Niagara Icedogs 2024-25 Season Thread, Part IV

[SELLTHETEAM]

How many steps are there and what’s the next step?

 

[Sam14]

Two important things that several members of the organization (past and present) would confirm about DD

1. He’s COMPLETELY tone deaf to how the community feels about him.
2 He’s a liar!

DD is equally responsible for the team’s deplorable culture trading for player(s) with highly questionable character.


Still waiting patiently for the OHL to release a statement of all of DD’s wrongdoing? They can start with Ben receiving text msgs during games insisting on line combinations and playing time; overstepping his suspension restrictions and having to be told to leave the dressing room between periods; trading draft picks for educational packages; unfairly firing respected office staff; etc…. Created a Toxic environment!

Some transparency from the OHL is required soon. If they think Niagara fans don’t know what the FK has been going on, this will become a PR nightmare!

WTF. Does DD seriously think he can hire his son and Niagara would support that?

Footnote: All IceDog fans social media comments (DD negative) were deleted and comments blocked

 

[Dog Fan]

Are we sure? He is pretty High up with the LA Kings, and may even be in the running to replace Rob Blake.

He is now with the Carolina Hurricanes as an advisor to the GM

 

[Dogs Enthusiast]

He is now with the Carolina Hurricanes as an advisor to the GM

That doesn't even look like his current job, according to elite prospects that ended in 2022. Then again, I have no idea if elite prospects is accurate.

 

[ScoutLife4]

Icedogs have posted a LinkedIn ad to try and find a new GM haha.

 

[Dogs Enthusiast]

I thought I heard that the OHL is filling that position. Clearly its DD hunting for a GM.

 

[OHL4Life]

That doesn't even look like his current job, according to elite prospects that ended in 2022. Then again, I have no idea if elite prospects is accurate.

it is, there is a reason he is no longer in the ohl, id be careful on this one.

 

[Howard]

it is, there is a reason he is no longer in the ohl, id be careful on this one.

Does the term self promoting, back stabber sound familiar?

 

[OHL4Life]

Does the term self promoting, back stabber sound familiar?

i would say just as in the nhl when every opening the nhl talking heads 'aka darren dreger et al shared his name as a candidate, because he traded information for promotion. i have no doubt that this is whats going on here.

ill ask fans on here, if he was so well respected, why did he not go back into a high position in the nhl after he was let go by the kings. he had an unpaid job in carolina and then nothing.

not because the nhl thinks hes an outstanding hockey executive.

 

[ScoutLife4]

i would say just as in the nhl when every opening the nhl talking heads 'aka darren dreger et al shared his name as a candidate, because he traded information for promotion. i have no doubt that this is whats going on here.

ill ask fans on here, if he was so well respected, why did he not go back into a high position in the nhl after he was let go by the kings. he had an unpaid job in carolina and then nothing.

not because the nhl thinks hes an outstanding hockey executive.

There are definitely a few skeletons in the closet that will make it hard for him to get a job in pro hockey again.
He is right up Niagara's alley though.....

 

[bigsportsfan]

I thought I heard that the OHL is filling that position. Clearly its DD hunting for a GM.

I think DD would want someone who is young and inexperienced for the GM role so he can under pay the person. The OHL would want an experienced GM who can fix the situation in Niagara. Both DD and the OHL have to agree on the GM. This could get interesting.

 

[the dog]

I think DD would want someone who is young and inexperienced for the GM role so he can under pay the person. The OHL would want an experienced GM who can fix the situation in Niagara. Both DD and the OHL have to agree on the GM. This could get interesting.

He will try get cheapest candidate available will never change

 

[mattommy98]

Is performance auto group one of the groups wanting to buy the dogs?

 

[Dogs Enthusiast]

So is it possible that DD can find the candidate but the OHL has to green light the hire?

I hate all this now. It was easy for me to ignore a lot of this stuff when there was Dogs hockey to watch. Now that they are not playing and this dark cloud is the only thing happening. It’s real depressing.

 

[knowescape]

He will try get cheapest candidate available will never change

He's going to try to hire his son.

 

[BadgerBruce]

There are very few candidates with successful experience running a dysfunctional franchise with a suspended owner. Essentially, this is a crisis management situation.

This is why I wouldn’t be surprised to see Barclay Branch, currently the VP of Hockey Ops in the OHL office, get pushed into the IceDogs gig.

When all the crap went down in Flint in 2015-16, the league first appointed George Burnett to begin restoring sanity to the Firebirds franchise (which he did) and then Branch was appointed VP of Hockey Ops and GM a year later. He held the job for the next four seasons and stepped down when the owner’s suspension ended. Pretty hard for the Firebirds to dance around the league sanctions with the commissioner’s son running things. By all accounts, he did a good job under difficult circumstances.

I could see the league wanting him to reprise that role in Niagara.

