"Good for Anaheim" "Watch them sign Carter Hart too": NHL fans left divided as Ducks reportedly sign controversial ex-Blackhawks HC Joel Quenneville

The Anaheim Ducks have reportedly signed controversial former coach Joel Quenneville. After a disappointing year, the Ducks moved on from Greg Cronin after two seasons with the team. Now, they've honed in on Quenneville to lead them in the next phase of their rebuild.

Quenneville's controversy stems from the Kyle Beach sexual assault allegations. The former prospect accused an assistant coach with the Chicago Blackhawks of sexual abuse in 2010. He settled for an undisclosed amount, but the controversy followed everyone, including Quenneville, in the organization.

This has NHL fans divided. Some believe the former Blackhawks boss is a good coach, but others think the Ducks are heading down a path they'd be better avoiding.

"Do you have any idea of what 'the work' Quenneville did is, or is it just a blanket term that means next to nothing?" one asked.

"[Definitely] deserved the second chance if he put in the work," another said.

"Quenneville not only helped cover up the incident in 2010, but also lied about his knowledge of the event in 2021. People are right to be wary of him," one added.

"Yes! What a great hire! Time to quack up the league," another proclaimed.

The Ducks reportedly talked to Quenneville first after firing Cronin and did extensive background work on him. He has done a lot of work to reform after the Beach incident and has reportedly learned from his mistakes.

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Joel Quenneville only just got reinstated

Following a stint with the Florida Panthers, Joel Quenneville stepped down in 2021 and was subsequently suspended, along with others involved, from the sport for his role in the Kyle Beach assault scandal.

Joel Quenneville has been hired by the Ducks (Imagn)

The coach, Stan Bowman (then-GM), and executive Al MacIsaac all had to meet with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman before being reinstated, which they did on July 1, 2024.

Stan Bowman was immediately hired as the GM of the Edmonton Oilers, but this is Quenneville's first job since he stepped down in 2021. He ranks second all-time among coaches with 969 regular-season victories. He stepped down after the league determined his response to the Blackhawks scandal was "inadequate."