2022-2023 Around The League

[redacted]

Can someone explain to me why the Bruins should talk to them? I'd prefer a rational than an emotional answer if possible.

The idea would be to get their side of the story and their blessing… which would make the signing palatable. There’s about zero chance of that happening in this situation.

As it stands today, people are expecting the Bruins to apologize to the family to make up for the re opening of wounds.

 

[Pokecheque]

I admired Cam Neely as a player quite a bit but he really is a f***ing moron.

I’ll be shocked if Don Sweeney continues as GM this season. This entire fiasco was gross incompetence from start to finish, and utterly unnecessary. And Sweeney isn’t that good a GM to begin with. I’m not campaigning for his firing, I just figure he’ll be the one the take the fall. It’s an organizational failure.

As for Miller, he’ll get another chance eventually. And we can start this entire discussion over again in due time.

 

[PAZ]

Can someone explain to me why the Bruins should talk to them? I'd prefer a rational than an emotional answer if possible.

To do their due diligence.

Mitchell Miller did a heinous act as a teenager, and while it shouldn't be the defining moment of his life, he needs to show remorse and be advocate of change. Personally, I don't think he's done enough to show he's deserving of this second chance but I won't delve into that.

From the Bruins side, the moment they even began to have Miller on their radar they should've added reaching out to the victim's family to get their side of the story and what has happened since. You don't take everything they say as gospel, but they should hear their side of the story.

As is, it currently looks like the Bruins have said 'f*** it, Miller has enough talent to be worth the PR shitshow that's going to come our way'. That type of thinking of mentality is what leads to Hockey Canada and Kyle Beach scandals.

 

[PAZ]

I admired Cam Neely as a player quite a bit but he really is a f***ing moron.

I’ll be shocked if Don Sweeney continues as GM this season. This entire fiasco was gross incompetence from start to finish, and utterly unnecessary. And Sweeney isn’t that good a GM to begin with. I’m not campaigning for his firing, I just figure he’ll be the one the take the fall. It’s an organizational failure.

As for Miller, he’ll get another chance eventually. And we can start this entire discussion over again in due time.

Sweeney tried to distance himself the second he had to talk about it. This goes two ways - either there is enough of a shitstorm that we find out who above Sweeney forced him to sign Miller (probably Neely), or it dies down and Sweeney gets canned quietly in the offseason.

 

[redacted]

I admired Cam Neely as a player quite a bit but he really is a f***ing moron.

I’ll be shocked if Don Sweeney continues as GM this season. This entire fiasco was gross incompetence from start to finish, and utterly unnecessary. And Sweeney isn’t that good a GM to begin with. I’m not campaigning for his firing, I just figure he’ll be the one the take the fall. It’s an organizational failure.

As for Miller, he’ll get another chance eventually. And we can start this entire discussion over again in due time.

I have growing doubts that a chance will happen. 2 NHL teams have seen this go nuclear to where they walk it back. Many European team are unlikely to even think about it (Russia maybe, but geopolitically things have to shift). College administrators have put the stop to this prior. AHL was obviously feeling heat too. Kinda running out of places to play and without that for a couple years, he’s likely to never get a chance. Teams just won’t take the chance on a 22/23 year old player who has played one seasons since he was 17… and then you add in the baggage.

Right now, if anywhere I see ECHL… but even then, nobody will take the chance this year with the heat. Can even doubt next year too.

I’d say there’s a better than 50% chance he’s done. Greater than 75% chance he’s done in NA.

 

[willy702]

Sweeney tried to distance himself the second he had to talk about it. This goes two ways - either there is enough of a shitstorm that we find out who above Sweeney forced him to sign Miller (probably Neely), or it dies down and Sweeney gets canned quietly in the offseason.

Jacobs had to be involved in this one. Very well could try to make Sweeney look like the bad guy but I don't for a second believe he would just take this one on without someone above him saying why don't we give this kid a shot.

