270: Thin Ice: When Personal Conduct Comes Into Play - Navigating Crisis and Rumors in the Chicago Blackhawks Organization

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Just hours before the Chicago Blackhawks selected Canadian prodigy Connor Badard as the top pick in the 2023 NHL draft penalty box radio was conducting ManInThe interviews from fans attending the draft.

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One fan interview quickly became a viral sensation. You likely heard it. Take a listen. What's your name and where are you from, Kyle? From Chicago. From Chicago? Yeah. On a scale of one to ten, one being not a lot and ten being a whole lot, how much would you say you know about hockey? Probably like I didn't play professionally or anything, so probably like a four. It's kind of funny. They have no clue who we are, what we do, and it's like, you know what, I'm going back. I'm going to go back. And so I went back and it's funny. I had to wait for two people to finish interviewing. He knows about hockey and the Blackhawks.

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But does general manager Kyle Davidson know how to talk about problems in his organization?

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Welcome to the indestructible PR podcast. I'm Molly McPherson, your crisis communication strategist and your guide through the world of breaking news and popular culture. Join me as we analyze the juiciest moments from the trending stories of the week to help you build an indestructible reputation. Let's go behind the headlines. Last week we learned that the Chicago Blackhawks forward Corey Perry cleared unconditional waivers, enabling the team to terminate his contract.

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About what we'll get into that, we'll also get into how the blackhawks responded.

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The news that you had to drop a player for a workplace matter due to conduct that is unacceptable would be bad enough for any sports organization, but particularly one that is currently in 8th place in the central division of the western conference. 8th place would be last place behind the Minnesota wild. My first NHL game this year was watching the Minnesota.

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They lost, won't want. But back to the blackhawks. They are already in crisis mode. So when something like this happens, it's bigger. The light shines brighter. Last Tuesday, the Chicago blackhawks released a statement about the issue surrounding Corey Perry. They also had a press conference led by general manager Kyle Davidson. Yes, the same Kyle Davidson. He sat down for a press conference. What's interesting about this situation is when we're dealing with a crisis and we're all watching it, we don't normally watch it through a press conference. Press conferences went by the wayside back during the pandemic days. You all remember back then, no one went anywhere. So press conferences became something that was somewhat of a liability.

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You weren't going to get the press to go anywhere to be in a gaggle together during a pandemic. No organization was going to schedule that to put people at risk. News organizations found a way to work around it. So this workaround meant that there were a lot of zoom interviews, a lot of things were streaming now.

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A lot of things were remote. What that also meant is that the news business found cost cutting measures to cover the news. That's why we don't see a lot of press conferences nowadays. But where you will still see frequent press conferences is any event involving sports. So if there's any type of news story, a game, an outcome, whatever it is, you're going to have a press conference because there's a ton of reporters, a gaggle reporters following the sports beat, and they all want the same information at the same time. Because that event happened at the same time. It's the end of the game. Or if there's an incident that happens in sports like this one, the Chicago Blackhawks needed to call for a press conference for this matter. Now, I'm going to get deeper into the matter in a bit. So let's talk about who was involved in this crisis, how the organization responded to it, but just some thoughts on how do you address anything publicly, not just with the press, but publicly when personal conduct comes into play. So whether you're a big organization, a smaller one, you run a business, you run your own business, or you're just a name or a brand, a politician, it doesn't matter when your name is out in the ether, so to speak, and you need to respond to it, how do you do it?

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Now, first I mentioned the press conference and that the Blackhawks released a statement. I'm going to read the statement to you. The statements are important nowadays because in lieu of press conferences, organizations are going to use a statement, video statements, video apologies, we don't see those as much. I was a huge proponent of it. I wanted all my clients to do video if they were capable of doing it. I liked how it was immediate. You could put it on social, you could share it if the optics were working in your favor. That could also help the story, particularly if you were very good at delivering a message. That issue came into play with this press conference. But first, let me read the statement. Quote, after an internal investigation, the Chicago Blackhawks have determined that Corey Perry has engaged in conduct that is unacceptable and in violation of both the terms of his standard player's contract and the Blackhawks internal policies intended to promote professional and safe work environments. As such, Corey Perry has been placed on unconditional waivers. In the event Mr. Perry clears waivers, we intend to terminate his contract effective immediately. End quote. Now, at the time of this recording, and I assume by the time you hear this recording, the Blackhawks still will not have provided any specifics about the incident or the incidents leading to the release of Perry. There are a lot of rumors out there, but there is a big question lingering whether Perry's alleged misconduct rises to the level of a material breach of contract. Now, this was a huge problem because the rumor mill was in full tilt.

