As the Firebirds Turn

To say that the Flint Firebirds' first season in the Ontario Hockey League has resembled a daytime soap opera would be an understatement. Following the firing (again) of both head coach John Gruden and assistant coach Dave Karpa earlier this week, the Firebirds were hit with sanctions from the league, meaning owner Rolf Nilsen and his handpicked replacement for Gruden (and director of operations) Sergei Kharin were suspended effective immediately.

Below is the statement from the Ontario Hockey League:

"The Ontario 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."

If you remember earlier in the season, both Gruden and Karpa were relieved of their duties, with the root of the problem being Hakon Nilsen not given enough playing time. Hakon is the owner's son, for those that don't know. After the second firing, for today's practice, only Hakon Nilsen was out for the practice, as many of the Firebirds players have been at odds with upper management. According to sources, Michael Bitten, father of the team's leading scorer Will Bitten, has said that his son would not be coming back to the team if the elder Nilsen was still in control of the team.

Joe Stefan and Pat Peake were named interim coach and interim assistant coach, respectively by the OHL.

It's been no secret that the Firebirds have been a dumpster fire ever since they relocated from Plymouth after ownership changed hands, and certainly, issues surrounding the city haven't helped much. However, trading away your best players in Josh Wesley, Connor Chatham, and Alex Nedeljkovic doesn't exactly foster a winning locker room. More to the point, when a person in power like Nilsen is more concerned about his son getting playing time in major junior (the younger Nilsen has 3 assists and is a -19 in 36 games), it's going to create problems for everyone. It almost makes you wonder if Peter Karmanos regrets selling the team to Nilsen and his company if he had known the direction the team was going from there.