Around the NHL 2022-2023 *Mod warning in effect pg145

[Bobby Orrtuzzo]

Glad to at least see Bruins players are pissed about it

 

[The Note]

Given the way Bergeron and Foligno are speaking about it, seems like it’s more than just “the internet” not letting it go.

 

[bleedblue1223]

For the Miller situation, to me it's way beyond even what Mailloux did, and it gives bullying a bad name to call what he did simply bullying. I'm more or less ok with him getting a 2nd chance, but if I was a GM, I wouldn't have given it to him, and I sure as hell won't die of the internet hill of defending his 2nd chance. If what he did was the more standard type bullying that exists in elementary and middle school, then ok fine, I'm sure lots of professional athletes were involved in that type of stuff and weren't perfect angels in school, but what Miller did went way beyond any of that IMO.

Then the timing of the signing seems weird, but I also have no idea if they could've done it earlier. If they wanted Miller, do it in the summer and get the distraction over with during training camp, so it doesn't carryover into the regular season.

And I also don't care about his apology or lack of apology. Actions speak louder than words, even if he had the best apology that we could imagine, it still wouldn't mean anything to me, talk is cheap.

 

[ChicagoBlues]

For the Miller situation, to me it's way beyond even what Mailloux did, and it gives bullying a bad name to call what he did simply bullying. I'm more or less ok with him getting a 2nd chance, but if I was a GM, I wouldn't have given it to him, and I sure as hell won't die of the internet hill of defending his 2nd chance. If what he did was the more standard type bullying that exists in elementary and middle school, then ok fine, I'm sure lots of professional athletes were involved in that type of stuff and weren't perfect angels in school, but what Miller did went way beyond any of that IMO.

Then the timing of the signing seems weird, but I also have no idea if they could've done it earlier. If they wanted Miller, do it in the summer and get the distraction over with during training camp, so it doesn't carryover into the regular season.

And I also don't care about his apology or lack of apology. Actions speak louder than words, even if he had the best apology that we could imagine, it still wouldn't mean anything to me, talk is cheap.

This is kind of where I stand.

I support a second chance and don't care about apologies.

With enough love and introspection, Miller can raise his frequency so much that he moves away from a regressive energetic mode.

EDIT: Otherwise, I am loving the turmoil in Bean Town.

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

For the Miller situation, to me it's way beyond even what Mailloux did, and it gives bullying a bad name to call what he did simply bullying. I'm more or less ok with him getting a 2nd chance, but if I was a GM, I wouldn't have given it to him, and I sure as hell won't die of the internet hill of defending his 2nd chance. If what he did was the more standard type bullying that exists in elementary and middle school, then ok fine, I'm sure lots of professional athletes were involved in that type of stuff and weren't perfect angels in school, but what Miller did went way beyond any of that IMO.

Then the timing of the signing seems weird, but I also have no idea if they could've done it earlier. If they wanted Miller, do it in the summer and get the distraction over with during training camp, so it doesn't carryover into the regular season.

And I also don't care about his apology or lack of apology. Actions speak louder than words, even if he had the best apology that we could imagine, it still wouldn't mean anything to me, talk is cheap.

Apologies matter if they reflect a sincere understanding that you were wrong, genuine contrition, and actual determination to be better. Followed by actually being better. Hollow words written by PR guy your agent hired are worthless.

 

[bleedblue1223]

Apologies matter if they reflect a sincere understanding that you were wrong, genuine contrition, and actual determination to be better. Followed by actually being better. Hollow words written by PR guy your agent hired are worthless.

I think both are ultimately worthless, because it's like you said, it's the actions after an apology that determine if the apology was genuine. And there are no amount of words that can make the public feel better about him. I don't really know what actions he could do to make his image better or get the NHL on board with him potentially playing in the league, I just know it has to be more than a good apology, something from what I gather he still hasn't really done.

I think we more or less agree, I'm just an ultimate cynic when people apologize for anything. I'd rather someone not apologize for anything done towards me, but just be a better person to me, than give me some sort of apology, no matter how sincere.

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

I think both are ultimately worthless, because it's like you said, it's the actions after an apology that determine if the apology was genuine. And there are no amount of words that can make the public feel better about him. I don't really know what actions he could do to make his image better or get the NHL on board with him potentially playing in the league, I just know it has to be more than a good apology, something from what I gather he still hasn't really done.

I think we more or less agree, I'm just an ultimate cynic when people apologize for anything. I'd rather someone not apologize for anything done towards me, but just be a better person to me, than give me some sort of apology, no matter how sincere.

I think there needs to be a recognition, and I’m not just talking about Miller, in the person that they were wrong. Because absent that, subsequent behavior is more just they didn’t rob a bank today rather than sign of true change.

