Flint - Another Ownership-Coaching Problem

[Hammer9001]

Looks like the ownership in Flint is at it again

http://www.ontariohockeyleague.com/...m-ohl-commissioner-david-branch_167558/167558

Thursday February 18, 2016

Toronto – The Ontario Hockey League takes the health and well being of our players very seriously. The recent actions by the owner of the Flint Firebirds Rolf Nilsen and his representatives on the management team and coaching staff is of great concern as they pose a serious threat to our commitment to our players and their families.

The league announces the following sanctions effective immediately:

Mr Nilsen and his appointees on the management and coaching staff including Sergei Kharin are suspended from Flint Firebirds’ hockey operations until further notice;

The Flint Firebirds at their cost, under the direction of the League, shall provide counselling services for players;

Rolf Nilsen and representatives of the Flint Firebirds shall co-operate with the Commissioner and the League in investigations into the conduct and actions of the Flint Firebirds and its representatives, employees, officers and directors;

In addition, the League will continue to investigate the actions of Rolf Nilsen and other representatives of the Flint Firebirds and will take any action and impose any sanctions that are deemed appropriate by the Commissioner.

Later today, the League will be meeting with the players in Flint to further discuss the situation, and to ensure that they are provided the appropriate supports. These discussions and supports will be ongoing for the players and their families.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/spor...r-coaching-staff-fired-again/article28798871/

The Ontario Hockey League suspended Flint Firebirds owner Rolf Nilsen on Thursday, a day after the team fired its coaching staff for the second time this season.

Head coach and general manager John Gruden and assistant coach Dave Karpa were fired on Wednesday. Director of hockey operations Sergei Kharin was named interim head coach and assistant coach Petr Jonak was retained.

Back on Nov. 8, the Firebirds fired Gruden, Karpa and Jonak before reinstating them the next day.

“The recent actions by the owner of the Flint Firebirds, Rolf Nilsen, and his representatives on the management team and coaching staff is of great concern as they pose a serious threat to our commitment to our players and their families,†the OHL said Thursday in a statement.

In addition to Nilsen’s suspension, the league suspended his appointees on the management and coaching staff, including Kharin, until further notice. The Firebirds have also been ordered to provide counselling services for players under the direction of the league.

League officials planned to meet with the players in Flint later Thursday to discuss the situation. The Firebirds were scheduled to play the Erie Otters on Thursday night.

Nilsen and team representatives have also been told to co-operate with the commissioner and the league in investigations into the conduct and actions of the team and its representatives, employees, officers and directors. The league said it will take any action and impose any sanctions that are deemed appropriate by the commissioner.

According to reports, the Firebirds originally fired Gruden and Karpa last fall because Nilsen felt his son, defenceman Hakon Nilsen, wasn’t receiving enough playing time. Reports said each Flint player, including the owner’s son, handed in his jersey and quit in response.

Ownership called the firings an “irresponsible mistake†the next day and re-hired Gruden, Karpa and Jonak. Gruden took on a GM role with the team in January.

The Firebirds, formerly the Plymouth Whalers, entered play Thursday in ninth place in the Western Conference with an 16-31-6 record. They’ve dropped eight of their last 10 games.

Click to read more...

 

[ckg927]

Nilsen should NEVER be allowed back into the OHL. Period. END OF DISCUSSION.

 

[Mickey Redmond*]

What a gong show.

 

[OHLFan90]

http://overtimesportsnation.com/is-flint-firebirds-owner-qualified/

 

[OSA]

This is a gong show but I feel people need to call the OHL out on their reaction to this. This exact situation happened up in Sudbury very recently and the OHL did nothing about it. So, only after a players' walkout is the OHL prepared to intervene??....its hypocritical. And really, if I'm Mr. Nilson and have just spent millions of dollars on a franchise as well as turning a dumpy arena into quite a nice one, I'd be livid that I was being treated like some pariah while Mr. Burgess up in Sudbury still struts around as owner (and look who the GM is up in Sudbury too). Furthermore, he really should have a right to relieve a coaching staff or GM of their responsibilities as owner.

There may be more severe issues that exist, but we don't know. If there are, I feel like we should know what they are. Short of that though, this looks like a big pile of OHL hypocrisy to me.

