NHL Anti-Thread: Bad Business Decision Aggregator

[The_Admiral]

It sounds like he just had to be tested for all those as a precautionary measure because, well, he was forcibly exposed to bodily fluids of unknown origin, and they mentioned it to underscore the enormity of the abuse. I think if he had tested positive for HIV, Miller would be in a hell of a lot more trouble than he's already in now. 

 

He'll probably wash up in the KHL.

[Digby]

All the important Bruins players are now on record in the media disagreeing, or at least being skeptical, of the signing now. Maybe it’s performative but it’s also still a pretty notable fight with their own FO. In a season that has been so surprisingly great thus far, why drop a bomb like this in the locker room? Nothing to be gained. 

[The_Admiral]

Worth considering with Miller is that his crimes got him kicked out of college, so he never really got to play college hockey, he had to go play for a Junior A team in Grand Island, Nebraska. Doesn't really prep you the way the OHL or a good NCAA conference would. Third-round pick out of Junior A isn't a clear path to the NHL even under the best of circumstances. The Bruins were within their rights to try a reclamation project, as all teams must, but if even the players are against it, I can't see this going far.

[Cosmic]

22 hours ago, BBTV said:

I had never heard of the guy so I DID MY OWN RESEARCH (lol) and read up on the stuff from when he was 14.  The kid he assaulted tested positive for HIV as a result of one of the pranks?  If that's true, then despite his age, how did he not face serious charges?  I know HIV isn't the death sentence it was 40 years ago, but if the victim were to eventually die of something related to the HIV, could Miller be retroactively charged with murder?

 

Note - this article is a little confusing in that it says that the victim "tested for HIV" - not "tested positive for HIV" - so I'm not sure what exactly it's saying (if it's not positive, why mention it at all?)

 

https://nypost.com/2022/11/05/boston-bruins-sign-mitchell-miller-despite-conviction-of-assault-on-black-classmate/

Boston Globe said the victim tested negative for everything:

"Part of that bullying included wiping a candy push pop in a urinal and tricking Meyer-Crothers into consuming it. The victim reportedly had tests for hepatitis, STDs, and HIV, which came back negative."

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/11/04/sports/mitchell-miller-bruins/

[Brian in Boston]

Good God, what a piss-poor decision on the part of the Bruins. If this isn’t reason to show Cam Neely and Don Sweeney the door,  than I don’t know what is.  I’d love to see the Jacobs Family shuffle off back to Buffalo, but that’s likely too much to hope for.

[The_Admiral]

Neely and Sweeney have had a better run than most; they'll just say "oops never mind" and cut the guy long before it ever comes to that. Not sure what kind of moral clarity you're expecting from the ownership group that did the Scott's Tots episode of The Office in real life.

EDIT: correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't players who are suspended/disqualified in the NHL also treated the same way in the AHL? I'm pretty sure that's the case. So where does he even play?

[BBTV]

Reminds me a bit of the Billy Tibbets case.  I remember the Flyers having a PR nightmare when they signed him, then eventually saying "whoopsie daisies" and releasing him the next day.

[The_Admiral]

That's probably what should happen at this point, honestly. This whole story is weird. If Miller is not eligible to play in the NHL, which is fair, then how is he eligible to be signed to a contract? If Bettman can say the kid can't play, then the league should have voided the contract when it came through the registry or they should have announced beforehand that he's disqualified and they would void any contract that comes through pursuant to that status. Instead, because OITGDNHL, they're playing The Floor Is Lava with him like a logo on the dressing room carpet, where they're not saying you can't sign him, but they'll be really really mad at you if you do, like it's some leaguewide test of moral clarity that some team was being set up to ultimately fail.

 

I also find it hard to believe that any of the Jacobses were not consulted on this, as if they, the owners of the Bruins, just cracked open the sports section one morning and were like "bwdwbWHAAAAAA?!?" No, someone was probably like "hey, we're thinking of taking a flyer on that one guy everyone hates," and someone above either said yes or didn't say no. It couldn't have come as a shock.

[The_Admiral]

 

2 hours ago, BBTV said:

Reminds me a bit of the Billy Tibbets case.  I remember the Flyers having a PR nightmare when they signed him, then eventually saying "whoopsie daisies" and releasing him the next day.

 

And just like that, they did. I'm guessing some sort of mutual contract termination.

 

Again, this all could have been avoided if the league had had a better way to deem him ineligible and protect management from themselves. Bettman all like "I WAS NOT CONSULTED ABOUT THIS" as if he should have to be. You run the league! Just make a rule!

[RyanMcD29]

Guess we've got some more playoff-adjacent fun in the desert up ahead. Albeit instead of a Tom Goes to the Mayor city council session, it's gonna be a referendum

[Cosmic]

My rule of thumb for big stadiums/arenas is 3 years of construction, so even if everything goes to plan here, we'd be looking at 2026 before the Coyotes have a permanent home. 

[LMU]

1 hour ago, Cosmic said:

My rule of thumb for big stadiums/arenas is 3 years of construction, so even if everything goes to plan here, we'd be looking at 2026 before the Coyotes have a permanent home. 

And that’s not including the dropping of the gloves that the FAA’s going to be doing with the project being built in the Sky Harbor flight path.

[FiddySicks]

I mean, that’s what nuked the Cardinals chances to stay in/near Tempe, and I can’t imagine the NHL having nearly the swing the NFL has on anything, so call me skeptical to seeing that happen. 
 

Also, does anyone have an update on how things are going with the new park for Phoenix Rising? I haven’t heard good things, if moving out of the central corridor is ever an option. 

[Dilbert]

4 hours ago, FiddySicks said:

I mean, that’s what nuked the Cardinals chances to stay in/near Tempe, and I can’t imagine the NHL having nearly the swing the NFL has on anything, so call me skeptical to seeing that happen. 
 

Also, does anyone have an update on how things are going with the new park for Phoenix Rising? I haven’t heard good things, if moving out of the central corridor is ever an option. 

Last I heard about Rising is that they will have confirmation on a stadium site by mid December. While Wild Horse Pass still remains a possibility, Old Phoenix Greyhound Park has now supposedly emerged as a site.

[habsfan1]

First the Rangers, now the Bruins.

 

[Dilbert]

Ah yes. The Coyotes have become the Chargers/Rams of the NHL.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

50 minutes ago, Dilbert said:

Ah yes. The Coyotes have become the Chargers/Rams of the NHL.

 

It worked too. The LA/Phoenix threat got new stadiums built in LA, Vegas, Sacramento, Seattle and I'm sure others I'm overlooking. Probably Buffalo too.

 

Those billionaires sure did a good job of helping each other out.

[monkeypower]

On 12/9/2022 at 9:58 PM, habsfan1 said:

First the Rangers, now the Bruins.

 

 

I'd have to imagine Flames and Oilers games will have that kind of fan split too.

[spartacat_12]

This situation has been handled about as poorly as possible from all angles. The Flyers decided to let him play after he refused to take warmups. After the game, Tortorella, a man who openly stated he would bench players who kneeled for the anthem, says he "respects Provorov for staying true to himself". Now the league has confirmed that players are free to be as ignorant or bigoted as they want without any consequences. 

 

The fact that he cited his religion as the reason is a complete cop-out. If he actually took his faith that seriously he wouldn't be playing on Saturdays (the Orthodox Sabbath). Just another hypocrite cherry picking elements of their religion to discriminate.

 

And people wonder why none of the league's gay players (and there are definitely a few) have decided to come out.

[IceCap]

@ManillaToad proudly yawning in defence of bigotry