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The Blackhawks already have a black eye. As far as the organization goes, like I said, I mean, they are already in last place. They're already coming from behind. That means that the GM, Kyle Davidson is already behind.

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Any type of behavior that happens on a team, it comes down to the general manager. He's not directly responsible, but he's still responsible overall for the management of that team and how that organization is run. But also what makes this problem a very difficult one is because the biggest challenge is not just the offense, it's the rumor mill around the offense. Nobody has a true sense of what's happening here. So the Blackhawks already have a black eye, and now they have another one. The rumor mill started around a very important player, not Corey Perry, but Connor Bedard. Now, Connor Bedard signed a three year, over $13 million contract with the Blackhawks, including $285,000 signing bonus, 13 million guaranteed, and an average salary, annual salary of over $4 million. Okay?

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So in this hockey season, Badard is going to earn over $800,000 and a signing bonus of almost$100,000. Okay? This kid just graduated high school, okay? He got drafted at 18. Now, fun fact, connor Bernard's great great uncle, James Bernard, played 22 games in the NHL for Chicago, 1949 to 1951. Now more on Bernard.

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One, the kid is beautiful. He is such a good looking kid. He is a franchise player, not just in skill, but in looks. This kid is absolutely you can tell he comes from good stock. His dad is a logger in Vancouver, and from reports we all know he know a close family. I'm going to get back to that. Something that Badard said that if and this is before the draft, that if he gets a big NHL paycheck, he wants to thank his family for their support. He was quoted as saying, I'll probably get my mom something. My dream is to pay off their house or get them a house. I hope I can do that one. Oh, this kid. Another quote. I mean, you'll have your own opinion on watching me or whatnot Bernard said, but I just want to be seen as someone that always has given it their all and is a good person as much as a good player. I love that. And Badard said that his dad, the logger Tom, passed down this lesson, be where your feet are. I love that. You have to think on it for a second. You go, what? And they go, oh, I see. It's like, be where you are. It's very similar to my family model for my kids. And it's all about showing up. I tell them I compliment them a lot. I tell them like, hey, you know what? You guys know how to show up. And what that means is showing up is more than just being present. It's about presenting the qualities needed in that moment, because I'm all about the shortcuts, right? If you have to be somewhere and show that you are a nice, pleasant person, you could be in the worst mood of your life, but you need to present that you are a nice, pleasant person.

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If you go into a place that you're shaky about, you have to be confident.

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If you have hockey tryouts this is straight from my mouth. Hockey mom mouth. You have to be selfish. I cannot tell you how many times I said that to my kids, particularly my daughter Rory. She had tryouts for the US. National Camp. So that's when you're a teenager, you're in high school and you go to the National Camp, and then eventually, that's how they select the National Team. And then from the national team, you get the Olympics. Now, I did not think that we would be doing it at that level, but certainly she got chosen when she was in high school, which was phenomenal. It was absolutely great. But I kept telling her at all these tryouts, I'm like, you've got to be more selfish, because she always passes. Like my kids are. They pass all the time. They're like team players, and I'm the mom telling them, you have to keep the puck. You're not going to make a team if you can't score. But anyway but it's about being confident. Look up when you speak. If you're in a horrible mood, fake it. If you cannot stand the person that you're with, pretend that you like them. Whatever it is, it's all about showing up. Now, that's going to come back, too, in the podcast.

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Now, for the Blackhawks, the bigger problem for them is they're in crisis mode, but they already were in crisis mode. I just got off a call before recording this, talking to someone about crisis plans because their organization has a huge problem. And then they talked about, oh, did you see this article that came out in CNN? The story in CNN, like, oh, looking it up. Oh, of course, because it's adjacent to the first crisis, and that's what happens. And that's where the Blackhawks are in right now because in 2010, they were dealing with a sexual assault scandal. So their former video coach Brad Aldrich, was accused of sexual assault. So at the time, it was two unnamed players, but now we know the players. But this all happened during the team's Stanley Cup run back in 2010, and so they were under investigation, and it was wildly reported in the media. And also reported is that this was an open secret. Everybody knew about this guy.

