The Toronto Maple Leafs’ decision to cashier head coach Mike Babcock was greeted with a combination of rage and glee by his most passionate detractors in the hockey world. The knock against the one-time Stanley Cup champion is basically that he plays vicious, random mind games with players’ careers and livelihoods. And that’s not great. But it seems his firing may unearth far worse.
Seemingly inspired by the anti-Babcock venting, journeyman Nigerian-Ukrainian-Canadian defenceman Akim Aliu alleged that 10 years ago, when he played for the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs, head coach Bill Peters unleashed two N-word-filled rants against him and his taste in locker-room music. Seemingly inspired by Aliu, Michal Jordan, a Czech defenceman who played for Peters with the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes in 2015 and 2016, alleged the coach once kicked him in the back on the bench, and punched another player in the head. As I write this, Peters is dangling by a thread as head coach of the Calgary Flames.
Aliu’s and Jordan’s stories have both been credibly corroborated — the latter by Rod Brind’Amour, head coach of the Hurricanes and Peters’ assistant at the time.
Many in the hockey world suggest there is far more of the same, a whole rotten culture, just waiting to be laid bare. We shall see. But if hockey players are preparing to open Pandora’s box, it is fitting that Aliu would play a leading role. He showed us how utterly messed up Canadian hockey is 14 years ago. Canadian hockey just didn’t do very much about it.
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(2) North American pro sports needs to be blown up, and the NBA has the right idea
