wrap their mind around the hockey team’s scandal. (Photo credit The Weekly Opine)

Professionals get in on the act, too. Some of the names over the years read like a Who’s Who. A sample includes top players such as the NBA’s Kobe Bryant and the NFL’s Ben Roethlisberger, both of whom were credibly accused of rape but escaped accountability. MLB’s Trevor Bauer’s career is in jeopardy, after being accused of sexual assault.

Trainers and physicians are guilty, too, most notably Michigan State’s Dr. Larry Nassar, now serving a life sentence in prison. And U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) is credibly alleged to have participated in covering up sexual assault while he was an assistant wrestling coach at The Ohio State.

What happened in Chicago is sad but not a surprise; it is a sordid aspect of a dark corner of sports culture that has been allowed to reside for far too long. In this case, Blackhawks video coach Brad Aldrich, a grown man, lured 20-year-old Kyle Beach to his apartment. Under the ruse of watching video to help Beach improve his game, Aldrich sexually assaulted the unsuspecting young man. Aldrich, a sick man, threatened to sabotage Beach’s career as well.

Not Here Lads

You may be familiar with the derisive moniker some players and fans assign to the National Football League. Saying the NFL crimps the style and expressiveness of its players, the league is sometimes referred to by fans as the No Fun League.

Based on the National Hockey League commissioner’s definitive actions, upon learning the facts about the Blackhawks foul situation, the NHL could translate to Not Here Lads.

Gary Bettman, commissioner of the NHL since 1993, has shown leadership too often lacking in big-time sports (and society overall). Criticized in some circles for doing so, Bettman permitted the Blackhawks to conduct an internal review. The internal investigation yielded damning information about a franchise that was part of the original six NHL teams, dating way back to 1917.

Subsequent to the Blackhawks internal investigation, revealing a high-level coverup of the sexual assault allegations levied against their video coach, heads have begun to roll. The proverbial price is now being paid as high-ranking team officials, who managed the organization that gave Chicago its most recent professional sports dynasty, have fallen like large icicles during spring thaw.

It’s early in the 2021-22 season, but so far the product on the ice is not reminiscent of the great Chicago teams that won championships. (Photo credit The Weekly Opine)

Prominent men, such as general manager Stan Bowman, are out. And senior Vice President of hockey operations Al MacIsaac. Gone too is former head coach, Joel Quenneville, now out as head coach of the Florida Panthers because of what happened while he coached in Chicago. The video coach, Brad Aldrich, already spent a paltry eight months in a Michigan prison, having been convicted of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old high school hockey player in 2013.

Which means that three years after Blackhawks senior leadership were made aware of Aldrich’s sexual assault against Kyle Beach, Aldrich went on to sexually assault a high school kid in Michigan. A high price for another kid to pay, a direct result of the Blackhawks refusal to hold Aldrich accountable.

Recently, we were treated to a myopic display, and reminder, that some of the boys still don’t get it. Blackhawks team captain Jonathan Toews, who always seemed like he did “get it,” astonishingly uttered nonsensical rubbish about Aldrich being a good guy. (Hoping I misunderstood Toews and he meant Kyle Beach is a good guy.)

Are they kidding?

Out driving yesterday, I saw a bus with an advertisement for the Chicago hockey club. It read, “Some Re-build. We Re-win.” A double-take worthy slogan for sure. After arriving home, I checked the National Hockey League standings. As of yesterday, Chicago had the second-worst record of any team in the NHL; 1 win, 7 losses, and 2 ties. Maybe their ad should read, “Some Promptly Report Sexual Assault. We Didn’t But We Will Now.”

Going forward, age-old questions, having been brought from the shadows to the light (largely thanks to #metoo and other social movements) must be firmly grasped and answered.

Near the top of the list, for instance, is why do we continue to allow certain people to get away with “it?” While there is lust for vengeance when it involves women defendants and people of color defendants, there is undeniable benefit of doubt, and abundant tolerance, when it involves powerful, (mostly) white (mostly) men defendants.

Look no further than the paddy-caking afforded the treasonous Trump administration officials who planned to overthrow our government on January 6. Additionally, the terrorist thugs, who did the dirty work at the U.S. Capitol, are mostly receiving slaps on the wrist instead of being dealt with forcefully. They did, after all, attempt a coup against the United States government. And people died.

They say time flies when you are having fun and it does. This week we celebrate four years of opines! (Photo credit The Weekly Opine)

Four more years?

This week marks four years for The Weekly Opine. When this thing launched, I was hoping to survive for three years. Anything more would be gravy (or fine red wine). Going forward, I intend to keep opining, although I may rely more on platforms that enable short-form missives. For example, I have not tweeted (@theweeklyopine) or posted on Instagram (theweeklyopine) in eons.

Twitter is an efficient alternative, during moments when my other interests encroach on the amount of time available to ideate, research, write a full-length 1,200-word article, and curate photos. Instagram has potential, too, although I liked it better when it was not owned by Facebook/Meta.

In closing, thank you for supporting this blog. As the ‘second term’ of The Weekly Opine begins, listed below are four of my favorite posts; one for politics, one for sports, one for current events, and one episode of Mags the MAGA. Enjoy!

(Note: Originally, “Where Time Stands Still” was inadvertently posted under Current Events whereas it should have been under Politics.)

Politics

Where Time Stands Still: www.theweeklyopine.com/current-events/2019/11/21/where-time-stands-still

Sports

The Great Spectacle: www.theweeklyopine.com/sports/2019/5/23/the-great-spectacle

Current Events

Railing Away!: www.theweeklyopine.com/current-events/2019/6/26/railing-away

Mags the MAGA

More Mags: www.theweeklyopine.com/politics/2020/9/17/more-mags-new-video