I'm kind of in the middle of the thought on it. I agree with others that he should show more remorse and be a lot more open to understanding why this is the issue it is. I also think as a society we are in a bad spot with these situations. If the criminal justice system didn't put him in jail for it, why are we ok with saying well he never deserves a chance to make a living at something unrelated to what he did? Yeah some people can say they won't ever watch hockey if he gets a chance to play in the NHL but that's just wasting the opportunity to do something positive about it. Telling him and everyone who ever did something terrible as a kid that sorry you are stuck in a life of misery for it isn't doing any good.

Maybe as he and his family and advisors see what a crapfest this has become it will sink in that he needs to do more to make his second chance happen. Its possible up to this point his circle of advisors has told him don't say anything because that makes you guilty and cancel culture and blah blah blah. But the firestorm makes it clear you can't just be a mute on it and say sorry to a judge or two and hope it goes away.

 

[PAZ]

Jacobs had to be involved in this one. Very well could try to make Sweeney look like the bad guy but I don't for a second believe he would just take this one on without someone above him saying why don't we give this kid a shot.

I'm kind of in the middle of the thought on it. I agree with others that he should show more remorse and be a lot more open to understanding why this is the issue it is. I also think as a society we are in a bad spot with these situations. If the criminal justice system didn't put him in jail for it, why are we ok with saying well he never deserves a chance to make a living at something unrelated to what he did? Yeah some people can say they won't ever watch hockey if he gets a chance to play in the NHL but that's just wasting the opportunity to do something positive about it. Telling him and everyone who ever did something terrible as a kid that sorry you are stuck in a life of misery for it isn't doing any good.

Maybe as he and his family and advisors see what a crapfest this has become it will sink in that he needs to do more to make his second chance happen. Its possible up to this point his circle of advisors has told him don't say anything because that makes you guilty and cancel culture and blah blah blah. But the firestorm makes it clear you can't just be a mute on it and say sorry to a judge or two and hope it goes away.

You answered your own question. The majority of people aren't saying he never deserves a chance to redeem himself - it's moreso the fact that he hasn't done enough to earn that second chance. I would love nothing more than to see Miller be a leader of change, but I honestly don't think that's going to happen with the people he has around him. You can see the people around him with their organized twitter campaigns that are trying to make Miller look like a victim in all of this.

For Miller to actually put this behind him and have a NHL career, he can't just go through the motions and volunteer at organizations. He has to be the voice of change and make some major changes in his life. It's a monumental task, but it's befitting for what he did.

 

[Freudian]

Mitchell Miller is where he is because he still keeps claiming it's an isolated incident (I guess he's referring to the one caught on video because he can't pretend that didn't happen) and not owning up to him tormenting a kid for years.

Bruins are where they are because they believed the BS about it being an isolated incident.

Compare his statements from last week to what actually happened and figure out if he truly takes responsibility.

"When I was in eighth grade, I made an extremely poor decision and acted very immaturely.

I deeply regret the incident and have apologized to the individual. Since the incident, I have come to better understand the far-reaching consequences of my actions that I failed to recognize and understand nearly seven years ago. To be clear, what I did when I was 14 years old was wrong and unacceptable. There is no place in this world for being disrespectful to others and I pledge to use this opportunity to speak out against mistreating others.”

 

[Pokecheque]

I have growing doubts that a chance will happen. 2 NHL teams have seen this go nuclear to where they walk it back. Many European team are unlikely to even think about it (Russia maybe, but geopolitically things have to shift). College administrators have put the stop to this prior. AHL was obviously feeling heat too. Kinda running out of places to play and without that for a couple years, he’s likely to never get a chance. Teams just won’t take the chance on a 22/23 year old player who has played one seasons since he was 17… and then you add in the baggage.

Right now, if anywhere I see ECHL… but even then, nobody will take the chance this year with the heat. Can even doubt next year too.

I’d say there’s a better than 50% chance he’s done. Greater than 75% chance he’s done in NA.

Obviously I won't be breaking out the violins if indeed this is the end of the road for Mitchell Miller. He has no one to blame but himself. When his own agent tries to pass off court-ordered community service as "volunteer work," you know how very little he's done to actually better himself. And part of the reason why it "went nuclear" is because, a) Bruins players themselves voiced their concerns, and b) the organizations Miller's agent claimed he worked with came out to refute those claims. His people and the Bruins tried to paint a false narrative and rightfully got slammed for it.

