Firebirds players quit after coaches fired

[GoalieManPat 1,007]

Whaaaaaaaaat

http://www.wingingitinmotown.com/2015/11/8/9694696/report-flint-firebirds-coaching-staff-fired-immediately-after

[rick zombo 3,739]

Bush. Get Saarijarvi out of there.

[Bill Berzeench 310]

Wow, this is garbage. Time for Wings upper management to pay a visit to this idiot owner in Flint.

[miksteri 55]

Amazing.

[rooter2309 28]

Great show of solidarity and a ballsy move by a bunch of kids. Could we move Ville to GR without a problem, or would he go back to Finland....? What are the options with him?

[sleepwalker 512]

Wow.

And apparently it all happened just because the owner was butthurt over his kid not getting enough ice time in his mind. BUT his kid was even so disgusted by the gesture that he was one of the players that quit.

Interesting stuff. Wonder what the Wings brass are going to do about this seeing that Saarijarvi is (was) on the team...

[WingsallTheway 383]

Great show of solidarity and a ballsy move by a bunch of kids. Could we move Ville to GR without a problem, or would he go back to Finland....? What are the options with him?

Assuming he's under 19 (Since he's playing in junior) he isnt eligible for the AHL

[jimmyemeryhunter 2,747]

Crazy.

But apparently they're trading the owners son odd the team immediately.

[Buppy 1,720]

Assuming he's under 19 (Since he's playing in junior) he isnt eligible for the AHL

For European players, I think that only applies if they were drafted by the CHL before the NHL. Tatar played in GR at 18/19 for example. But Tatar never played for his CHL team though. Since Saarijarvi did, he might have lost his eligibility.

[evilmrt 636]

Came back just to comment on this one, which I just heard about on the radio.

Flint gets an OHL team, and the owner pulls some kind of worse-than-bush-league BS. Good on the players for walking out.

Has this kind of thing ever happened before?

Wings update from freep....

"I don't know anything about it," Red Wings assistant general manager Ryan Martin told the Free Press this morning. "I was traveling and didn't get home last night until a little bit after 11. I contacted Vili's agent."

Martin called back a few minutes later and said that the agent hadn't yet spoken to Saarijarvi.

Martin said he never has heard of an entire team walking out after a coach was fired.

Is he concerned about how this will affect Saarijarvi?

"Well, not right now, because it's 8:15 on a Monday morning, and it just happened last night," Martin said. "I'd like to gather some information and see what's going on. At the end of the day, I'm sure the commissioner of the (Ontario Hockey League) will be involved today, working with the owners of that team, trying to come to some type of agreement with the players."

Edited November 9, 2015 by evilmrt

[WingsallTheway 383]

For European players, I think that only applies if they were drafted by the CHL before the NHL. Tatar played in GR at 18/19 for example. But Tatar never played for his CHL team though. Since Saarijarvi did, he might have lost his eligibility.

Wasn't aware of that but sounds reasonable.

[roboturner 562]

"Get the funk outta my face...Get...the...Funk...Outta my face"

[Hockeymom1960 5,107]

I'm sure things will all get worked out.

[rick zombo 3,739]

Coaches have been re-hired with three year extensions

http://www.tsn.ca/mondaymustread-flint-firebirds-re-hire-coaches-after-player-protest-1.390508

[sputman 1,268]

Coaches have been re-hired with three year extensions

http://www.tsn.ca/mondaymustread-flint-firebirds-re-hire-coaches-after-player-protest-1.390508

That's fantastic.

[BottleOfSmoke 5,965]

That owner sounds like douchey windbag. If I were his kid I would definitely request a trade. What an egotistical meddling ass.

[KATIEBARTHEDOOR24 426]

The whole story is fudged up... Slap Shot?

The owners should be forced to sell stripped from power.

[DickieDunn 2,571]

Who own da team?

[Finnish Wing 110]

For those wondering: Saarijärvi could play in the AHL.

Doesn't matter what your nationality is, really. If you're under contract with a CHL team when you're drafted, then you can't play in the AHL until 20-years-old.

However, if you're drafted from for example Europe OR you're playing in the CHL on a loan but under contract with an European team, then you can play in the AHL.

Just look at what the Stars did with Julius Honka.