SUNRISE, Fla. — Florida Panthers head coach Joel Quenneville has resigned from his position, the team announced.
Quenneville's resignation comes amid the fallout of a recent investigation into sexual assault accusations against Chicago Blackhawks staff. Quenneville was named in a report citing how the Blackhawks mishandled allegations that an assistant on his Chicago staff sexually assaulted a player during the team’s Stanley Cup Finals run in 2010.
In a statement, Panthers CEO Matt Caldwell said the team is diligently reviewing the information within the report.
"It should go without saying that the conduct described in that report is troubling and inexcusable. It stands in direct contrast to our values as an organization and what the Florida Panthers stand for," Caldwell said.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said, should Quenneville wish to re-enter the league, he'd have a meeting to discuss "the appropriate conditions" his new employment could take place under.
The success Quenneville had in Chicago — three Stanley Cups — was why Florida brought him in to coach the Panthers a little over two seasons ago. He’s one of the biggest reasons why this Florida team believes it, finally, can win a title.
The investigation found that the allegations against then-assistant Brad Aldrich were largely ignored by the team for three weeks after a May 23, 2010 meeting. That meeting took place on the same day Chicago finished off a four-game sweep of San Jose to reach the Stanley Cup final.
Quenneville is the second-winningest coach in NHL history, his 968 victories trailing only the 1,244 amassed by Scotty Bowman — the father of now-former Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman, who also resigned when the investigation’s findings were released.