CALGARY — The Western Hockey League says Wenatchee Wild head coach Kevin Constantine has been suspended pending an unbiased investigation into alleged violations of WHL rules and insurance policies.
The league mentioned Constantine was suspended Sunday, and he’s not permitted to have any contact with any member of the group, together with gamers.
The WHL mentioned the suspension got here after its unbiased reporting channel acquired a criticism about Constantine’s conduct.
The Wild beforehand operated because the Winnipeg Ice till their relocation to Wenatchee, Wash., for the 2023-24 season.
The WHL mentioned its safety community and Wenatchee Wild administration met with the gamers to deal with the state of affairs and provide help.
Constantine was beforehand the NHL head coach for the San Jose Sharks, Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils.
He has additionally coached outdoors of North America, main South Korea’s Daemyung Killer Whales, Poland’s Unia OÅ›wiÄ™cim and Switzerland’s HC Ambrì-Piotta.
It’s not the primary time Constantine has discovered himself in hassle with the WHL.
He was fined US$5,000 and suspended for 4 video games by the Western Hockey League for excessively punishing his gamers after a loss in 2006.
The Silvertips have been overwhelmed 5-0 by Tri-Metropolis throughout a pre-season event that season and Constantine had the gamers stay of their gear for a post-game meal and the four-hour bus journey again to Everett.
The league thought that sort of punishment was extreme.
“We imagine that this sort of disciplinary motion on gamers in our league is unacceptable,” WHL commissioner Ron Robison advised the Everett Herald. “Now we have a duty to verify the surroundings the gamers play in and the self-discipline they obtain will not be extreme. We felt this went past the traditional degree of applicable self-discipline.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed Sept. 25, 2023.