I’ll answer your last sentence first. They have spent the better of 10 years with Stan Bowman, so of course they think he is a good person. He has done a lot for them, so their memories of him are positive. It’s not as black or white for them compared to the rest of us who have no personal connection to Stan Bowman. You can disagree with the choices someone makes but still care for them as a person. However, This is a huge blemish on him and he should be held accountable. He did something wrong and it wasn’t a simple mistake. It was negligence.
The players should be held accountable if they contributed to the bullying and any inappropriate words. But it’s not their duty to report that’s management (legally). It is plausible that some players did not hear or didn’t know (like Toews claims) until the following season/training camp. Usually black aces/scratches do not skate with the main group.
not justifying it but just giving a reason as to why they completely denied it (which is embarrassing ). It’s simple, legal implications. In Ontario there is an apology act, you can apologize without that being used against you in court or law. That does not exist in the states