 

[joe galiba]

there are lots of guys who have done way worse when they were actual adults and have gotten 2nd chances, and not just in sports, but across all walks of life

I think he absolutely should get a chance, but the leash should be very short
if he has grown as a human, it will show, and if not then adios

 

[Bobby Orrtuzzo]

Also lets not forget the only reason he reached out in the last few weeks was because the Bruins told him he had to as a condition to sign.

 

[mk80]

So speaking to the pure hockey side of this situation for a moment, Miller is not eligible to play in the NHL according to Bettman and on top of that the Bruins didn't consult the league on it.



He's also essentially suspended in the AHL according to their President


The Bruins leadership core don't seem to be fans of Miller being signed by the team, and their seven game losing streak just came to an end. So hockey wise, why even sign him?

 

[Linkens Mastery]

2 days. It took 2 days for Miller to be Signed to a contract and then have that contract terminated.

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

2 days. It took 2 days for Miller to be Signed to a contract and then have that contract terminated.

Good. And I’m proud of Bergeron and Foligno and even Marchand for speaking up and calling out how this was against what they stand for.

 

[bleedblue1223]

I don't know how to even take a quote like this. On one hand, they obviously didn't do their due diligence on a signing that required it, and on the other, did they not even bother telling the family a heads up that a shit storm is likely coming their way once this is announced? Did they just genuinely expect no one to have a reaction to the signing?

 

[STL fan in MN]

Absolute unforced error of a PR disaster by the Bruins there.

They started the season 10-1. What, did management get bored or something? The whole thing just made no sense.

Glad the saga is over. Wonder if Miller gets to keep the $95k signing bonus though? I would assume he does.

 

[PocketNines]

I don't know how to even take a quote like this. On one hand, they obviously didn't do their due diligence on a signing that required it, and on the other, did they not even bother telling the family a heads up that a shit storm is likely coming their way once this is announced? Did they just genuinely expect no one to have a reaction to the signing?

People prefer the absence of tension to the presence of justice. Someone explained that about America at length once and was killed for it.

 

[Davimir Tarablad]

I think Boston comes out looking worse than they already did. They could have committed to the 2nd chance they said they were giving him, given they had a bunch of stuff outlined as a way of showing he's changed. But now given the statements that have been released since terminating the contract, Neely and Sweeney look like clowns for having not done the proper leg work in the vetting process.

 

[mk80]

Absolute unforced error of a PR disaster by the Bruins there.

They started the season 10-1. What, did management get bored or something? The whole thing just made no sense.

Glad the saga is over. Wonder if Miller gets to keep the $95k signing bonus though? I would assume he does.

Likely the signing bonus was guaranteed to him. But the rest of contract was dependent upon him playing

 

[BlueDream]

I think Boston comes out looking worse than they already did. They could have committed to the 2nd chance they said they were giving him, given they had a bunch of stuff outlined as a way of showing he's changed. But now given the statements that have been released since terminating the contract, Neely and Sweeney look like clowns for having not done the proper leg work in the vetting process.

100%.

It was a dumb decision from the start but still, at least stick to your guns. Backing down after 2 days just because you can’t handle the criticism makes them look like complete and utter buffoons who should be nowhere near an NHL front office. Haven’t seen a f*** up that bad in a while.

 

[PJJJP]

100%.

It was a dumb decision from the start but still, at least stick to your guns. Backing down after 2 days just because you can’t handle the criticism makes them look like complete and utter buffoons who should be nowhere near an NHL front office. Haven’t seen a f*** up that bad in a while.

I think the worse part is somehow the front office ignored all of the stuff or are just complete idiots

 

[Brian39]

Likely the signing bonus was guaranteed to him. But the rest of contract was dependent upon him playing

Nope. The rest of the contract is dependent on him appearing for work activities that the Bruins demand of him. If he is instructed to attend camp/practice/games and doesn't show, he breaches his contract and it could be terminated. If he attempts to come to camp/practices/games and is told "you're not invited," then he has not breached his contract.

NHL teams can't tell a player not to come to work and then refuse to pay them when they don't come to work. You can't get out of a contract you no longer like by telling the player "we're rescinding the opportunity to be a member of our team" and then saying "we don't owe him money because he didn't play."

In order to void the remainder of his contract, the Bruins are going to have to show that Miller breached it. If he lied about anything during negotiations, that would likely be sufficient since the bruins could argue that they reasonably relied on his false statements. But if he was truthful and they simply miscalculated public reaction and/or failed to ask follow up questions to vague answers then the Bruins are going to have to honor the financial terms of the contract.