 

[PAZ]

I have growing doubts that a chance will happen. 2 NHL teams have seen this go nuclear to where they walk it back. Many European team are unlikely to even think about it (Russia maybe, but geopolitically things have to shift). College administrators have put the stop to this prior. AHL was obviously feeling heat too. Kinda running out of places to play and without that for a couple years, he’s likely to never get a chance. Teams just won’t take the chance on a 22/23 year old player who has played one seasons since he was 17… and then you add in the baggage.

Right now, if anywhere I see ECHL… but even then, nobody will take the chance this year with the heat. Can even doubt next year too.

I’d say there’s a better than 50% chance he’s done. Greater than 75% chance he’s done in NA.

Seems like a prime candidate for the Kunlun Red Stars.

 

[Pokecheque]

Literally did not know until tonight that there have been a few "hockey families" who have engaged in targeted (and it sure looks like coordinated) online harassment of the victim's family.

It's not just Miller's family, there's a whole hockey culture out there that enables people like him. The whole Hockey Canada fiasco is proof positive of that.

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Desperate team will give him a shot in Europe and he can still turn things over if he proves people wrong by acting well, but is he going to do that? That's up to him

 

[Hesher]

He'd be welcomed with open arms here in Slovakia, this country is that ****ed up at the moment.

 

[Metallo]

I have growing doubts that a chance will happen. 2 NHL teams have seen this go nuclear to where they walk it back. Many European team are unlikely to even think about it (Russia maybe, but geopolitically things have to shift). College administrators have put the stop to this prior. AHL was obviously feeling heat too. Kinda running out of places to play and without that for a couple years, he’s likely to never get a chance. Teams just won’t take the chance on a 22/23 year old player who has played one seasons since he was 17… and then you add in the baggage.

Right now, if anywhere I see ECHL… but even then, nobody will take the chance this year with the heat. Can even doubt next year too.

I’d say there’s a better than 50% chance he’s done. Greater than 75% chance he’s done in NA.

What? He played 18-19, 19-20, and 21-22. (Missed 20-21, but was that covid related?)

 

[Avs91]

Like, given chance after chance to be relatively decent and just… ‘nah’

 

[redacted]

What? He played 18-19, 19-20, and 21-22. (Missed 20-21, but was that covid related?)

NHL definitions of years (age on sept 15th), but 2 since 17 would be the right answer (19-20 and 21-22). 20-21 was due to this situation (he was due to play at North Dakota when the is blew up and USHL didn’t touch it that year). Doesn’t really change the idea of what I’m saying, if he doesn’t play the next season or two… teams become increasingly unlikely to sign him. The most likely area is Russia (KHL in general, not just technically Russia) and we have geopolitical issues thatll likely holding that up.

 

[Vaslof]

To do their due diligence.

Mitchell Miller did a heinous act as a teenager, and while it shouldn't be the defining moment of his life, he needs to show remorse and be advocate of change. Personally, I don't think he's done enough to show he's deserving of this second chance but I won't delve into that.

From the Bruins side, the moment they even began to have Miller on their radar they should've added reaching out to the victim's family to get their side of the story and what has happened since. You don't take everything they say as gospel, but they should hear their side of the story.

As is, it currently looks like the Bruins have said 'f*** it, Miller has enough talent to be worth the PR shitshow that's going to come our way'. That type of thinking of mentality is what leads to Hockey Canada and Kyle Beach scandals.

He didn't just do a heinous act, it was something that continued for years. It's very doubtful that a person can change that much in such a short time. I do believe in second chances and forgiveness, but we should not automatically give the benefit of the doubt when there's nothing indicating any change. I'm glad the Bruins were forced by public pressure to part ways with him and he doesn't get the big paycheck.

 

[redacted]

He didn't just do a heinous act, it was something that continued for years. It's very doubtful that a person can change that much in such a short time. I do believe in second chances and forgiveness, but we should not automatically give the benefit of the doubt when there's nothing indicating any change. I'm glad the Bruins were forced by public pressure to part ways with him and he doesn't get the big paycheck.

