The NHL failed Kyle Beach… again

Last week, Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, awarded to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication.

And it was easy to understand why. Price didn’t play between Game 5 of the 2021 Stanley Cup final in July and April with two weeks left in the 2021-22 regular season. The veteran netminder spent the summer recovering from a knee surgery and then entered the NHL/NHL Players’ Association joint player assistance program in October. He then revealed not long after that it was to help a substance problem he developed.

“Over the last few years I have let myself get to a very dark place and I didn’t have the tools to cope with that struggle,” Price said in a statement in November. “Things had reached a point that I realized I needed to prioritize my health for both myself and for my family. Asking for help when you need it is what we encourage our kids to do. And it was what I needed to do.”

He deserved the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy and in his acceptance speech, you could tell how humble Price was to be named the winner.

However, when Price came out with his addiction, there was another huge story in the NHL and one that also placed a player in a very dark place. One he was forced to live in for many years.

Kyle Beach came forward in late 2021 and revealed that he was sexually assaulted by Brad Aldrich during the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs with the Chicago Blackhawks.

The details were horrific, but I am sure nothing compares to what Beach had to endure. There were lawsuits, the past year has been rough for the forward, who plays for the TecArt BlackDragons in Germany.

The Bill Masterton trophy announcement prompted reported Francois Parenteau of CBC (Radio-Canada in French, Montreal) to say that he would have voted for Beach and that others should have to “to recognize his courageous testimony, in the hope that his bravery will change things for the better in the NHL, in hockey and in society in general.”

I don’t think the NHL wanted to do there… who knows what comments were made by the reporters and folks who voted. Maybe they also pointed out that it would have been a great occasion to make a strong statement that the league is working to prevent awful things like this…

Price deserves his trophy, there is no doubt about that. But you also have to appreciate the statement from Parenteau and how Beach might have been robbed by the league… again.