The Bruins were very careful to avoid saying that they terminated his contract. The NHL has been very careful to say that he is 'not eligible' to play in the league without specifying that he was suspended (or offering a timeline about when he lost his eligibility). I'm very firm in my belief that this kid has not demonstrated any rermorse and shouldn't play in the NHL. But he hasn't done anything since signing this contract to breach it and there haven't been any reports that he tangibly misled the Bruins.

This will likely end in an unspecified settlement with NDAs all around. But for now, the Bruins are on the hook for the signing bonus already paid, the two additional signing bonuses due in the next two summers and 3 years of AHL salary.

I think the worse part is somehow the front office ignored all of the stuff or are just complete idiots

This comment reminds me of my favorite Norm MacDonald joke.

 

[AVictoryDive]

Nope. The rest of the contract is dependent on him appearing for work activities that the Bruins demand of him. If he is instructed to attend camp/practice/games and doesn't show, he breaches his contract and it could be terminated. If he attempts to come to camp/practices/games and is told "you're not invited," then he has not breached his contract.

NHL teams can't tell a player not to come to work and then refuse to pay them when they don't come to work. You can't get out of a contract you no longer like by telling the player "we're rescinding the opportunity to be a member of our team" and then saying "we don't owe him money because he didn't play."

In order to void the remainder of his contract, the Bruins are going to have to show that Miller breached it. If he lied about anything during negotiations, that would likely be sufficient since the bruins could argue that they reasonably relied on his false statements. But if he was truthful and they simply miscalculated public reaction and/or failed to ask follow up questions to vague answers then the Bruins are going to have to honor the financial terms of the contract.

The Bruins were very careful to avoid saying that they terminated his contract. The NHL has been very careful to say that he is 'not eligible' to play in the league without specifying that he was suspended (or offering a timeline about when he lost his eligibility). I'm very firm in my belief that this kid has not demonstrated any rermorse and shouldn't play in the NHL. But he hasn't done anything since signing this contract to breach it and there haven't been any reports that he tangibly misled the Bruins.

This will likely end in an unspecified settlement with NDAs all around. But for now, the Bruins are on the hook for the signing bonus already paid, the two additional signing bonuses due in the next two summers and 3 years of AHL salary.


This comment reminds me of my favorite Norm MacDonald joke.

I have my doubts about the kid but listened to an interview Andy Strickland conducted with his agent today that paints a whole different picture on the situation. Media has seemed to focus on one side of the story and he covers both sides. Either way a terrible thing happened and miller will be dealing with this the rest of his life.

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

I have my doubts about the kid but listened to an interview Andy Strickland conducted with his agent today that paints a whole different picture on the situation. Media has seemed to focus on one side of the story and he covers both sides. Either way a terrible thing happened and miller will be dealing with this the rest of his life.

A terrible thing didn’t just happen. Miller did terrible things. And whatever Miller is dealing with, his victim was dealing with much worse.

 

[Brian39]

I have my doubts about the kid but listened to an interview Andy Strickland conducted with his agent today that paints a whole different picture on the situation. Media has seemed to focus on one side of the story and he covers both sides. Either way a terrible thing happened and miller will be dealing with this the rest of his life.

I'm about 30 minutes in (to the main podcast where they discuss Miller, not the agent interview) and they've already blatantly misstated the facts of two major points related to the case based on 'people are telling me.' They refer to the fact that you can find the police report out there yet it is painfully obvious that they didn't read it. Incredibly, they are off on the year of the incident by 2 years. It happened in 2016 despite them advertising the podcast as "what really happened in 2014." Off to a great start.

First and foremost, the insinuation that it wasn't racially motivated is straight up nonsense. When a white kid is telling a black kid, "no one wants your n**** lips on his slushie" and telling him to "go pick some cotton" it is pretty f***ing obviously racially motivated. The victim and two witnesses told police that Miller called him a n***** during the incident that day with one of those witnesses saying Miller uses the word all the time. Acting like race wasn't a factor here is a complete fiction.

As importantly, Strickland is parroting the same story that Miller told police that they offered the urinal push pop to numerous students. There is video of the interaction that was reviewed by police and their conclusion was that "the video clearly discredits this statement. Their were no other kids in the immediate areas when Isaiah approached and they were not offering the push pop to anyone until they offered it to Isaiah."

This take that "the media" is only telling one side of a story that has two sides is bullshit. It's the narrative Miller and his family started pushing as soon as the started talking to police. Multiple witnesses and a video of the incident discredit it. This bullshit is exactly why this guy shouldn't be in the NHL. He has attempted to minimize his own conduct and deny what happened since 2016. And now his agent is doing a media tour on platforms that want to push a cancel culture narrative in order to keep lying about the facts and create sympathy for his client.

The magistrate who handled his case lectured him about not showing actual remorse beyond being upset that he was facing consequences. A pretty thorough investigation clearly demonstrates that his version of events isn't true and his camp continues to deny that. It is ludicrous to paint this as a 'both side' narrative.

