OHL Team’s Players Walk Out After Owner Fired Coaching Staff

The OHL’s Flint Firebirds reportedly walked out en masse after their coaching staff was sacked following a hard fought, come-from-behind victory on Sunday night.

Making matters more confusing, the Firebirds actually came back to beat defending Memorial Cup champion Oshawa Generals 4-3 in a shootout Sunday.

That would include 17-year-old rookie defenseman Hakon Nilsen, the son of Firebirds owner Rolf Nilsen, and 18-year-old defenseman Vili Saarijarvi, a third-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings in the 2015 National Hockey League draft.

Excluding a game in which he left in the first period and did not return, Dal Colle now has five goals and 10 points over four games, bringing his season totals to 5-11-16 in 17 games.

But here’s the something-you-don’t-see-every day scenario that has the junior hockey world buzzing: Upon learning of the coaching shakeup, the Michigan-based players quit the team.

A number of sources stating Firebirds players walked out after head coach John Gruden and his staff were let go.

The Firebirds franchise is in its first season in Flint after moving from Plymouth following the sale of the team by former owner Peter Karmanos. The Soo Greyhounds are scheduled to play in Flint the following night.

Gruden and Asst. Coach Dave Karpa were fired as a result of owner Rolf Nilsen’s son Hakon, not receiving enough ice time in the eyes of ownership. It is unclear what will happen with the second assistant coach, Petr Jonak. All of the players sign non-paid agreements, which often come with a promise of educational funding if players don’t go pro. He sold the team to Nilsen past year and it was subsequently moved to Flint and rebranded over the offseason. The Firebirds are 7-9-0-1 and rank ninth in the OHL’s 10-team Western Conference. Stay tuned for more from this freaky story.