NHLPA releases findings from Kyle Beach investigation

Editor’s Note: The following story deals with sexual assault and might be distressing for some readers.

The NHL Players Association has released the findings of an independent review of director Donald Fehr’s handling of the Kyle Beach situation.

The review, which was conducted by the law firm Cozen O’Connor, determined that “after a thorough examination of the contemporaneous record, the policies and practices in place at the union at the time, and the recollections of each of the parties to the contacts with the NHLPA or the SABH (Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health Program), we cannot identify any individual wrongdoing or institutional failures of policy or procedure by either Fehr, NHLPA personnel, or the SABH program concerning the handling of Beach’s reports.”

The NHLPA originally planned on releasing the review on Thursday, but, apparently, a power outage at their head office resulted in it getting released on Good Friday.

Back in November, NHL players voted to launch an independent investigation conducted by outside legal counsel due to the PA’s mishandling of the sexual assault suffered by Chicago Blackhawks draft pick Kyle Beach in 2010. Fehr was the one who recommended that an outside counsel investigate how the NHLPA handled the Beach situation.

The review was made public as at least 18 of the 32 player reps (one per team) voted in favor of doing so. The NHLPA tweeted out a summary of the findings, which is linked below, and they’ve made available the entire document, which can be downloaded here.