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So those types of stories do not help organizations.

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Thank the Catholic Church, thank the Boy Scouts of America, thank Hockey Canada, the US.

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Gymnastics, like, all of it. So this is a bad crisis. So now to the topic of this podcast. Like, how do you get out of a situation like this when personal conduct comes into play and you really have to dig yourself out of the hole. I know, I know. Now you may be asking, why are you doing a podcast about some hockey player who's been released from the Chicago Blackhawks? What's the story? Those of you familiar with the story know one particular angle of the story, which makes it a much bigger story in PR crisis land. And that's the discussion that's revolving around the speculation concerning the personal life of Perry.

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But there is a particular focus on a rumor involving him and Connor Bedard's mother, Melanie. Now, where a lot of these discussions started is on social media. There are a lot of tongue in cheek comments and memes and just think hockey culture. But think of hockey culture in the social media realm. It's a lot of smack talk, a lot of back talk.

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And Connor Bedard is this top player on the team. He's a franchise player. And Connor Bedard's mother, Melanie, oh my gosh, she's the cutest thing on the planet. So that's what drew me to this story, because I have a Connor that is Connor Bedard's age. I am a hockey mom like Connor Bedard's mom. And that's where the similarities end because Melanie Bedard is absolutely so incredibly cute.

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I saw a photo of her and I thought, man, I don't look anything like that. She is cute. She does not look like a mom that has spent decades on the road going to all these sports tournaments. That's what I look like. I look like that mom. But that's what made it interesting. And of course she's beautiful, right? She's pretty.

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So it just fits naturally into all of these rumors. But then what adds to it is that Perry's agent, when all of this was happening, his agent from Newport Sports Management released a statement later that day. So we're still on last Tuesday quote, corey Perry has stepped away from the Chicago Blackhawks to attend to personal matters. Corey and his family appreciate privacy at this time. The statement is not accurate. I mean, it's slippery. It's slippery language. We call that weasel language. It's to attend to personal matters. Well, technically, yeah, it is a personal matter, but it implies that he stepped away by his own choosing when really the team stepped away from him. So now we have all these rumors that are happening. So the real huge crisis here is the rumors about Perry with Connor Bedard's mother. That is bad enough. But when the player is an 18 year old kid, essentially, and when the player is the franchise and there's this kind of lurid scandalous story there, that's what you have to address.

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But what the Blackhawks were addressing is really why they released Corey Perry. That's what made this difficult. So you've already heard the statement. Now I'm going to play the press conference. I want you to listen to Kyle from Chicago, who is Kyle Davidson, the general manager of the Blackhawks. Imagine being kyle Davidson and delivering these remarks.

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Imagine being Melanie Bedard and let's say she were giving a statement along these lines. How would she sound? How would the mother sound of someone who's in the middle of all these rumors? How would anyone sound when they really, really want you to believe what they are saying? We are dismissing these rumors, and I'm going to back it up why we're dismissing these rumors. So listen to the tone.

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Listen to the language. See if the tone matches the language and see if you're buying what he's saying. Now you're hearing this podcast a week later. If you're hearing this a day of its release, we have more information. But at the time of this press conference, all anyone was talking about when this press conference happened was, oh my gosh, did Corey Perry hook up with Conor Bernard's mom? So take a listen.

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First and foremost, I want to start off by reiterating the organization is committed to a culture of accountability and upholding our values across our employees and players both on and off the ice. Last week, management was notified of possible misconduct by Corey Perry. We immediately pulled him from the game and conducted an internal investigation. Upon learning the findings of the investigation, we made the decision to terminate his contract. As this is an individual personnel matter, I will not be able to disclose any details related to the initial reporting, investigation or the findings. However, I do want to be very clear on this one point. This does not involve any players or their families, and anything that suggests otherwise or anyone that suggests otherwise is wildly inaccurate. And frankly, it's disgusting.

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Now, the language in there was good. It was written by someone who knows what they're doing. They started by mentioning the value system of the blackhawks. It's a culture of accountability, and they're committed to upholding our values across employees and players both on and off the ice. That's good language. Now, the language runs counter to that organization's history, recent history. So we have a problem with that right there. You know, my framework. Own it, explain it, promise it. They started with explain it. They're explaining the value system first.