 

[FireBird71]

This is a gong show but I feel people need to call the OHL out on their reaction to this. This exact situation happened up in Sudbury very recently and the OHL did nothing about it. So, only after a players' walkout is the OHL prepared to intervene??....its hypocritical. And really, if I'm Mr. Nilson and have just spent millions of dollars on a franchise as well as turning a dumpy arena into quite a nice one, I'd be livid that I was being treated like some pariah while Mr. Burgess up in Sudbury still struts around as owner (and look who the GM is up in Sudbury too). Furthermore, he really should have a right to relieve a coaching staff or GM of their responsibilities as owner.

There may be more severe issues that exist, but we don't know. If there are, I feel like we should know what they are. Short of that though, this looks like a big pile of OHL hypocrisy to me.

Agree 100%

 

[Hammer9001]

The worst part about this situation, is it is abundantly clear, a simple rule stating a player can't play for an owner, coach or manager who is a relative, would likely have solved this issue. Now this may not have resulted in the team being purchased to begin with, but I think it's clear the OHL shouldn't be focusing on rich owners, so much as loyal, dedicated owners with a passion for hockey and development.

That said, that article OTSM posted in regards to Flint is very damning of the whole situation, region and politics of that arena.

Now that said, an argument can be made with Flint's position in the standings (currently out of the playoffs) that the coaches may not be doing the greatest job, but I think everyone accepts that the coaches of a franchise that has just moved deserves some rope. That said, no one would have questioned Burnett ended up getting his walking papers this season or if Bill Stewart had (before he fell on his own sword). Realistically, if not for the earlier troubles and that both head and assistant head coach are getting the axe at the same time, a case may have been able to be made.

That all said, this Nilsen guy doesn't sound like he's remotely qualified to be an owner. Start shopping the franchise in Flint right now if you want to keep it there, because this owner is going to take off the second his kid stops playing anyway from the sound of things.

 

[Savard18]

Just imagine if we were a franchise in a new city with our arena filled to 20% of capacity every night.

 

[FireBird71]

Just imagine if we were a franchise in a new city with our arena filled to 20% of capacity every night.

Haha

 

[jason2020]

This is a gong show but I feel people need to call the OHL out on their reaction to this. This exact situation happened up in Sudbury very recently and the OHL did nothing about it. So, only after a players' walkout is the OHL prepared to intervene??....its hypocritical. And really, if I'm Mr. Nilson and have just spent millions of dollars on a franchise as well as turning a dumpy arena into quite a nice one, I'd be livid that I was being treated like some pariah while Mr. Burgess up in Sudbury still struts around as owner (and look who the GM is up in Sudbury too). Furthermore, he really should have a right to relieve a coaching staff or GM of their responsibilities as owner.

There may be more severe issues that exist, but we don't know. If there are, I feel like we should know what they are. Short of that though, this looks like a big pile of OHL hypocrisy to me.

I think its a issue when a owner starts firing people and that might be the root of the issue the league has.

 

[CharlieGirl]

This is a gong show but I feel people need to call the OHL out on their reaction to this. This exact situation happened up in Sudbury very recently and the OHL did nothing about it. So, only after a players' walkout is the OHL prepared to intervene??....its hypocritical. And really, if I'm Mr. Nilson and have just spent millions of dollars on a franchise as well as turning a dumpy arena into quite a nice one, I'd be livid that I was being treated like some pariah while Mr. Burgess up in Sudbury still struts around as owner (and look who the GM is up in Sudbury too). Furthermore, he really should have a right to relieve a coaching staff or GM of their responsibilities as owner.

There may be more severe issues that exist, but we don't know. If there are, I feel like we should know what they are. Short of that though, this looks like a big pile of OHL hypocrisy to me.

While there are definitely similarities between the Sudbury and Flint situations, they are not the same. Coaches have not been fired in Sudbury because young Burgess wasn't receiving enough playing time to suit Dad. The players have not walked out in protest of said firing. Burgess has not signed an agreement stating that he would keep his face out of the hockey operations, then reneged on the deal. And likely most importantly, Sudbury is not in its first year of operations, and trying to establish themselves and develop into a strong OHL market.

Call it hypocrisy if you want -- these are not identical situations.

