SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Joel Quenneville returned to South Florida on Tuesday to applause, a welcome message, and a win.
Quenneville last coached a game in Sunrise four years ago as head coach of the Florida Panthers before he resigned and was banned from the NHL for his handling of a sexual assault scandal involving his 2010 Stanley Cup-winning Chicago Blackhawks squad.
“I’m appreciative,” Quenneville said after Tuesday’s game against the Panthers, which his Anaheim Ducks won in a shootout, 3-2. “My time here was great. It was short, but I’ve been watching their success over the last three and four years.”
Quenneville, along with Blackhawks executives Stan Bowman and Al MacIsaac, was banned from the league for nearly three years after an independent investigation concluded that the team mishandled allegations raised by former player Kyle Beach against video coach Brad Aldrich during the team’s Stanley Cup run in 2010. The trio was reinstated last July.
Bowman became the Edmonton Oilers’ general manager three weeks later, while Quenneville — the second-winningest coach in NHL history — was hired by the Anaheim Ducks in May.
Since the incident, Quenneville has spoken openly about his personal growth, noting after his hiring that he has worked to educate himself on abuse.
“I own my mistakes,” Quenneville said in May. “While I believed wholeheartedly the issue was handled by management, I take full responsibility for not following up and asking more questions. That’s entirely on me. Over nearly four years, I’ve taken time to reflect, to listen to experts and advocates, and educate myself on the realities of abuse, trauma and how to be a better leader. I hope others can learn from my inaction.”
Quenneville has spent parts of 25 NHL seasons behind the benches of St. Louis, Colorado, Chicago, and Florida. He coached the Blackhawks for more than 10 years and led them to championships in 2010, 2013, and 2015.
The Blackhawks fired Quenneville in November 2018 after a 6-6-3 start, and he joined the Panthers for the 2019-20 season.
Earlier this month, Quenneville returned to the United Center in Chicago to a mixed reaction of boos and cheers. The reaction to his return to Sunrise appeared more subdued.
The public address announcer at Amerant Bank Arena called Quenneville’s name as a “welcome back” message flashed on the jumbotron in the first period. The crowd responded with brief applause and cheers.
Quenneville has expressed admiration for the Panthers’ success as back-to-back Stanley Cup champions over the past few years.
“I remember when I came here, Vinny [Panthers owner Vincent Viola] told me, ‘We’re going to win the Cup. We’re going to win multiple cups,’” Quenneville said. “So he was right.”
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