John Vanbiesbrouck is the new director of hockey ops for USA Hockey
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stempniaksen
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- Oct 12, 2008
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Dux917
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Sunaya Sapurji Retweeted USA Hockey
In 2003 Vanbiesbrouck had to resign as head coach & GM of the Soo Greyhounds for referring to his captain, Trevor Daley, with the N-word. He also sold his shares in the team & was forced to pay a $50K fine by the OHL.
In 2003 Vanbiesbrouck had to resign as head coach & GM of the Soo Greyhounds for referring to his captain, Trevor Daley, with the N-word. He also sold his shares in the team & was forced to pay a $50K fine by the OHL.
Can't believe in the current political culture he got this job. I would have thought his reputation was toxic at this point.
William H Bonney
Registered User
Really baffling decisions are trademarks of USAH. His racist degradation of Daley is a troubling incident to say the least, and while he shouldn't be ostracized for life for it if he's indeed a changed man, it's just one reason this is baffling. The other is that Vanbiesbrouck isn't very experienced and the experience he has garnered hasn't led to much success for his organizations. USAH could have and should have done better, but I'm not surprised they didn't.
BKIslandersFan
F*** off
So he shouldn't get another job for the rest of his life? He messed up, clearly, and paid the piper. Time to move on.
He should be fine to get another job, but not as the person who runs a government body that chooses which Hockey players should represent the country.
Rabid Ranger
2 is better than one
Price is Wright
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Uncle Rotter
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TheBradyBunch
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In order to "slip up" and say something racist (several times, I might add), you have to first have those racist thoughts. If you don't see a black person as a n*****, but merely as another person, you will never call them a n*****.
Ones language betrays their thoughts.
Vansbiesbrouck may well have reformed his dehumanizing way of thinking about black people, but we have no way of knowing. If I was a black American athlete, I would constantly be wondering what he really thinks of me. And that's not a fun way to feel.
AmericanDream
Thank you Elon!
my lord it was 15 years ago...who knows what the hell happened and who gives a shit...I am not holding a person accountable from something they might have said 15 years ago. I am surprised he got the job just because of track record and nothing else, but it is nice to see a CHL guy getting put into this position which I think USA Hockey really needed...USA Hockey has been making the same mistakes year in and year out, having a guy that went through the CHL brings a different direction from the good ol' boy network that we have had. The man paid his price not going to say another word on it, I am cool with the choice as I never like Johansson period...I think he created a lot of messes over the years which has led to a culture that we have seen time and time again with USA players seemingly holding grudges to not play at the WC because of what might have happened during their junior years...and his track record for WJC teams has been average at best due to what has always been viewed as favoritism.
Good luck JVB, I hope you can build a brighter future with USA Hockey with an unbiased approach for getting the best players from wherever the hell they are playing at.
Good luck JVB, I hope you can build a brighter future with USA Hockey with an unbiased approach for getting the best players from wherever the hell they are playing at.
You'd think the sensible thing to do would be to get way ahead of this and release a statement regarding sensitivity training that took place, maybe even have Daley present for the press conference.
I can only comment on Hockey Canada, who from my experience are about as insensitive as it gets to outside views... this doesn't make USA Hockey seem much better.
It's not about "15 years have passed, let it go"
Rabid Ranger
2 is better than one
Yeah, it pretty much is about it was "15 year ago let it go." That's why none of what transpired then is being addressed now. Why would Trevor Daley be present at any official announcement of this hire? He has nothing to do with USA Hockey.
If JVB was just named director of an insurance company, then sure that incident doesn't matter and has zero bearing on his ability to do the job. But he's in a position that directly has an impact on kids of all backgrounds, and for USA Hockey to not get ahead of a potential issue is just odd.
To be clear, I'm not commenting at all on Vanbiesbrouck himself; this is squarely on USA Hockey to not have the foresight to see that, hey, maybe two years down the line when an African-American player is the last cut for the WJHC squad, there might be some finger pointing involved. Maybe having Daley at the conference is too PC, fine; but do something to get ahead of a potential conflict rather than just brush the issue aside.