Read the police report.

Strickland should be ashamed of this piss poor excuse for journalism. He begins with the premise that the only side told so far is from Isaiah's family, completely ignores all of the actual investigation that has been reported on and then 'does his research' by talking to Miller's agent and unnamed people who 'know what really happened.' Absolutely embarrassing.

Edit: oh cool, they moved on to sarcastically saying no one has the video and implying that the victim lied about what happened since they can't see the video. Despite the reality that it was collected by police, described in the police report and relied on in the judicial determination that Miller did in fact assault the victim. Jesus Christ this is a joke. For anyone with the limited knowledge of the justice system that Strickland is pretending to have, defendants are entitled to all of the evidence against them. Miller and his family were entitled to the video. If they got rid of it, the case was recent enough that their attorney would still have a copy for them to obtain. If the MIller's agent wanted his interview host to have the video, that host would have the video.

Edit #2 after listening to the interview with the agent. The agent repeats the exact story that Miller didn't target Isaiah because he offered it to other kids first. Again, this is in direct contradiction to the officer's determination that the video directly discredits the claim. It is also in direct contradiction to the co-defendant's statement that "they were planning to give it to Isaiah." When asked about Miller's use of racial slurs, the explanation is that the two of them had a dysfunctional friendship, Isaiah used the n word, and that Miller started to use it as a term of endearment toward Isaiah. The claim is that any usage of the word would have been with an 'a' on the end and not as a slur. Again, the reported statements made were "no one wants your n**** lips on his slushie" and a suggestion that Isaiah go pick cotton. The physical assault following the 'non-targeted, non-racially motivated' push pop portion of the incident is not discussed. It's a parade of "I want to clear up the misconceptions" by offering half-truths and misrepresentations about some of the uglier portions and completely ignoring other portions.

 

[PocketNines]

I'm about 30 minutes in and they've already blatantly misstated the facts of two major points related to the case based on 'people are telling me.' They refer to the fact that you can find the police report out there yet it is painfully obvious that they didn't read it. Incredibly, they are off on the year of the incident by 2 years. It happened in 2016 despite them advertising the podcast as "what really happened in 2014." Off to a great start.

First and foremost, the insinuation that it wasn't racially motivated is straight up nonsense. When a white kid is telling a black kid, "no one wants your n**** lips on his slushie" and telling him to "go pick some cotton" it is pretty f***ing obviously racially motivated. The victim and two witnesses told police that Miller called him a n***** during the incident that day with one of those witnesses saying Miller uses the word all the time. Acting like race wasn't a factor here is a complete fiction.

As importantly, Strickland is parroting the same story that Miller told police that they offered the urinal push pop to numerous students. There is video of the interaction that was reviewed by police and their conclusion was that "the video clearly discredits this statement. Their were no other kids in the immediate areas when Isaiah approached and they were not offering the push pop to anyone until they offered it to Isaiah."

This take that "the media" is only telling one side of a story that has two sides is bullshit. It's the narrative Miller and his family started pushing as soon as the started talking to police. Multiple witnesses and a video of the incident discredit it. This bullshit is exactly why this guy shouldn't be in the NHL. He has attended to minimize his own conduct and deny what happened since 2016. And now his agent is doing a media tour on platforms that want to push a cancel culture narrative in order to keep lying about the facts and create sympathy for his client.

The magistrate who handled his case lectured him about not showing actual remorse beyond being upset that he was facing consequences. A pretty thorough investigation clearly demonstrates that his version of events isn't true and his camp continues to deny that. It is ludicrous to paint this as a 'both side' narrative.

Read the police report.

Strickland should be ashamed of this piss poor excuse for journalism. He begins with the premise that the only side told so far is from Isaiah's family, completely ignores all of the actual investigation that has been reported on and then 'does his research' by talking to Miller's agent and unnamed people who 'l=know what really happened.' Absolutely embarrassing.

Edit: oh cool, they moved on to sarcastically saying no one has the video and implying that the victim lied about what happened since they can't see the video. Despite the reality that it was collected by police, described in the police report and relied on in the judicial determination that Miller did in fact assault the victim. Jesus Christ this is a joke.

Andy Strickland being an apologist for racial torture is not even slightly surprising. He is a dismal, clownish "reporter" with grade school spelling and writing ability who Kermited his way through the old boys club. I'm confident plenty of other Blues alumni share Andy's opinion. He is a thought follower.

 

[ItsOnlytheRiver]

Andy Strickland being an apologist for racial torture is not even slightly surprising. He is a dismal, clownish "reporter" with grade school spelling and writing ability who Kermited his way through the old boys club. I'm confident plenty of other Blues alumni share Andy's opinion. He is a thought follower.

Yeah well said