The NHL’s Coaches’ Association said in a statement that it “is committed to working with the NHL and NHLPA to ensure respectful working environments for everyone.”
The group — which isn’t a union but “provides support and assistance” to coaches with all 31 NHL teams — issued the statement after several controversial incidents involving coaches have recently come to light.
“We believe the NHL is a league built on hard work, respect and teamwork,” the statement adds. “It is a coach’s job to understand how best to motivate players while respecting them as individuals and valuing them as people. Coaching philosophies differ from coach to coach, and season to season, but there are lines that cannot be crossed and there is certainly no room in the NHL, or anywhere else, for abusive behaviour of any kind.”
Akim Aliu — who initially brought forth allegations of racial slurs that ultimately led Bill Peters to resign from his post as head coach of the Calgary Flames — met with the NHL in Toronto on Tuesday and said “some big change” is coming.
The NHL also released a statement Tuesday saying that the meeting with Aliu was “part of a broader, thorough review and process that the league is undertaking.”
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