The Roy Of Ottawa
HOCKEY HALL OF FAME
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Does this mean he will never be inducted into the Hockey Hall Of Fame? I'm guessing he is already in the U.S. Hockey Hall Of Fame.
The Roy Of Ottawa
HOCKEY HALL OF FAME
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Like Bill Maher always says, you shouldn't have to disappear...
Watch Bill Maher Defend Paula Deen: 'Do We Always Have to Make People Go Away?'
Watch Bill Maher Defend Paula Deen: 'Do We Always Have to Make People Go Away?'
Well... This is certainly an interesting choice to be one of the faces of a national governing body. USA Hockey seriously couldn't find anyone better for the job? Even if we somehow ignore the fact the guy, at the very least, was a racial bigot well into adulthood, it doesn't appear he has had ton of success in management or as an executive. It's not like he built the Muskegon Lumberjacks into anything great.
You do realize Vanbiesbrouck calling a kid he coached a n***** isn't something that "might" have happened, right? It definitely happened... Multiple times!
I dunno... Given his history "getting the best players from wherever the hell they are playing at" isn't the bias I would be most concerned about.
You do realize Vanbiesbrouck calling a kid he coached a n***** isn't something that "might" have happened, right? It definitely happened... Multiple times!I dunno... Given his history "getting the best players from wherever the hell they are playing at" isn't the bias I would be most concerned about.
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Again, there's quite a difference between "let's end this person forever" and "this person has a public controversy in this area, let's mitigate that stance proactively"
Like Craig MacTavish could have gotten a similar position and no one would have cared. But if he was the coordinator for a massive youth hockey event and was responsible for driving a bus full of kids home after... his past would probably come up. I didn't know about the incident from 15 years back, but if you Google John Vanbiesbrouck now it's one of the first things that come up. To not understand how that is bad PR is essentially failing to understand / ignoring why people would've been upset about the incident 15 years ago...
Like Craig MacTavish could have gotten a similar position and no one would have cared. But if he was the coordinator for a massive youth hockey event and was responsible for driving a bus full of kids home after... his past would probably come up. I didn't know about the incident from 15 years back, but if you Google John Vanbiesbrouck now it's one of the first things that come up. To not understand how that is bad PR is essentially failing to understand / ignoring why people would've been upset about the incident 15 years ago...
AmericanDream
Thank you Elon!
here is what I realize, I simply don't give a shit...simple as that...crazy I know, that some people can move forward and beyond things when a person has already paid for whatever they did or were accused of...all the social justice warriors out there just keep pilling on, so sick of these people as well...Well... This is certainly an interesting choice to be one of the faces of a national governing body. USA Hockey seriously couldn't find anyone better for the job? Even if we somehow ignore the fact the guy, at the very least, was a racial bigot well into adulthood, it doesn't appear he has had ton of success in management or as an executive. It's not like he built the Muskegon Lumberjacks into anything great.
I dunno... Given his history "getting the best players from wherever the hell they are playing at" isn't the bias I would be most concerned about.
The only thing I am concerned about is USA Hockey, and the player development moving forward... Hopefully he breaks up the good ol' boy network and the "favoritism" that was pretty apparent. Anything else than that, save your typing or your breath, I don't care anymore.
I really don't care that you don't care... I was just pointing out that Vanbiesbrouck calling a kid he coached a n***** is something that for sure happened, and not something that only might have happened, like you suggested.
As far as "breaking up the good ol' boy network" goes, my guess would be it's far more likely that this hire is an example of the "good ol' boy network" in action, than it is any attempt to break away from it.
As far as "breaking up the good ol' boy network" goes, my guess would be it's far more likely that this hire is an example of the "good ol' boy network" in action, than it is any attempt to break away from it.
