NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman on when the NHL knew about the Blackhawks scandal and much more

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman met with members of the media on Monday to talk about the biggest issue in hockey, and perhaps all of sports, in quite some time. Bettman promised to answer questions regarding the sexual assault lawsuit against the Chicago Blackhawks filed by former team member Kyle Beach. Bettman started off with an apology to Beach.

"What happened was inappropriate, it was wrong on every level and it was not handled correctly by the Blackhawks organization," said Bettman.

As for when the NHL knew about it, Bettman said it was shortly after the lawsuit was filed, and the team assured him it wouldn't lead to anything. He added that the league learned about the specifics in May.

Bettman was asked why Joel Quenneville, who was coach of the Blackhawks in 2010, was allowed to be behind the bench with the Florida Panthers last Wednesday when it was clear he had prior knowledge of the incident.

"I wanted to make sure that no one, including Coach Quenneville, could say that I had prejudged him," said Bettman, adding that he realizes some people may disagree with that choice.

As for why Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff, who was assistant GM with Chicago at the time, escaped punishment from the NHL, Bettman gave this explanation.

"Kevin was such a minor player in all of this. When they were doing the investigation, the only person who placed Kevin in the room for the meeting was Kevin," said Bettman.

He added that Cheveldayoff left that May 23rd, 2010 meeting believing his bosses would investigate Brad Aldrich and that he believed Aldrich's resignation was the result.

As for the $2 million fine the league gave the Blackhawks, Bettman said it was "substantial by any measure. It sends a message to all clubs about how I view their organization responsibilities."

Some have debated whether it was enough given the Blackhawks are worth north of $1 billion. Bettman was also asked why the fine was only $2 million, while the Arizona Coyotes lost draft picks for working out a potential prospect without NHL permission, and the New Jersey Devils were fined $3 million for a salary cap violation.

"Different context, different facts," said Bettman.

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