Insult to Injury

The ongoing saga of the Flint Firebirds has reached its conclusion (one can only hope), as OHL commissioner David Branch has made a statement, which can be found on the OHL site:

Based upon an investigation at my request by Terrence O’Sullivan of the law firm of Lax O’Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb LLP, I am satisfied that Rolf Nilsen of the Flint Firebirds has on several occasions violated an agreement he signed on the 11^th day of November, 2015, between himself and the OHL.  Those violations are contrary to the best interests of the players, the Team, and the OHL.

In view of these findings, in accordance with the OHL Constitution, I have ordered that:

• Rolf Nilsen be suspended by the OHL from being involved directly or indirectly with hockey operations of the Flint Firebirds for five (5) years effective immediately;

• The Flint Firebirds forfeit a first round draft pick in the 2016 OHL Priority Selection (third pick overall);

• A fine be paid by Rolf Nilsen to the League in the amount of Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Dollars ($250,000.00);

If it is determined by the League that Rolf Nilsen has violated this Order, the League may order Rolf Nilsen to sell one hundred percent (100%) of the ownership interest of the Flint Firebirds.

Furthermore, Rolf Nilsen may after three (3) years apply for reinstatement to participate in hockey operations of the Flint Firebirds.

During the currency of this Order, the hockey operations of the Flint Firebirds shall be under the stewardship, supervision and direction of the Commissioner.

The OHL is pleased to announce that Joe Birch, who has led the Flint Firebirds hockey operations since February, 2016, will continue in his role as Director of Hockey Operations, with a General Manager, Head Coach, and additional hockey operations staff to be appointed in the near future.

 In a nutshell, the decision laid down by Branch effectively means that the Firebirds will not only be likely in a perpetual rebuild, but that rebuild will be delayed a year, as this year's first round pick in the OHL Priority Draft is gone for them. While Nilsen is still technically owner of the Firebirds, and it is likely that an ugly battle in the courts may ensue, his time as owner of a hockey team is likely over. Five years is a long time to be away, and while the city of Flint is still embracing the team despite the problems, the ability to stay competitive may become a problem if it wasn't already, which could in turn, drive people away from the arena.

I'm sure this isn't what the people of Flint signed up for when the team was brought there from Plymouth, MI, and for one man's actions, a team, its coaches, and a city are paying a price. It's not fair, but something had to be done before things went to ruins, which could still happen if the team does end up moving, a possibility that exists.

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.

Heading in Opposite Directions: Redux

Before I get to today's topic, the weekly Missouri Mavericks report will return next week, as I am preparing for this weekend's NHL All-Star weekend.

Today, there are two teams heading in opposite directions, one of them in the WHL and the other in the OHL. Heading up is the WHL's Lethbridge Hurricanes, who are three points clear of Kelowna for the top spot in the league and are in the midst of a 10-game winning streak. They are the best offensive team, which has been a dramatic turnaround from the last two seasons in which they were terrible in just about every way possible. The Hurricanes will have a chance to extend that winning streak on Friday as they visit the Victoria Royals.

On the other side is the OHL's Flint Firebirds. It's been an eventful first season for the team formerly known as the Plymouth Whalers, as they've had to deal with the embarrassment of having their players walk out after the owner fired the coaching staff, only to rehire them a few days later, as well as a water crisis in the city. Currently, they sit nine points out of a playoff spot, but haven't won since December 18, when they beat Oshawa that evening. They have also only managed two points in that drought, getting overtime losses in both instances. The Firebirds are the third worst offense in the league, as only Guelph and Sudbury are worse, with leading scorer Will Bitten in a bad funk, as he scored last game, which ended an eight game goal scoring drought. It hasn't helped that Josh Wesley, Alex Nedeljkovic, and Connor Chatham were all traded prior to the trade deadline. The Firebirds hope to get back in the win column this Friday at Sarnia.

Meet the Flintbirds!

Yesterday, the team that will be based in Flint, MI will now be called the Firebirds (not the Flintbirds, as suggested in the title, but I did want to sneak in a Flintstones reference).  All of the team's looks were on display thanks to the team twitter site and later shown by Icethetics.  Before I get to what the team will be wearing starting next season, let's look at the logo itself.

The logo isn't the greatest one will trot out there, but the blue, orange, and grey color scheme makes it at least palatable.  As for the jerseys, well...

The eagle-eyed reader will notice that the template is similar to what the Buffalo Sabres' third jerseys lool like, and that isn't really a compliment.  At the very least, the design for the Firebirds isn't as terrible looking, but only slightly, and there is some semblance of it looking like it actually belongs on a hockey rink.  Number and name templates have yet to be revealed, so full judgment will be held off until then.