A former Chicago Blackhawks player from the 2010 Stanley Cup championship squad has sued the team, alleging negligence in their handling of a sexual assault complaint against a former assistant coach.
The player, identified only as “John Doe,” alleges in the lawsuit filed April 30 that former video coach Bradley Aldrich also sexually assaulted a teammate. The player who filed the lawsuit is seeking $150,000 in damages.
WBEZ first reported the lawsuit.
The player is represented by lawyer Susan E. Loggans, who has represented several women in sex-based civil claims against singer R. Kelly.
In the lawsuit, “John Doe” alleges that in May 2010 Aldrich “sent inappropriate text messages,” “turned on porn and began to masturbate” in front of him without his consent, “threatened to injure (him) … physically, financially and emotionally if plaintiff did not engage in sexual activity” with him.
The player said in the lawsuit that he informed another assistant coach of the alleged sexual assault but the Blackhawks “did nothing,” and that the staff member “convinced the plaintiff that the sexual assault was his fault, that he was culpable for what happened, (and) made mistakes during his encounter with the perpetrator and permitted the sexual assault to occur.”
The lawsuit also states that before the incident the team had been made aware that Aldrich had sexually assaulted the plaintiff’s teammate.
Adam Rogowin, Hawks vice president of communications, issued an emailed statement on behalf of the team: “The Chicago Blackhawks take the allegations asserted by a former player very seriously. Based on our investigation, we believe the allegations against the organization lack merit and we are confident the team will be absolved of any wrongdoing. As this is a pending litigation matter, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further.”
“Joe Doe” says in the lawsuit that he suppressed the memory of the encounters with Aldrich until July 2019, when he learned Aldrich had been arrested and sentenced in an unrelated sexual assault in Michigan.
In February 2014, Aldrich, then 30, was sentenced to nine months in jail for having sexual contact with a student while serving as a volunteer on the Houghton High School hockey team, according to media reports at the time. He was also required to register as a sex offender and serve five years probation.
Aldrich’s case was discharged on Feb. 14, 2019, according to the Michigan Department of Corrections database.
When “John Doe” learned of the Michigan case, he “became aware of his injuries and damages,” according to the lawsuit.
Aldrich no longer is with the Hawks organization.
He also had been one of six Hawks players and staff working for Team USA during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.
According to a USA Hockey news release from June 2009, Aldrich had just completed his first season as video coach for the Hawks and had spent the prior two seasons serving in a similar role at Notre Dame.
