Brewin Flames Posted October 29, 2021 Share Posted October 29, 2021 Florida Panthers entrusted to Andrew Brunette after Joel Quenneville's resignation Andrew Brunette has a chance to be an NHL head coach now, taking over a Florida Panthers team that is off to the best start in franchise history. It should be a happy time. It is not. Brunette debuted as the replacement for Joel Quenneville as Florida's coach Friday, running the Panthers through a gameday practice in Detroit. And he made it clear that the Panthers' on-ice matters are dwarfed by the bigger issue of the sexual assaults reported by former Chicago Blackhawks player Kyle Beach in 2010 and the subsequent cover-up that has engulfed the sport after details came out in recent days. Quenneville resigned Thursday, two days after the second-winningest coach in NHL history was among those implicated for not swiftly responding to Beach's allegations of being sexually assaulted by former video coach Brad Aldrich during the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs. Quenneville was Chicago's coach when Beach said he was assaulted by Aldrich. A report into what the Blackhawks did and didn't do at the time -- the inference was the team ignored Beach and prioritized its run to the Cup instead -- was released this week, and Quenneville's job was in immediate jeopardy when it came out. Brunette was picked as the interim coach shortly after Quenneville's decision to resign was announced Thursday night. "He's a great guy, and I'm sure he's going to be a great coach for now," Panthers forward Jonathan Huberdeau said. "It's not easy for everybody, but we're going to go through it as a team." The Panthers haven't said if their intention is for Brunette to have the job for a few days, a few weeks or a few months. Florida plays Saturday at Boston then is off until a home game Thursday against Washington. "I'm day-to-day," Brunette said. The report's fallout has been massive. Chicago president of hockey operations Stan Bowman resigned, and Quenneville left his job with Florida. But Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff -- who also worked for the Blackhawks at that time -- escaped sanctioning after meeting with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on Friday. Huberdeau said hockey should, and does, seem secondary given what Beach has endured. "We all feel sorry for what happened, and that's all that matters," the Panthers forward said. Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad said he watched Beach's interview with TSN after it aired Wednesday night and said it left him "extremely sad." He was asked if, after watching it, his opinion of Quenneville had changed. "I'm not sure about my feelings right now," Ekblad said. The 48-year-old Brunette spent four seasons playing for Quenneville. Three of those years were in Colorado and the last was in Chicago -- the 2011-12 season, Brunette's last as a player and one where he was a training camp teammate of Beach. Brunette played 16 seasons for six franchises, including six seasons in Minnesota. He went back to the Wild when his playing days were over for seven more years, holding several jobs, including director of player personnel, assistant general manager and assistant coach. Quenneville -- a three-time Stanley Cup-winning coach, all with Chicago -- and the Panthers came calling in 2019, offering Brunette a job as an assistant. He has been in Florida since, perhaps hoping to one day be a head coach, never envisioning that chance would come like this. "I'm just trying to process," Brunette said. "It's been a whirlwind. I wish I could give you a better answer. I can't explain to you. I understand the bigger issue here right now is Kyle." Florida entered Friday looking to become the fifth franchise and seventh team in NHL history to begin a season with eight consecutive victories. The others that have done it: the 1934-35 and 1993-94 Toronto Maple Leafs, the 1975-76 and 2006-07 Buffalo Sabres, the 2005-06 Nashville Predators and the 2015-16 Montreal Canadiens. "It's been a crazy few days with all the information and everything that's happened," Ekblad said. "We're a team that's a bit distraught right now." 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted October 29, 2021 Author Share Posted October 29, 2021 As of this moment they are a 7-0 team, can't wait to see how they finish the rest of the season... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yave1964 Posted October 29, 2021 Share Posted October 29, 2021 (edited) Been a fan of Brunette since 2003 when he scored the game 7 overtime winner for the Wild to knock off my all time most hated team, the Paddy Roy Phyllis Forsberg Joelene Sakic Avalanche. Anyone who could break their soul with a game seven OT Dagger to the heart will always have a special place for me. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=brunette+wins+game+7+wild+avalanche&view=detail&mid=BCBC60D73D51A46A125ABCBC60D73D51A46A125A&FORM=VIRE Edited October 29, 2021 by yave1964 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted October 31, 2021 Share Posted October 31, 2021 On 10/29/2021 at 5:17 PM, yave1964 said: Been a fan of Brunette since 2003 when he scored the game 7 overtime winner for the Wild to knock off my all time most hated team, the Paddy Roy Phyllis Forsberg Joelene Sakic Avalanche. Anyone who could break their soul with a game seven OT Dagger to the heart will always have a special place for me. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=brunette+wins+game+7+wild+avalanche&view=detail&mid=BCBC60D73D51A46A125ABCBC60D73D51A46A125A&FORM=VIRE Had a buddy who was married to his sister, so met him a few times. He's a very nice guy, down to earth, friendly. Scored the Preds first ever goal and if I remember correctly was named Owen Sounds best player of all time. When he was a kid he used to tell whoever would listen that he was going to play in the NHL and buy this big house that was on a lake in Sudbury. And he not only had the career but in fact bought THAT house. I always thought that was a pretty cool story. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OccamsRazor Posted October 31, 2021 Share Posted October 31, 2021 5 minutes ago, flyercanuck said: Had a buddy who was married to his sister Is that legal in Canada? Strange. I thought that was only allowed in New Mexico @CoachX Who knew. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yave1964 Posted November 1, 2021 Share Posted November 1, 2021 7 hours ago, OccamsRazor said: Is that legal in Canada? Strange. I thought that was only allowed in New Mexico @CoachX Who knew. In New York city you can marry your cousin, at least if you become mayor..... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoachX Posted November 1, 2021 Share Posted November 1, 2021 19 hours ago, OccamsRazor said: Is that legal in Canada? Strange. I thought that was only allowed in New Mexico @CoachX Who knew. I've married a bunch of different women, but I dont think any were related to me And here in NM, the only thing we rank high in is crime. We have very skilled criminals and laws are insignificant. So I'm pretty sure you can marry whoever you want, including your horse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OccamsRazor Posted November 1, 2021 Share Posted November 1, 2021 2 hours ago, CoachX said: including your horse That may save you money because they only need two pair of shoes...my wife has (too many too count) over half of her closet is self after shelf of shoes and more shoes....so yeah think what you could do with all that money... ...if i remember correctly Breaking Bad took place in New Mexico. Miss that show. I promise i won't hi jack thread anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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