Flint Firebirds -UPD: Owner suspended 5 years, fined $250k. Team forfeits 3rd OA pick

[CroFlames]

Bizarre story indeed. Shocking too that the players (non-pros at that) would have the solidarity to stand by the coach after getting canned. Especially intriguing that the owners son sided with his mates instead of his dad.

Truly an exceptional story and will be very interesting to see how it unfolds.

I expect some apologies from both sides, coaches re-hired, and an awkward season continues.

[CaptainCrunch]

Very weird situation, I doubt the league would approve of him signing 20 new players or having a draft of some kind.

the kids have put themselves in a tough spot, especially the draft eligible ones, the pre draft pro day interviews would be interesting.

I'm sure that the OHL is on the phone to Rolf or whatever his name is telling him to get his players back on the ice, or the franchise will be suspended for the year.

[Resolute 14]

The league can't afford to just drop a team mid-season. The players have the hammer here, but only if they maintain solidarity. If they make it a "him or us" scenario, Branch will almost have no other choice but to force the owner to the sidelines.

[taco.vidal]

Captain Rolf Nilsen?
http://flintfirebirds.com/Rolf-Nilsen
http://www.imsgroups.com/contact
What's he a captain of?
The guy sounds like he's got visions of grandeur about himself.

[Coach]

I don't find it that odd that the kid would stick with the team. It would take a special type of a-hole kid to have his dad buy the team, put him on it, the kid be noticeably worse than the rest, the dad throw a fit over him not playing, and then to side with him when he fired the coaches for not playing him . It's not like the kid can't tell he shouldn't be there. This whole situation will be the most embarrassing thing he's ever experienced.

[JJ1532]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Very weird situation, I doubt the league would approve of him signing 20 new players or having a draft of some kind.

the kids have put themselves in a tough spot, especially the draft eligible ones, the pre draft pro day interviews would be interesting.

I'm sure that the OHL is on the phone to Rolf or whatever his name is telling him to get his players back on the ice, or the franchise will be suspended for the year.

Hopefully the coaches and players tell him where he can stick it. To be honest though, if he is that big a tool that he would fire the coaches for not giving his son ice time, then I doubt he will suddenly go grovelling back to the group that told him to shove it, cap in hand with an apology.

I still think it's good to see the son siding with his team mates. It's not a given. I mean, he could have been just as whiny and demanding as his dad, these attitude problems hockey dads have often rub off on the children. Wouldn't have surprised me in the least to see the son being the one doing the complaining and his dad was interfering on his behalf.

I hope the players and coaches refuse to return and the owner gets every possible punishment coming to him.

[troutman]

[N-E-B]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

Bizarre story indeed. Shocking too that the players (non-pros at that) would have the solidarity to stand by the coach after getting canned. Especially intriguing that the owners son sided with his mates instead of his dad.

Truly an exceptional story and will be very interesting to see how it unfolds.

I expect some apologies from both sides, coaches re-hired, and an awkward season continues.

I don't know, if I was a coach who had that done to me there's no way I'd go back to work for that guy. I bet if he tries the coaches will tell him to get bent.

[Roof-Daddy]

Originally Posted by troutman

Ugh.

Thank goodness the Flames ended up buying the Stamps. That BS cost us Wally Buono, and it took years of pretty terrible management before we finally got Huff.

/De-rail

[Locke]

I'd do whatever it takes to get out of Flint too.

"Boys, this is our chance!"

[cannon7]

Originally Posted by bigtmac19

Cue the Kerby Rychel situation. Kid whose Dad owns a team, gets a lot more opportunity than he deserved

Yeah, but Rychel actually has talent. And emerged as a leader on a terrible team.

[calf]

Originally Posted by troutman

I love this quote.

Here's a fact. Write this down. You got a pencil in front of you? The third-highest (completion) percentage in the league, from Day 1, 63.3 per cent -- Kevin Feterik. No. 2 is (Dave) Dickenson and No. 1 is (Ricky) Ray. That's a fact. The other thing is, a weak arm, huh? That's speculation.

He can throw the ball through your stomach from 30 yards.

Feterik, Oct. 9, 2003

[CroFlames]

I don't get the football Feterik connection. What happened there?

[Coach]

Owner Dad forced the team to play him.

Not even much of a football fan, but I remember my buddies bitching about that to no end.

[sureLoss]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

I don't get the football Feterik connection. What happened there?

The story was his father bought the Stampeders so his son would be starting qb

[DionTheDman]

And ended up running some prime talent out of town while doing it.

[bigtmac19]

Originally Posted by cannon7

Yeah, but Rychel actually has talent. And emerged as a leader on a terrible team.

I don't share that opinion. Luck, his name and who he played with got him where he is.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by jayswin

Wow, that's not the type of story you expect to hear out of a professional hockey league. This is straight out of a Hollywood, highschool football movie.

That is the oddity of the CHL. It is and it isn't a professional hockey league.

[sureLoss]

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/junio...rm-came-about/

According to principals, including NHL scouts and agents with clients on the team, the players knew that there was a storm gathering before last night’s game. With the exception of Hakon Nilsen, they met with Gruden and his staff and the coach laid out there were going to be some switches in the lineup and that he couldn’t sugar-coat the reason for the move. Said one agent: “[Hakon Nilsen] is a borderline OHL player… a seventh D. Last night he played 17 minutes, including power-play minutes.”

Evidently not enough. Pink slip after game. The team went en masse, the owner's son included, to hand in their sweaters and quit the team. Last night the players stayed together at the home of a billet family. (It's not clear at this time whether Hakon Nilson spent the night with the players or went to his family's home.)

At 8 AM this morning, they spoke with Gruden on a conference call. Gruden told the players that he would return to the team if the door was open to him. Said one NHL scout: "Gruden is a good coach and a solid hockey man and I know the players like playing for him. That they have that distraction and go out and beat Oshawa like they were playing for his job says a lot."

[Muffins]

Wait...

- Flint, Michigan
- Greedy capitalist causing problems for others

I smell a Michael Moore documentary