The Free Press’s Helene St. James posted an article noting Red Wings forward Sam Gagner’s comments made to the media today regarding the sexual assault against Kyle Beach:
Forward Sam Gagner commended Beach for his “tremendous courage.
“You feel for Kyle Beach and stand with him and everything he’s gone through. It obviously took a lot for him to get to the point. It’s something you never want to see somebody go through. You want to see accountability for the things that have happened. It’s certainly an awful thing. We’re just hoping that Kyle, that this process has kind of helped him. With the culture of accountability, we’re hoping it helps our game grow as well. You hate to see it happen. Hopefully it’s a reckoning and helps us move forward.”
In addition to the revelations in independent investigation by Jenner & Block LLP, Beach has said he told the NHL Players Association what happened. The fact that nothing happened for a decade is something the Wings organization has emphasized must not happen.
Update: Here’s a bit more from Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff:
Blashill indicated that the Red Wings have in place support that players can access in times of need.
“There’s a number of things our players go through. We want to make sure there’s support for them here and we certainly have discussed that and will continue to discuss that,” Blashill said.
“The first part and the most important part is doing everything possible to not be in situations where people are exposed to predators. But that’s sometimes impossible to understand and know. When that type of action happens, no matter what happens after it, it doesn’t take away from the fact that action happened. It’s something that none of us would ever want to subject anybody to.
“From our perspective we have to make sure our players understand there’s support here for them in a lot of different areas. We have to make sure we’re making the best decisions we can with our players and our staff and anybody around us. That we’re putting their personal lives first and foremost.”
