Rolf Neilson Suspended by OHL

[FireBird71]

Not the first time I have seen something like this posted. My question then and still is.. what due diligence could have been done that would have uncovered that there was the potential for this situation to arrive

Nothing...everything was good until after the season started

 

[CharlieGirl]

The point is that there are several, different sets of rules in the OHL regarding nepotism.

Not exactly. There are no rules surrounding drafting and/or playing a relative of an owner.

Where the Flint situation differs from Sudbury is that a) the coaches haven't been fired for not playing the owner's kid and b) the players didn't walk out in support of the coaching staff. And Flint is in its first year of operation.

I appreciate the frustration with what's gone on in Sudbury, but they very quickly became two very different situations.

 

[Whalers Fan]

Not the first time I have seen something like this posted. My question then and still is.. what due diligence could have been done that would have uncovered that there was the potential for this situation to arrive

Probably the first red flag was when the team drafted Hakon Nilsen, but that was after Rolf had bought the team and still wouldn't be enough to indicate what was to transpire during the season. It certainly is not an easy situation to assess. While there are instances such as this and in Sudbury, there are also legitimate, deserving OHL players who get selected and/or play for relatives -- Kirby Rychel in Windsor and Nick Foligno in Sudbury are two examples that come to mind.

 

[Savard18]

Not exactly. There are no rules surrounding drafting and/or playing a relative of an owner.

Where the Flint situation differs from Sudbury is that a) the coaches haven't been fired for not playing the owner's kid and b) the players didn't walk out in support of the coaching staff. And Flint is in its first year of operation.

I appreciate the frustration with what's gone on in Sudbury, but they very quickly became two very different situations.

True. Still, I think Branch should have taken some sort of lesson from the Sudbury expierience. Hopefully now, the league has learned something from this and acts accordingly in the future. If Flint has to take the fall on this, hopefully it's at least so no other team goes through the same situation in the future.

 

[keepingscore]

Probably the first red flag was when the team drafted Hakon Nilsen, but that was after Rolf had bought the team and still wouldn't be enough to indicate what was to transpire during the season. It certainly is not an easy situation to assess. While there are instances such as this and in Sudbury, there are also legitimate, deserving OHL players who get selected and/or play for relatives -- Kirby Rychel in Windsor and Nick Foligno in Sudbury are two examples that come to mind.

Yes, but those players would have been drafted by another teams regardless. And that's the way it should be.

Parents pay a small fortune and players work awfully hard just for a chance to hear their name called on draft day. It is not a level draft field when nepotism is in play. Clubs are taking a spot away from a player who deserves to be drafted. Coaches put up with owners and gms drafing their kids because they want to keep their jobs. Owners put up with coaches and gms drafting their kids because they want to keep their coaches and gms.

All nepotism should be banned. Kids need to make it all on their own.

 

[CharlieGirl]

True. Still, I think Branch should have taken some sort of lesson from the Sudbury expierience. Hopefully now, the league has learned something from this and acts accordingly in the future. If Flint has to take the fall on this, hopefully it's at least so no other team goes through the same situation in the future.

Agreed - no question that the league has egg on its face after this fiasco. Whether it was a matter of chasing the money, or desperation to find a home for the ex-Whalers, they certainly didn't do enough homework.

 

[ohloutsider]

Probably the first red flag was when the team drafted Hakon Nilsen, but that was after Rolf had bought the team and still wouldn't be enough to indicate what was to transpire during the season. It certainly is not an easy situation to assess. While there are instances such as this and in Sudbury, there are also legitimate, deserving OHL players who get selected and/or play for relatives -- Kirby Rychel in Windsor and Nick Foligno in Sudbury are two examples that come to mind.

Kirby Rychel was drafted by Barrie - traded to Missy and then traded to Windsor, but I get what you are trying to say.

 

[Torts]

True. Still, I think Branch should have taken some sort of lesson from the Sudbury expierience. Hopefully now, the league has learned something from this and acts accordingly in the future. If Flint has to take the fall on this, hopefully it's at least so no other team goes through the same situation in the future.

Let's hope....

 

[Torts]

Yes, but those players would have been drafted by another teams regardless. And that's the way it should be.

Parents pay a small fortune and players work awfully hard just for a chance to hear their name called on draft day. It is not a level draft field when nepotism is in play. Clubs are taking a spot away from a player who deserves to be drafted. Coaches put up with owners and gms drafing their kids because they want to keep their jobs. Owners put up with coaches and gms drafting their kids because they want to keep their coaches and gms.

All nepotism should be banned. Kids need to make it all on their own.

In an absolutely 100% perfect world yes - unfortunately that's not the world we live in. I played rep hockey (and other sports) growing up and almost always the parent's child was on the team, if they were qualified or not qualified to be.

Sorry for double posting guys.

 

[cub]

Yes, but those players would have been drafted by another teams regardless. And that's the way it should be.

Parents pay a small fortune and players work awfully hard just for a chance to hear their name called on draft day. It is not a level draft field when nepotism is in play. Clubs are taking a spot away from a player who deserves to be drafted. Coaches put up with owners and gms drafing their kids because they want to keep their jobs. Owners put up with coaches and gms drafting their kids because they want to keep their coaches and gms.

All nepotism should be banned. Kids need to make it all on their own.

this is awesome, well said.

 

[cub]

In an absolutely 100% perfect world yes - unfortunately that's not the world we live in. I played rep hockey (and other sports) growing up and almost always the parent's child was on the team, if they were qualified or not qualified to be.

Sorry for double posting guys.

At the OHL level it should never happen. Branch needs to impelment some rules on this, the league loses all credibility it has.