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The reason why I don't start with the value system first, they feel that that's the most important piece that they want you all to know about their value system. I'm going to disagree here and argue that it isn't the most important thing because they're not known for their culture of accountability at all. They're not known for it at all. How are you accountable is by addressing what was happening. So if it were me, I would have flip flopped that first paragraph.

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So if I'm writing the statement for Kyle Davidson, my first line is going to be, last week I was notified of possible misconduct by one of our players. Since I am a leader who is committed to creating a culture of accountability and upholding those same values across not just our players, but with our employees on and off the ice. This is a matter of whatever it is, because there isn't a culture of accountability with the blackhawks. But Davidson can say that under his reign as GM, he has created a culture of accountability. So what he's done there is he starts with the first step, which is own it. This is what I found out. Okay, so he's admitting that it happened, and then he's explaining why he did what he did because of their culture, and then it's promise it, what are you doing moving forward? So then he starts talking about, upon learning about the findings of the investigation, and he had a filler in there. So it's always interesting to see where the fillers come in. We made the decision to terminate his contract. I would have gone with the eye. Now, maybe he could not have done that because of union negotiations. I mean, maybe he wanted to spread it out. If I were working with the blackhawks, I'm writing a statement for Kyle. Kyle from Chicago. This is your statement. It's not about the blackhawks. They're already tarnished you're. Not you're, Kyle from Chicago. You are the guy who everybody fell in love with five months ago after the draft.

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So when I found out about the investigation, I made the decision to terminate Perry's contract. However, as this is an individual personal matter, I'm not going to be able to disclose any details related to the initial reporting of this investigation and the findings. However, let me be clear on this. One point, which I think is the most important point, is that this issue and that behavior does not involve any other player on the team other than Corey Perry.

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It does not involve any other player family members. And anything that suggests that something that happened between a player and a member of a family, of someone on our team, it is widely inaccurate. It is dangerous, and it is wrong. It is unfair for any player or family member to be tarnished by the behavior of one of our players who is no longer with this organization. Do you see something like that? That is the language that we want.

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Because Melanie Bedard deserved that. What Kyle from Chicago did, he addressed it, but he did not address the words in a way that really made everything go away. When I watch that press conference, when I hear the words, all I could picture was Melanie Bedard thinking, no one's going to believe this. This is now the stain that I have. And any mother listening to this, any hockey mother listening to this, would feel sick, feel sick, because now she feels that she's ruined Connor's reputation and she had nothing to do with it.

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She had absolutely nothing to do with it. It all happened likely on Twitter and on reddit and on social media and then in hockey circles.

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She was an innocent bystander. Likely. We don't know, but it's likely. And now I can guarantee you, though, she's a mother who feels awful even though she did nothing wrong, because she knows that this is going to stick to her son forever.

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And in hockey culture, this kid's going to be raz for the rest of his career over something that never even happened.

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And Kyle from Chicago had a chance to really sell that point. The job of the person in a press conference delivering the information, delivering that statement, it's not just their job to deliver the news. It's their job to sell it. It's not just the job of the spokesperson to share what they're going to do and to share the response. It's to sell it.

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And it's not just the job of a spokesperson to stop rumors. It is the responsibility of that spokesperson to end it right there and then and change the framing and make every single person listening to that statement know that not only is it not true, but we have to think about the Bedard family in a different way.

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We have to have empathy now for Connor and his mother, sympathy for them for what they're going through because they need to have a space where they come back.

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And that's where I think the GM, Kyle Davidson fell short.

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So that's what I want you to think about if you ever have to address anything. Now, I'm talking about a press conference in this podcast. But even if this is a conversation that you're having with another person where you have to sell something, it's how you sell it. In my terms, if I were your mother, I'd say show up.

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Show up for the reason why you need to show up, present who you need to present at that moment for the reason why you need to be there. Now, by the time you're listening to this, more of the truth is leaking out. So since that press conference, sources told the online site Daily Face Off that it was an alcohol fueled incident that involved Perry and that it was alleged to have occurred during an event that included corporate partners and team employees in attendance.