 

[EON]

The worst part about this situation, is it is abundantly clear, a simple rule stating a player can't play for an owner, coach or manager who is a relative, would likely have solved this issue. Now this may not have resulted in the team being purchased to begin with, but I think it's clear the OHL shouldn't be focusing on rich owners, so much as loyal, dedicated owners with a passion for hockey and development.

That said, that article OTSM posted in regards to Flint is very damning of the whole situation, region and politics of that arena.

Now that said, an argument can be made with Flint's position in the standings (currently out of the playoffs) that the coaches may not be doing the greatest job, but I think everyone accepts that the coaches of a franchise that has just moved deserves some rope. That said, no one would have questioned Burnett ended up getting his walking papers this season or if Bill Stewart had (before he fell on his own sword). Realistically, if not for the earlier troubles and that both head and assistant head coach are getting the axe at the same time, a case may have been able to be made.

That all said, this Nilsen guy doesn't sound like he's remotely qualified to be an owner. Start shopping the franchise in Flint right now if you want to keep it there, because this owner is going to take off the second his kid stops playing anyway from the sound of things.

Would it have?

 

[UsernameWasTaken]

This is a gong show but I feel people need to call the OHL out on their reaction to this. This exact situation happened up in Sudbury very recently and the OHL did nothing about it. So, only after a players' walkout is the OHL prepared to intervene??....its hypocritical. And really, if I'm Mr. Nilson and have just spent millions of dollars on a franchise as well as turning a dumpy arena into quite a nice one, I'd be livid that I was being treated like some pariah while Mr. Burgess up in Sudbury still struts around as owner (and look who the GM is up in Sudbury too). Furthermore, he really should have a right to relieve a coaching staff or GM of their responsibilities as owner.

There may be more severe issues that exist, but we don't know. If there are, I feel like we should know what they are. Short of that though, this looks like a big pile of OHL hypocrisy to me.

The OHL is mainly concerned with its public image. They stepped in initially (and again this time) because of the negative media attention that the fiasco received.

The only time the OHL starts to get concerned about/act on things is when there is bad press involved.

 

[OSA]

While there are definitely similarities between the Sudbury and Flint situations, they are not the same. Coaches have not been fired in Sudbury because young Burgess wasn't receiving enough playing time to suit Dad. The players have not walked out in protest of said firing. Burgess has not signed an agreement stating that he would keep his face out of the hockey operations, then reneged on the deal. And likely most importantly, Sudbury is not in its first year of operations, and trying to establish themselves and develop into a strong OHL market.

Call it hypocrisy if you want -- these are not identical situations.

Trent Cull was essentially constructively dismissed. He was replaced with Paul Fixter who was the Segei Kharin of Sudbury.

Regardless, I highly doubt players in Sudbury were happy that an inferior player was seeing top 6-9 minutes and PP time. Heck, Francesco Vilardi refused to play for them after his rookie roster spot was given to the owner's son.

The only difference in these situations seems to be the "walkout"; that's my issue. The OHL reacts to the walkout and not the festering circumstances that caused the walkout in the first place.

If there were a walkout in Sudbury then maybe Mr. Burgess would have had to sign a letter as well.

 

[cujoflutie]

as many have alluded to, Branch is a reactionary person; he will rule on a situation based on the result and attention it gets rather than the act itself. Had there been no threats of walkouts, Branch probably wouldn't have been as engaged as he is. Similar to how he tends to give stiffer suspensions depending on media attention and results rather than the act themselves.

I'm actually surprised Branch and his office aren't getting called out more forcefully for this. By all accounts, remaining in Flint without Neilsen is not an option nor is a return to plymouth. Had he not rushed the Bellevile Bulls out the door (a move many rightfully criticized) the solution would be a no-brainer; flint to Hamilton. Now the next best options are either Flint to an American city which likely wasn't even in discussions to get a team last week or Flint to Belleville and risk mirroring the Mississauga Ice Dogs/Majors mess.

Seems the obvious question on whether the OHL did any pro active due diligence on the potential risks of an owners son playing for the team remain unanswered

 

[youngblood10]

The OHL is mainly concerned with its public image. They stepped in initially (and again this time) because of the negative media attention that the fiasco received.

The only time the OHL starts to get concerned about/act on things is when there is bad press involved.

