Nov 26, 2019
Peters will not coach vs. Sabres
The Calgary Flames announced Tuesday head coach Bill Peters will not be behind the bench Wednesday when they play the Buffalo Sabres. “Our review into the allegations from last evening continues. This is a very serious matter and we want to be thorough in our review," Flames general manager Brad Treliving said.
TSN.ca Staff
The Calgary Flames announced Tuesday head coach Bill Peters will not be behind the bench Wednesday when they play the Buffalo Sabres.
“Our review into the allegations from last evening continues. This is a very serious matter and we want to be thorough in our review," Flames general manager Brad Treliving said in a team release. "Bill Peters will not be behind the bench for the Flames game tomorrow night in Buffalo. Associate coach Geoff Ward will handle head coaching duties. We will have no further comment until our review is complete.”
Associate coach Geoff Ward will handle coaching duties Wednesday in Buffalo.
On Monday night, former player Akim Aliu tweeted that Peters used racist language toward him when Peters coached Aliu with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs during the 2009—10 season.
Aliu wrote the following on Twitter over the course of three tweets Monday night.
“Not very surprising the things we’re hearing about [Mike] Babcock. Apple doesn’t fall far from the Tree, same sort of deal with his protege in YYC. Dropped the N bomb several times towards me in the dressing room in my rookie year because he didn’t like my choice of music.
“First one to admit I rebelled against him. Wouldn’t you? And instead of remedying the situation, he wrote a letter to John McDonough and Stan Bowman to have me sent down to the ECHL. 20 year old on pace for 20 goals in his first pro year with zero PP/PK time was off to a great start in his Pro career.”
TSN Senior Hockey Writer Frank Seravalli spoke with Aliu following the accusation Monday night, which involved Peters criticizing Aliu’s choice of music.
“He walked in before a morning pre-game skate and said ‘Hey Akim, I’m sick of you playing that n----- s---,’ ” Aliu told TSN, with Peters, who was then the Ice Hogs head coach, referring to Aliu’s selection of hip-hop music. “He said ‘I’m sick of hearing this n-----s f------ other n-----s in the ass stuff.’
“He then walked out like nothing ever happened. You could hear a pin drop in the room, everything went dead silent. I just sat down in my stall, didn’t say a word.”
Two of Aliu’s Rockford teammates who were in the room at the time of the alleged incident, Simon Pepin and Peter MacArthur, independently corroborated Aliu’s account to TSN on Tuesday.
"I think everyone should be held accountable for their actions or words spoken," Pepin said.