 

[OHL4Life]

There are very few candidates with successful experience running a dysfunctional franchise with a suspended owner. Essentially, this is a crisis management situation.

This is why I wouldn’t be surprised to see Barclay Branch, currently the VP of Hockey Ops in the OHL office, get pushed into the IceDogs gig.

When all the crap went down in Flint in 2015-16, the league first appointed George Burnett to begin restoring sanity to the Firebirds franchise (which he did) and then Branch was appointed VP of Hockey Ops and GM a year later. He held the job for the next four seasons and stepped down when the owner’s suspension ended. Pretty hard for the Firebirds to dance around the league sanctions with the commissioner’s son running things. By all accounts, he did a good job under difficult circumstances.

I could see the league wanting him to reprise that role in Niagara.

barcley would have to take a 100k paycut to do that and they would have to find someone to take barclays job, i dont see it.

 

[OHL4Life]

So is it possible that DD can find the candidate but the OHL has to green light the hire?

I hate all this now. It was easy for me to ignore a lot of this stuff when there was Dogs hockey to watch. Now that they are not playing and this dark cloud is the only thing happening. It’s real depressing.

yes, i can even see the ohl being in on all interviews as well.

 

[dogs777]

yes, i can even see the ohl being in on all interviews as well.

Is someone from the OHL going to be around the team again in the future while DD isn’t allowed to run things to make sure he doesn’t try and interfere like he did while he wasn’t allowed to do GM duties but clearly still did them

 

[knowescape]

Is someone from the OHL going to be around the team again in the future while DD isn’t allowed to run things to make sure he doesn’t try and interfere like he did while he wasn’t allowed to do GM duties but clearly still did them

Now you're starting to sound like me!

This is why I believe the OHL is also liable here. They knew he was putting his own interests first so they suspended him. Then... they did absolutely nothing. No other agency can monitor an OHL franchise and enforce their rules, yet they declined to fulfill their role.

Who loses? The players, the fans, and the staff.

The OHL's remedy is to remove DD from daily operations. Meanwhile, THE TEAM has fired the coaching staff (read the release).

At this point, I have zero faith in the OHL to do the right thing in Niagara. They have officially locked the barn door after the cows got out, and that seems to be it for now.

 

[dogs777]

Now you're starting to sound like me!

This is why I believe the OHL is also liable here. They knew he was putting his own interests first so they suspended him. Then... they did absolutely nothing. No other agency can monitor an OHL franchise and enforce their rules, yet they declined to fulfill their role.

Who loses? The players, the fans, and the staff.

The OHL's remedy is to remove DD from daily operations. Meanwhile, THE TEAM has fired the coaching staff (read the release).

At this point, I have zero faith in the OHL to do the right thing in Niagara. They have officially locked the barn door after the cows got out, and that seems to be it for now.

My guess is you aren’t getting a statement or anything official while the finals are going on hell they might not even do it till the mem cup is over but they have to say something you’d think since punishments are involved I’m shocked that the team/darren was allowed to release the statement firing the coaches and even that news paper article before the league said anything officially

 

[the dog]

Still don't like Wes beening around. Everything they do goes back DD not good

 

[knowescape]

My guess is you aren’t getting a statement or anything official while the finals are going on hell they might not even do it till the mem cup is over but they have to say something you’d think since punishments are involved I’m shocked that the team/darren was allowed to release the statement firing the coaches and even that news paper article before the league said anything officially

My hope is that DD once again put himself first and acted unilaterally - perhaps pushing things past the point of no return where the OHL is forced into action out of embarrassment.

My fear is that they never intended to say or do anything further and this is our first bite of the latest sandwich here in Niagara.

I think that through inaction the OHL is turning a vibrant market into a jaded ghost town. Time for the city to get involved and demand answers. Next year's attendance is going to make Mississauga's last year look crowded.

 

[bigsportsfan]

My fear is that they never intended to say or do anything further and this is our first bite of the latest sandwich here in Niagara.

I don’t think the OHL is going to release any type of statement now. I think that in order to minimize damages to the IceDogs, it was decided to let the IceDogs announce the sanctions that resulted from the investigation.

As for the league taking additional action, I am not sure what else they can do. The owner, GM and entire coaching staff have been removed from their positions. The league is now essentially overseeing operations.

 

[Howard]

I don’t think the OHL is going to release any type of statement now. I think that in order to minimize damages to the IceDogs, it was decided to let the IceDogs announce the sanctions that resulted from the investigation.

As for the league taking additional action, I am not sure what else they can do. The owner, GM and entire coaching staff have been removed from their positions. The league is now essentially overseeing operations.

Begs the question of the player)s) who were at the centre of team issues. No acknowledgment or discipline there? Why were all these people let go if there were no incidents? Firing coaches who may have nothing to do with problems doesn’t make much sense? At least be transparent about what led to the sanctions.