04/24/24
December 18, 2006
"He should be a team player 100 per cent.": A junior hockey player has been ousted from the Saint John Sea Dogs after he did not sign a Canadian flag that the team was sending to troops in Afghanistan.
posted by Spitztengle to hockey at 09:52 PM - 29 comments
As a nice gesture of support for our troops, doesn't it lose a lot of its meaning if the players are forced to sign it?
posted by Amateur at 11:20 PM on December 18, 2006
Dave Bouchard — a 20-year-old from Jonquière, Que., who played left wing on the Quebec Major Junior team — said he thought someone else had already signed his name. [...] He said Bouchard had not been performing well and had a bad attitude, even though he has tied for top scorer on the team so far in the season. Beaulieu said Bouchard was about to be cut anyway and the flag issue was the last straw.This is just all kinds of fucked up. I get the feeling that there's a lot of the story that we don't know here—much more than "player refuses to sign flag, gets cut".
posted by DrJohnEvans at 11:45 PM on December 18, 2006
I would defend to the death his right not to sign. As would I. And he should be allowed to be a free citizen. But his rights do not entitle him to employment with a hockey team. I will also defend to the death an organization's right to set standards of behavior for its members and enforce those in a reasonable fashion if the behavior may be deemed to be detrimental to the company, or as DrJohn aptly pointed out in this case, symptomatic of a larger problem.
posted by BullpenPro at 01:05 AM on December 19, 2006
But his rights do not entitle him to employment with a hockey team. But surely his rights entitle him not to be fired for a political viewpoint? Did anyone tell him when he first joined the team that he would be expected to support troops? Is it part of his contract? I've no problem with an organisation having rules and regulations of their own, but they need to be pointed out in advance of anyone becoming part of that organisation rather than after one has become a member. That said, I'd say there is more to it than the flag issue.
posted by Fence at 03:39 AM on December 19, 2006
Why is this a topic?
posted by warstda at 08:04 AM on December 19, 2006
Amateur is exactly right. From the article: "Beaulieu said he believes in freedom of expression but added that any player who refused to sign would have been kicked off the team." Uday is laughing in his grave.
posted by mjkredliner at 08:37 AM on December 19, 2006
Definitely seems to be more to this story that is being left out. But, if it's in his job description/contract that he must represent the team and participate in public service/signing events then I would think it's in the rights of the team to terminate him for not signing the flag. Whether or not it's a political statement being made, he still can be fired for not doing his job.
posted by MPeter at 08:45 AM on December 19, 2006
Because of his age, this is his last season as a junior hockey player. He's not performing well, and has an attitude problem. These are the reasons he is not on the team. I hate liberal media.
posted by smithnyiu at 08:46 AM on December 19, 2006
Well, this is off to a great start. I'll pass.
posted by qbert72 at 08:56 AM on December 19, 2006
Not to be the FPP police, but this story is only incidentally sports-related, isn't it? Can we try to avoid this sort of thing in the future?
posted by psmealey at 09:09 AM on December 19, 2006
Not to be the FPP police, but this story is only incidentally sports-related, isn't it? Can we try to avoid this sort of thing in the future? We have ways of making you sign zee flag!
posted by chris2sy at 09:24 AM on December 19, 2006
all due respect smithnyiu we are talking about basketball, not hockey.
posted by mitchell at 09:28 AM on December 19, 2006
I think you made a wrong turn as you left the elevator, mitchell.
posted by mjkredliner at 09:49 AM on December 19, 2006
all due respect smithnyiu we are talking about basketball, not hockey. Favourited! Cue the goofy pictures! Makeup check on the dancing banana!
posted by DrJohnEvans at 10:05 AM on December 19, 2006
Here. This thread is how I know it's Oscar season.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 10:45 AM on December 19, 2006
NHL, NBA....who can tell the difference anymore Is there an award for most misplaced comment?
posted by garfield at 11:03 AM on December 19, 2006
So this is what happens in NBA threads? I've been missing out on all the fun.
posted by qbert72 at 11:46 AM on December 19, 2006
If mitchell is correct, I like basketball more than I thought.
posted by Termite at 11:49 AM on December 19, 2006
are you kidding me? "your own use of the written form of it seems haphazard at best" what is wrong with that sentence?????????? BA and soon to be Masters so stick with Carmalo. posted by mitchell at 9:21 AM CST on December 19 If this means mitchell has a BA and is about to get a Masters degree in Arts, then I HAVE to know what institution would hand one out to someone who uses no capitalization and ten question marks in a sentence...
posted by grum@work at 11:55 AM on December 19, 2006
If this means mitchell has a BA and is about to get a Masters degree in Arts, then I HAVE to know what institution would hand one out to someone who uses no capitalization and ten question marks in a sentence... I dunno, but it seems he's an English teacher.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 12:07 PM on December 19, 2006
I miss that false sense of entitlement, wisdom and security a scholastic life provides.
posted by garfield at 12:17 PM on December 19, 2006
Holy crap but this thread is a train wreck!
posted by hawkguy at 01:25 PM on December 19, 2006
So this is what happens in NBA threads? I've been missing out on all the fun. You haven't seen anything yet. Once a debate about racism gets started along with people arguing about the NBA being a ghetto sport, then it becomes fun.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 02:24 PM on December 19, 2006
The one I like best is the English teacher from the Korean ghetto playing in the NBA who likes to watch junior hockey in Canada.
posted by irunfromclones at 02:57 PM on December 19, 2006
I hate liberal media. Well, since the kid was a left-winger and he's been cut from the team, I'm sure you'll sleep easier now.
posted by The_Black_Hand at 03:21 PM on December 19, 2006
TBH, that is too funny.
posted by smithers at 06:28 PM on December 19, 2006
You have got to get off your high horse about rights and such. That was Canada, not the good old USA. Here in W land that would never happen in a million years.
posted by sickleguy at 09:30 PM on December 19, 2006
sickleguy should be renamed sarcasmguy.
posted by mkn at 10:55 PM on December 19, 2006
Aren't we in Afganistan fighting for people's personal freedoms? I believe the young man had every right to not sign the flag, though in other reports he said he would have, that it was just a miscommunication. I personally think the right thing to do would have been sign it, but, I would defend to the death his right not to sign.