CHICAGO — The Chicago Blackhawks have interviewed Kyle Davidson and Eric Tulsky for their general manager job.
The team made the announcement Friday.
Davidson has been serving as the team’s interim GM. Tulsky is an assistant general manager with the Carolina Hurricanes.
Davidson was elevated to the interim job after longtime general manager Stan Bowman resigned in October in the wake of a report by an outside law firm that found the organization mishandled allegations that an assistant coach sexually assaulted a player during the team’s Stanley Cup run in 2010.
The report also played a role in the departure of Al MacIsaac, another of Chicago’s top hockey executives, and the NHL fined the team $2 million for “the organization’s inadequate internal procedures and insufficient and untimely response.”
Two lawsuits related to Kyle Beach’s allegations that he was assaulted by then-video coach Brad Aldrich in 2010 were resolved in December. But the organization is still grappling with its response.
Facing questions Wednesday for the first time since the firm’s report was published in October, owner Rocky Wirtz angrily refused to address the team’s handling of the accusations. Wirtz, 69, ended up apologizing for his reaction later in the night.
Three more people are weighing lawsuits against the Blackhawks for the team’s handling of the matter, according to Christopher Cortese, a Chicago attorney representing the men.
On the ice, Chicago has dropped seven of eight, including an ugly 5-0 home loss to Minnesota on Wednesday night.
Former Blackhawks forwards Eddie Olczyk, Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp are helping the team with its GM search, and CEO Danny Wirtz has said the organization plans to interview candidates “both inside and outside of hockey.”
Davidson is in his 12th season with Chicago. He started as a hockey operations intern in 2010. He most recently held the title of assistant GM of hockey administration.
Tulsky is in his eighth season with the Hurricanes. He previously served as the team’s vice president of hockey management and strategy.
Tulsky graduated from Harvard University with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and physics, and he has a doctorate in chemistry from California-Berkeley. He also has worked in nanotechnology and holds 17 U.S. patents.