BOSTON — The Boston Bruins have signed defenseman Mitchell Miller, who had his draft rights relinquished by Arizona for bullying a Black classmate with developmental disabilities in middle school.
The Bruins signed Miller to an entry-level contract on Friday after spending several weeks during an evaluation period with the 20-year-old. Miller said he would continue to participate in community programs to educate himself and share his mistakes with others.
“Representing the Boston Bruins is a privilege we take seriously as an organization,” Bruins General Manager Cam Neely said in a statement. “During this evaluation period, Mitchell was accountable for his unacceptable behavior and demonstrated his commitment to work with multiple organizations and professionals to further his education and use his mistake as a teachable moment for others.”
The Coyotes picked Miller in the fourth round of the 2020 draft despite knowing of his 2016 assault conviction. The team parted ways with Miller amid criticism after learning more about his bullying of Isaiah Meyer-Crothers.
The University of North Dakota announced a day later that Miller was no longer with the school’s hockey team.
Miller pleaded guilty at age 14 to one count of assault and one count of violation of the Ohio Safe Schools Act. He and another teenager were accused of making Meyer-Crothers eat a candy push pop after wiping it in a bathroom urinal, and surveillance video showed them kicking and punching him.
Meyer-Crothers’ mother Joni told The Arizona Republic that Miller started bullying her son in second grade and used racial epithets.
Miller sent a letter to all 31 NHL teams acknowledging what happened and apologizing for his behavior. Joni Meyer-Crothers’ said Miller never personally apologized to Isaiah or their family other than a court-mandated letter.
“When I was in eighth grade, I made an extremely poor decision and acted very immaturely,” Miller said in a statement. “I bullied one of my classmates. I deeply regret the incident and have apologized to the individual. Since the incident, I have come to better understand the far-reaching consequences of my actions that I failed to recognize and understand nearly seven years ago.”
Miller sat out the 2020-21 season before scoring 39 goals with 44 assists for Tri-City of the USHL in 2021-22. He was named the USHL’s player and defenseman of the year after setting league records for goals and points by a defenseman.
SENATORS: The Ottawa Senators are on the market.
The board of directors of Senators Sports & Entertainment said Friday a process has been initiated for the sale of the NHL club. The board retained Galatioto Sports Partners, a firm specializing in the sports finance and advisory business, as its financial adviser.
“A condition of any sale will be that the team remains in Ottawa,” the team said in a news release.
Senators owner Eugene Melnyk died on March 28 at age 62 after battling an illness. He had previously said he planned to leave the team to his daughters, Anna and Olivia.
Melnyk purchased the Senators in 2003 for $92 million at a time when the franchise faced bankruptcy and a tenuous future in the nation’s capital.
A recent valuation from sports-business news outlet Sportico listed the Senators at $655 million.
The team’s day-to-day operations has been handled by the board of directors since Melnyk’s death.
Under Melnyk, the Senators played in the Stanley Cup final in 2007 when Ottawa lost in five games to the Anaheim Ducks. Ottawa nearly returned to the Cup final a decade later but lost the deciding game of the conference final in double overtime. Since that loss, the Senators have missed the playoffs in five straight seasons.
Melnyk’s relationship with the Senators’ fanbase soured as the years went on.
The owner’s comments before a 2017 outdoor game in Ottawa, indicating he could move the team in the future if attendance didn’t increase, sparked a ”#MelnykOut″ campaign on city billboards and social media.
GOLDEN KNIGHTS: Vegas defenseman Alec Martinez is two games shy of playing in the 700th game of his career.
It’ll be quite an accomplishment considering he thought his 671st game would be his last.
Nov. 11 will mark one year since Martinez’s face was slashed by Minnesota forward Brandon Duhaime’s skate, an injury that kept him out of Vegas’ lineup for more than four months.
“In the darkest days, I would say that I was worried that it was career-ending,” Martinez said during an interview with The Associated Press. “Fortunately, I was able to find some doctors that were able to figure me out and give me some medication, or a combination of medications, that would kind of get my nervous system to calm down.”
The 35-year-old two-time Stanley Cup champion, who should reach the 700-game milestone Tuesday in Toronto, is still hesitant to discuss the injury that left a roughly two-inch scar under his left eye, partly because he doesn’t want attention, and also because it’s difficult to talk about without reliving the trauma.
Martinez said he was frustrated and disappointed by having to miss 53 games because of what he calls a “flukey thing.” But, there was also dealing with meeting with different doctors who worked to determine how to fix the nerve damage.
FRIDAY’S GAMES
AVALANCHE 6, BLUE JACKETS 3: Mikko Rantanen scored three goals in his native country and Stanley Cup champion Colorado beat Columbus in Tampere, Finland in the NHL’s second visit to Europe this year.
Cale Makar had a goal and an assist, Logan O’Connor and J.T. Compher also scored and Nathan MacKinnon contributed four assists for the Avalanche, who stopped a two-game skid.
Colorado blew a three-goal lead in its previous game, a 5-4 loss to the New York Islanders on Saturday, and allowed Columbus to tie it after taking a 3-0 advantage this time. But Rantanen put the Avs ahead for good in the third period with his second goal.
HURRICANES 5, SABRES 3: Sebastian Aho had three goals and an assist to help Carolina beat Buffalo in Raleigh, North Carolina night for its fourth straight win.
Martin Necas had a goal and two assists, Jesperi Kotkaniemi also scored, and Andrei Svechnikov and Teuvo Teravainen each had two assists for the Hurricanes. Antti Raanta made 22 saves.
Jacob Bryson, Victor Olofsson and Rasmus Dahlin scored for the Sabres, who had won three straight. Jack Quinn had two assists and Craig Anderson finished with 28 saves.
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