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Now, there were other rumors that it could have been the daughter of someone affiliated with the team. That remains unclear. A lot of things remain unclear. Now, what it sounds like from the statement, because I like to break down statements and look at the words and the choice behind making those words appear in a statement, he said that it's an individual personnel matter, but it does not involve players or their families. So that means it's likely an employee or someone who's affiliated with the team, because that's very, very specific language. So that's what we're understanding. So when Davidson found out about the allegation, he apparently was in Columbus when he found out last week, and he immediately pulled Perry from the lineup, so that was the game the night before Thanksgiving against the Blue Jackets, and they were not releasing any information, but it was going crazy on social media. So this is why it is the story that it is right now. It's a rumor. And so this podcast is about we all must protect Conor Bernard and Conor Bernard's mother. We have to change the narrative. All right? So if you're ever faced with this situation, if you're a comms person, prepping someone, if you're the leader yourself, who's giving the spokesperson duties either to yourself or someone else, if you are just doing this in your job or in your personal life, like, how can we talk about things to clear the air? Let's say it's you. How do you address this type of situation?

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But before I play the video, there's pieces of information I want to share to give you context. Some of these I already mentioned, but keep these in mind when you're listening to the press conference. One, there's a lack of public information.

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They can only say so much in this press conference because a player engaged in unacceptable conduct. They could only go so far. And when there is a crisis with people and personnel and organizations due to privacy concerns, you can't say much. Also, he's addressing rumors and speculation without addressing rumors and speculation. He can't say that people are talking about Connor Bedard's mother, because that's kind of like doubling down on an idea that everybody's going to hear, like, oh, he said it, therefore it could be true. We want to discredit a joke or a rumor that is getting traction under social media without addressing it. But if we don't address it, it could get worse. There is an internal investigation, so that needs to be addressed. But there's also contractual legal considerations that need to be addressed, and there's privacy and organizational decisions that need to be addressed. So all of those factors come in to what is being said in this press conference. So take a listen. See if you think he nails it.

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That list that I just gave you, see if you hear that list in this press conference, and then when it's finished, I want to know, did it work?

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Now, what can you do if you are in a situation where, oh, my goodness, maybe you are the spokesperson in a press conference, perhaps you are doing something standing up in a public speaking situation. Could be in a town hall meeting, or it could be on a video, or it could be with employees, or it could be something that's personal where you are trying to clear the air without giving away too much information because you're dealing with someone's privacy. So in these situations, you must find the sweet spot between openness and restraint.

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So you need to provide clarity without adding fuel to the fire. Kyle Davidson didn't really do it here. He didn't sell it. He said it but he didn't sell it. So the first step in addressing any of these challenges, especially for an organization with a history of controversies, is you have to acknowledge the problem.

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It's not enough to simply recognize the issue, which was Corey Perry, and give it like a soft launch in a press conference. It was up to Davidson to communicate and acknowledge publicly that there was a rumor that needs to be discredited, but also addressing the pain of the people involved in that rumor, especially since it was a false rumor.

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Most of that energy and empathy should have been towards the Bedards without saying the Bedards. So when you're dealing with the case of rumors or allegations, it's a nuanced approach. You have to balance transparency with responsibility. So ensure that the statement or the actions do not inadvertently validate these unfounded claims. But you need the passion on the camera or in audio to dispute anything. And you have to do that with passion because it was on air. Play to that camera, look in the eye. This is a podcast, so you could not see Kyle looking down and reading his notes. That does not sell. It when you have to look at notes to get people to believe you. If you want to defend the Bedards, you look in the camera and you defend the Bedards. Rumors about Perry's conduct was swirling everywhere. His job that day was to stop the rumors.

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All the shadows were cast on the Bedard family. Everybody kind of knew that Perry did something, that it would eventually come out.

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But it was understandable that we were never going to get to the bottom of the Bedard issue. That was Kyle from Chicago's job to do that. So you need this multipronged approach when you respond to these types of things. One, your communication needs to be clear and timely. The first sign of a crisis, you are communicating clearly about it, and quickly.

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Any delay is going to appear as though there is something to hide. They're scrambling. Statements should come out as soon as possible and that we will address this at X time in this press conference. So people know, like, oh, we're going to see a face on this. You must use empathy and responsibility. Show empathy towards all parties involved, but including the victims. Always remember the victims, the accused, the families.

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This doesn't mean taking sides, but acknowledging the emotional toll that these situations have on everyone involved.