 

[ohloutsider]

Minor hockey as we know it would grind to a halt. Almost every team in Minor hockey has a parent coaching. These parents that give up their time are the backbone of the sport. Don't be too quick to shove them aside.

 

[Unfriendly Ghost]

They should have forced Flint to trade Rolf's son. That would finally set things right.

 

[Unfriendly Ghost]

If said player drafted 3rd overall can't outplay Hakon, he shouldn't have been drafted 3rd overall to begin with.

Pretty much every defenseman drafted from rounds 1-5 will be able to outplay Hakon next year. I mean, I understand it's not his fault, but the kid is not a very good OHL player.

 

[Whalers Fan]

Kirby Rychel was drafted by Barrie - traded to Missy and then traded to Windsor, but I get what you are trying to say.

I do recall some weirdness with that draft where Barrie drafted Rychel because they thought Windsor had violated some unwritten rule about where a team was supposed to draft "legacy" players. Regardless, my main point is that it would be a shame to institute some blanket rule banning all players from being on a relative's team and denying a player of the caliber of a Rychel or Foligno from having the experience of playing for their dad.

 

[ohloutsider]

I do recall some weirdness with that draft where Barrie drafted Rychel because they thought Windsor had violated some unwritten rule about where a team was supposed to draft "legacy" players. Regardless, my main point is that it would be a shame to institute some blanket rule banning all players from being on a relative's team and denying a player of the caliber of a Rychel or Foligno from having the experience of playing for their dad.

It is the 80-20 rule. Don't punish 80% of the people when it is only 20% that are screwing it up. Imagine what would happen in London if they had not allowed family members in. London did nothing wrong - it is a family business. Nilison is the one screwing this up - not all teams are bad when kids play for them.

 

[keepingscore]

Totally disagree. Dad and the player are better off on different teams. This nepotism is getting out of hand. Kingston GM Gilmour drafted both of his kids and former coach Gill drafted his kid. Gilmour traded his oldest to Niagara, and when the kid got no ice time Gilmour reacquired him for Kingston. No one said a peep about that. You can't do your job and worry about your kid at the same time. Hawerchuk is a clear example of that.

 

[cujoflutie]

It is the 80-20 rule. Don't punish 80% of the people when it is only 20% that are screwing it up. Imagine what would happen in London if they had not allowed family members in. London did nothing wrong - it is a family business. Nilison is the one screwing this up - not all teams are bad when kids play for them.

I’m surprised it took this long for London to get mentioned in this thread but there’s plenty of differences.

First off I don’t think there’s any doubt the Hunter boys were good enough to play in the league. It’s also brutally obvious Mark and Dale did not purchase a team for the sole purpose of having a venue for their kids to play. Secondly in Flint we have an owner knowing nothing about the game meddling with the hockey ops, the same does not apply to the Hunters (who were both involved in the operations themselves)


Also the 5th overall pick should not be moving up to 4th if I'm not mistaken as compensatory picks are usually entrenched into their fixed spots and thus can't move up or down with picks being added or subtracted.

 

[keepingscore]

As stated, as long as you played in the NHL, made millions there, you are welcome to do whatever the hell you want in the OHL, including creating family hockey factories. But, if you're an outsider like the Flint coach you are not welcome.

 

[djscooter]

Kind of ridiculous for the OHL to step in here while looking the other way in the Burgess situation. I guess when Sudbury hired Barclay Branch, everything was good again.

 

[Savard18]

Also the 5th overall pick should not be moving up to 4th if I'm not mistaken as compensatory picks are usually entrenched into their fixed spots and thus can't move up or down with picks being added or subtracted.

McLeod was the 3rd overall pick last year. The comp pick was 5th for him because the picks of the 4 non playoff teams are protected. Since one of the non playoff teams is losing their pick, it should move Flint's #5 pick up to 4th, really only allowing Hamilton to draft ahead of where Flint would have picked. Why should Saginaw get to pick ahead of us? Hamilton will pick 3rd now, Flint 4th and everybody moves up one spot from there.

 

[TcNorth]

They should be made to trade Hakon Nilsen as well. He too is a cancer. He was in favor of the Gruden firing the second time, when most other players were not. Hakon said that what you get with our kind of record. The quicker we are rid of both Nilsen's the better!

 

[cub]

Kind of ridiculous for the OHL to step in here while looking the other way in the Burgess situation. I guess when Sudbury hired Barclay Branch, everything was good again.

Totally agree, DB is a hypocrite.

 

[Voice from the North]

Kind of ridiculous for the OHL to step in here while looking the other way in the Burgess situation. I guess when Sudbury hired Barclay Branch, everything was good again.

Burgess wasn't the first owner to have his kid play for the team so for the league to do anything about it would have been problematic. Burgess also didn't buy the team to give his kid a place to play so the league couldn't do much there either even though I'm sure they wanted to. Burgess didn't fire the coach although there was a lot of pressure put on Trent Cull to play the owners son. It was an embarrassment to the league for sure but he didn't cross the line, although he may have dabbled on the edges. That being said, I'm sure the League didn't want a repeat of the Burgess situation and when Nilsen went too far, the league was quick to jump and set an example.

 

[Otto]

At the OHL level it should never happen. Branch needs to impelment some rules on this, the league loses all credibility it has.

You understand that Branch doesn't have the power to make rule changes?

The Governors vote on the rule changes, does anyone actually think they will vote to ban teams from drafting/signing family members? Why would they possibly do that?

First and foremost.. no one thinks it will ever happen to them, they all have it under control

Second.. at what point do you draw the line? Sons? Nephews? Illegitimate son of a secretary they had relations with in 2001?