BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour has confirmed that former coach Bill Peters kicked and punched players behind the bench during his four seasons in Carolina.
By saying “it for sure happened,” Brind’Amour increased the scrutiny on Peters, whose future as the Calgary Flames coach is in question. Peters has been benched by Calgary while the NHL and the team investigate allegations he directed racist slurs at a Nigerian-born player in the minors 10 years ago.
Peters’ whereabouts are unknown, with the Flames only saying he won’t be behind the bench for Calgary’s game at Buffalo on Wednesday night. Associate coach Geoff Ward will serve as coach.
Brind’Amour spoke to reporters before the Hurricanes game in New York against the Rangers. Brind’Amour was an assistant on Peters’ staff, before taking over as head coach after Peters was fired following the 2017-18 season.
The allegations regarding Peters’ behavior toward players behind the bench were first raised on Twitter by former Hurricanes defenseman Michal Jordan on Tuesday. Jordan, who is now playing in the Kontinental Hockey League, said Peters kicked him and punched other players in the head during games and “then pretended like nothing happened.”
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AP Sports Writer Joedy McCreary contributed to this report.
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