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He should have said more about the Bedards without saying the Bedards. Imagine even being Tom Bedard, our logger from Vancouver. He's a part of this too now. He looks like a guy who's married to someone who had an affair with a player. They should have gone harder on this. The Bedards are not clear of the damage. You can show transparency within bounds. Yes, you have to balance legal and privacy considerations, but you can be clear about why that information needs to. Be withheld. But you can also be clear about showing strength, about what you're defending, but why you can't go as deep as you can because of that privacy. In other words, I want to say everything that I can say here, to say that it's not Melanie bedard, but I can't say everything you see, because there's privacy here. The messaging should be consistent. All messaging should be the same. Same tone. Again, Davidson sounded weak. If you're just listening to it, you never saw the video. You can absolutely imagine he's reading it and his eyes are darting up and down and up and down. Leadership needs to take accountability, not just for managing the crisis, but any failures in preventing it.

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He did not talk about why this happened. It could be about making tough decisions about current practices and what they do. I mean, this happened on his watch. We did not hear the promise. That's another piece that was missing from the statement we just heard in the order that we heard it, explain it, which he did, and then owning up to what happened to Perry. But he didn't make a promise to the Bedards, and he did not make a promise to any type of change.

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Engaging with stakeholders is another important part of it. That is what fans can expect, the staff can expect, players can expect. Maybe it's not in that statement, perhaps it's not in the press conference, but it should be somewhere. Talk to the fans. What can the fans expect? And lastly, there should be ongoing monitoring. They should be all over reddit.

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They should be quashing anything that comes up. Again, it's never a one and done with a crisis. One and done is only if you've sold it and you've done the job. But since Davidson didn't do that, the blackhawks were a little late in quashing all of this, they have to keep monitoring and they have to keep adjusting. So when something like this happens again, when it's personal conduct that's involved, especially in high profile organizations, you don't like the blackhawks, the leadership's response can always make the difference.

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It's about striking the right balance between transparency and empathy, all while showing responsibility.

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Keep the dignity of all of those involved intact. And yes, that means Perry as well. He was punished for what he did. But we're not going to bury the guy. We're not going to destroy the guy. We're just going to move on.

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Navigate the crisis with integrity and trustworthiness. Because remember that's what you want in the end is to regain the trust. Because Kyle from Chicago not only has to do it from this issue, he's still regaining the trust of a previous GM. So whether you are a last place team in the division, a small business, an influencer, a brand, a hockey mom, rumors have a way of becoming fact. Until you fully dispel them in every episode, I leave you with one indestructible PR tip. One practical takeaway to help you build that indestructible reputation. Here it is. I'm going to give you a quote and it's going to be your mantra for life. Whether it's a situation like this or if it's someone just spreading rumors about you online, in your place of work, your friends at college, friends at a bar, whatever, if an ex is spreading bad, bad news about you and it's all untrue, or you were married to someone in a boy band and their team's trying to smear your reputation, remember this? And it's from Sun Tzu. From The Art of War.

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He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot will be victorious.

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In other words, know when to fight. Know when to show up. And if that fight is not saying something, or if that fight is showing up in a different way, you have to know when and how to fight.

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And if your fight is, I'm going to dispel this rumor by fighting in this press conference, but I'm not going to be able to sell it.

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You're not going to win the war. You're not going to win the battle of the reputation. You have lost it.

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Know where to fight. Because the only thing worse than misplaced public scrutiny is people believing the reasons behind it. So dispel those rumors with words or with your actions. So if it's a fantastical claim that's being weaponized against you all over social media by your ex husband's soon to be ex husband's PR publicity team, then silence may be in order. Sophie Turner but if you have a public facing platform and it's about you, or it's about someone in your organization about their mom, shout it from the mountaintop. Everybody needs to hear it. Because you got to sell it. If you want more information about how to do this, particularly from a spokesperson point of view, head on over to Patreon to My PR Confidential. Members of my PR Fixer and PR Professional Tiers can download their guide how to communicate private news from your organization while protecting sensitive information. Members of the My PR fixer will get the guide. Members of My PR Professionals will get the guide, plus a bonus podcast about how to message these delicate matters more effectively. You can find that over in PR Confidential on Patreon. All right, everyone.

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If you have feedback or if you have thoughts on this episode, head on over to My socials or you can talk about it on PR Confidential.

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I'm dying to know what you think. That's all for this week on the podcast. Thanks for listening. Bye for now.