The name Brad Aldrich is no longer visible on the Stanley Cup.
The Hockey Hall of Fame has confirmed that Aldrich’s name has been X’d out in the section of the Cup with the names of the 2009-10 Blackhawks.
Last week, Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz wrote a letter to the Hall of Fame requesting that the Aldrich’s name be removed from the Cup. The former video coach is accused of sexually assaulting Kyle Beach during the team’s 2010 playoff run.
“Aldrich’s involvement with the team during the 2010 season has cast a pall on the players’ extraordinary work that year,” wrote Wirtz. “The names of some of hockey’s most talented athletes appear on the Stanley Cup. But so does the name ‘Brad Aldrich’ whose role as video coach made him eligible for the engraving. His conduct disqualified him, however, and it was a mistake to submit his name. We are sorry we allowed it to happen.”
The decision to X out names is made by the NHL, not the Hall of Fame. Following Wirtz’s letter, the Hall of Fame released a statement saying that chairman Lanny MacDonald, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly spoke about executing the request.
Not the first name to be crossed out
Names cannot be removed from the Stanley Cup but can be covered by X’s. Wirtz noted in the letter that “x-ing” out a name has been done before with engraving errors, as well as in the case of former Oilers owner Peter Pocklington putting his father’s name with the 1983-84 team.
The fallout out so far from the Blackhawks report has seen senior director of hockey administration Al MacIsaac fired, Stan Bowman resign as general manager of the Blackhawks and the 2022 U.S. men’s hockey team, and Joel Quenneville, who was head coach of 2009-10 Cup team, resign as Panthers head coach. Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff, an assistant GM and senior director of hockey operations from 2009-2011, was not punished after a meeting with Bettman last week.
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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.