Bill Peters is gone as head coach of the Calgary Flames after the use of racial slurs came out a decade ago. Peters coached the American Hockey League's Rockford IceHogs in 2009 when he used the n-word against Akim Aliu.
Flames general manager Brad Treliving (above), who conducted a thorough investigation, named assistant coach Geoff Ward as the interim head coach. Treliving kept Peters away from the team during the investigation.
There was also accusations of physical violence against players when Peters was coach for Carolina in the NHL. Michal Jordan alleged Peters kicked him and punched a teammate.
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This morning, #Flames GM Brad Treliving received and accepted a letter of resignation from Bill Peters: "Effective immediately, Bill Peters is no longer a member of the Calgary Flames organization." pic.twitter.com/IImaQVaXml
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) November 29, 2019
The Peters apology letter seemed to make things worse. Aliu called the apology "misleading, insincere and concerning."
"I am aware that there is no excuse for language that is offensive. I meant no disrespect in what I said, and it was not directed at anyone in particular. But, that doesn't matter; it was hurtful and demeaning. I am truly sorry."
The n-word is a sign of disrespect and aimed at specific people. There was a dispute about an apology: Aliu said there wasn't one, Peters said there was one.
Don Cherry is out of Coach's Corner
There may be some correlation to what happened to Don Cherry. Hockey is for everyone. That is the message of the present and future for the NHL and hockey in general.
Mike Babcock in his stupid move with Mitch Marner is its own issue. Cherry and Peters don't quite understand what happened to them. The mentality (hazing included) of this macho, white-bread mentality needs to be reversed.
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The Calgary Flames struggled even before this Peters controversy. Having a resolution will help the team. The team has had Bob Hartley (2012-2016); Glen Gulutzan (2016-2018); and Bill Peters (2018-2019) in recent years. Gulutzan and Peters combined for 9 playoff games with a 1-8 record.
photo credit: Rogers Sportsnet
Twitter capture: @NHLFlames
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