Winner, winner chicken dinner. If it doesn't get reported publicly it never happened in the OHL.
This entire situation is weird on all levels. It's a loaded debate really, but once the league took action I think they did a good job in providing some stability for now.
The part i found odd...The players needing councilling? Over the coaches being fired?

 

[jason2020]

as many have alluded to, Branch is a reactionary person; he will rule on a situation based on the result and attention it gets rather than the act itself. Had there been no threats of walkouts, Branch probably wouldn't have been as engaged as he is. Similar to how he tends to give stiffer suspensions depending on media attention and results rather than the act themselves.

I'm actually surprised Branch and his office aren't getting called out more forcefully for this. By all accounts, remaining in Flint without Neilsen is not an option nor is a return to plymouth. Had he not rushed the Bellevile Bulls out the door (a move many rightfully criticized) the solution would be a no-brainer; flint to Hamilton. Now the next best options are either Flint to an American city which likely wasn't even in discussions to get a team last week or Flint to Belleville and risk mirroring the Mississauga Ice Dogs/Majors mess.

Seems the obvious question on whether the OHL did any pro active due diligence on the potential risks of an owners son playing for the team remain unanswered

Flint to Cornwall would be the likely move.

 

[cujoflutie]

Winner, winner chicken dinner. If it doesn't get reported publicly it never happened in the OHL.
This entire situation is weird on all levels. It's a loaded debate really, but once the league took action I think they did a good job in providing some stability for now.
The part i found odd...The players needing councilling? Over the coaches being fired?

Seems to me that the counseling is just PR to pump Branch's ego and it seems it's working as many are praising him. I'm glad some people are smart enough to see through it and realize that if someone reported the situation to Branch without any public walkout threats, it would almost definitely be dealt with less swiftly.

 

[digiblader]

Flint to Cornwall would be the likely move.

Not happening. Cornwall's more likely to get a QMJHL team than an OHL team if they get a CHL team again, because the last time the OHL was there, it was disastrous, as the city is close to the Quebec border and their fans were alienated by the O being there.

Basically it's either make a deal with Flint, another US city, or Belleville.

 

[CharlieGirl]

The part i found odd...The players needing councilling? Over the coaches being fired?

I think it's a way for the league to show they're supportive of the players. And considering the ****show they've dealt with this season, providing an outlet for the players to talk it out is not a bad idea. It's not just firing a coach - it's the entire circus that has gone on, especially for those players who were in Plymouth. Is it 100% necessary? Maybe not. But it could be helpful.

 

[jason2020]

Not happening. Cornwall's more likely to get a QMJHL team than an OHL team if they get a CHL team again, because the last time the OHL was there, it was disastrous, as the city is close to the Quebec border and their fans were alienated by the O being there.

Basically it's either make a deal with Flint, another US city, or Belleville.

Cornwall has changed and has got bigger most expected it would be a Ohl team .

 

[digiblader]

Cornwall has changed and has got bigger most expected it would be a Ohl team .

Cornwall's arena needs major work, and isn't currently an option.

 

[Petes1987]

The CHL would not allow Cornwall to have a QMJHL team, they would only allow an OHL team, as Cornwall is in Ontario. Cornwall did support the team when it was in the OHL and it only moved because the new owner was unrealistic in his demands from the city. The Flint franchise moving to Cornwall would be a good move. Then Hamilton could then move to the Western conference in the Mid West division and London could move to the West division.

Not happening. Cornwall's more likely to get a QMJHL team than an OHL team if they get a CHL team again, because the last time the OHL was there, it was disastrous, as the city is close to the Quebec border and their fans were alienated by the O being there.

Basically it's either make a deal with Flint, another US city, or Belleville.

 

[the dog]

Not happening. Cornwall's more likely to get a QMJHL team than an OHL team if they get a CHL team again, because the last time the OHL was there, it was disastrous, as the city is close to the Quebec border and their fans were alienated by the O being there.

Basically it's either make a deal with Flint, another US city, or Belleville.

would like to see Brantford in picturehttp://hfboards.mandatory.com/images/smilies/hockey2.gif

 

[digiblader]

would like to see Brantford in picturehttp://hfboards.mandatory.com/images/smilies/hockey2.gif

Hamilton, Kitchener and Guelph would block this.. not going to happen. Especially when the O already has issues with potential realignment..