Some alarming news out of Chicago. An unidentified former Chicago Blackhawks player has sued the Blackhawks franchise. The lawsuit alleges that he and another teammate were sexually assaulted by an assistant coach before the team's 2010 Stanley Cup win. The story was originally broken by Dave McKinney and Tony Arnold. Here's some excerpts from their story:"The lawsuit alleges that in May 2010, the coach «turned on porn and began to masturbate in front of» the Blackhawks player without the player's consent. The lawsuit identified that coach as Brad Aldrich, who was a video coach for the Blackhawks at the time and is no longer with the organization.The lawsuit also described «inappropriate text messages» from the coach to the player and threats to «physically, financially and emotionally» harm the player if he «did not engage in sexual activity» with the coach.The player is represented by Chicago lawyer Susan Loggans, who said her client has had his life ruined by the episode and is seeking damages from the team in excess of $150,000.«This entire man's life has been destroyed,» she said. «I mean, he was not able to function within the NHL context and…this has really ruined…his professional career. These professional athletes have to function at the top of their game at all times in order to be competitive, and these things are really debilitating.»Aldrich, 38, was hired by the team in 2008 and served under Coach Joel Quenneville. Aldrich held a similar role on the 2010 U.S. Olympics hockey team.Contacted Wednesday at his Michigan employer, Aldrich abruptly hung up on two WBEZ reporters seeking reaction to the claims. State and federal sex offender databases list a home address for Aldrich in Hancock, MI, which is about 400 miles north of Chicago in Michigan's Upper Peninsula."