This will be a very sticky issue for the NHL and NHLPA. If they (NHLPA) allow this to be voided, it sets a precedent that becomes difficult to overcome down the line. The NHL will stick to the morality clause (paragraph 12a IIRC) in all standard agreements (which legally, is going forward from signing date sort of thing). Which if the NHLPA fights this and wins, Miller would at least be under contract until the next buyout window. Meaning he gets the signing bonus this year (and all years), the AHL salary this season, and then 1/3 of the AHL salaries for the next two season. In all, about ~423k is what Miller will receive if the Bruins are forced to go the buyout route.

Now all of that is null and void if Miller mutually agrees to a contract termination. There is a chance here to show some character, or show a lack of it. Either by mutually agreeing or by taking all proceeds and lining up donations.

 

[Hennessy]

What an embarrassment for the Bruins. Completely avoidable, too.
And his online fan club is really not helping.

 

[Chiarelli]

Holy lots to take in but my two cents:

- Miller is a POS so is his family and supporters
- appears he has done less than the bare minimum (likely a behaviour trait that has been catered to through enabling) and hopes this inconvenience in his life will be swept under the rug like previous encounters
- isiahs family is hell bent on revenge. Very clear. Likely for good reason previous incidents have formed this reaction.
- this shit runs deep and that community seems very troubled
- nhl has to take a hard stance given the last few years. Kid might be made into an example. He really isn’t doing himself any favours. Don’t feel bad for him one bit and I usually believe people deserve second chances.

MIller has slithered away from repercussions most his life but Isaiah’s family finally has the right platform and audience. Miller will have to do what he’s avoided his entire life and have accountability and atone for his actions

 

[AvsGuy]

I think Mitchell Miller is not a good person

I think there’s also a lot of cognitive dissonance about how few people that make it to this level of success in any field are “good people”. We regularly cheer for more bullies and assholes than anyone cares to truly dwell on

If the worst thing anyone had ever done was stamped on their forehead the way it now is for Mitchell Miller, an awful lot of people would be out of jobs

 

[Chiarelli]

I think Mitchell Miller is not a good person

I think there’s also a lot of cognitive dissonance about how few people that make it to this level of success in any field are “good people”. We regularly cheer for more bullies and assholes than anyone cares to truly dwell on

If the worst thing anyone had ever done was stamped on their forehead the way it now is for Mitchell Miller, an awful lot of people would be out of jobs

So true. Don’t meet your heroes.
I met a key member of one of our local teams a few years back and you’d have a tough time finding bigger loser.

 

[Pokecheque]

 

[dahrougem2]

This will be a very sticky issue for the NHL and NHLPA. If they (NHLPA) allow this to be voided, it sets a precedent that becomes difficult to overcome down the line. The NHL will stick to the morality clause (paragraph 12a IIRC) in all standard agreements (which legally, is going forward from signing date sort of thing). Which if the NHLPA fights this and wins, Miller would at least be under contract until the next buyout window. Meaning he gets the signing bonus this year (and all years), the AHL salary this season, and then 1/3 of the AHL salaries for the next two season. In all, about ~423k is what Miller will receive if the Bruins are forced to go the buyout route.

Now all of that is null and void if Miller mutually agrees to a contract termination. There is a chance here to show some character, or show a lack of it. Either by mutually agreeing or by taking all proceeds and lining up donations.

He should take every last penny of that 423K and give it to Isaiah.

Then we can start figuring out how to rehab this twisted human.

 

[Vaslof]

I think Mitchell Miller is not a good person

I think there’s also a lot of cognitive dissonance about how few people that make it to this level of success in any field are “good people”. We regularly cheer for more bullies and assholes than anyone cares to truly dwell on

If the worst thing anyone had ever done was stamped on their forehead the way it now is for Mitchell Miller, an awful lot of people would be out of jobs

Definitely true, especially with hockey culture being what it is. We shouldn't excuse bad acts when they do come up though. It would be a good idea for everyone to just not idolize celebrities.