Hockey player fired for not signing flag for troops

[dapaterson]

Full article at: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2006/12/18/nb-hockeyflag.html

A Saint John Sea Dogs hockey player has been kicked off the team after he did not sign a Canadian flag to be sent to troops in Afghanistan.

Dave Bouchard, who played left wing on the Quebec Major Junior team, said he thought someone else had already signed his name.

But Sea Dogs coach Jacques Beaulieu does not accept that explanation and cut him from the team on the weekend.

 

[Duzty]

he thought someone else had already signed his name.

....its an autograph.....  ???

 

[AJFitzpatrick]

This might have more to with it
                        GP G A Pts Pim +/-
Dave Bouchard  34 15 8 23 54 -22

A convenient excuse to get rid of an under-performing player ?

 

[fbr2o75]

Very poor excuse, there is no doubt that David Bouchard was either going to be traded or cut from the team in the new year, but for the coach to come out in the media and give this for a reason is inexcusable. I do beleive he was fouth in team scoring at the time.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

I have to believe this is just another 'news making' story by the Press, instead of simple news reporting. If it was a simple oversight, I'm sure the player was given an opportunity to sign, after the fact. He didn't. There's a lot more here than what's being reported, as seems all to typical these days, by the Communist Broadcasting Corporation.

 

[s23256]

As much as I approve of the sentiment behind signing the flag, the act itself is specificaly forbidden by Canadian Flag Etiquette

"The National Flag of Canada should not be signed or marked in any way (A border could be attached to the outside edge of the Flag on which it would be acceptable to have signatures leaving the Flag itself untouched)."

From

http://www.canadianheritage.gc.ca/progs/cpsc-ccsp/etiquette/2_e.cfm

 

[Fishbone Jones]

As much as I approve of the sentiment behind signing the flag, the act itself is specificaly forbidden by Canadian Flag Etiquette

"The National Flag of Canada should not be signed or marked in any way (A border could be attached to the outside edge of the Flag on which it would be acceptable to have signatures leaving the Flag itself untouched)."

From

http://www.canadianheritage.gc.ca/progs/cpsc-ccsp/etiquette/2_e.cfm

OK. Thanks for that. Let's keep this thread on track everyone.

 

[Trinity]

Fired for not signing a flag?  No...

If the guy was Wayne Gretzky quality would he still be fired?  No.

IMO... this is simply the last straw in a series of events for this guy.
He had to have been on the radar for a while and this simply was
the "last straw"... Now of course that's not reported in the media, he's
simply being fired for not signing the flag.  But there is always more to
every story as well all know watching i.e. when the media reports on
us we all spot things that aren't told to the fullest extent.

 

[fbr2o75]

Hockey player fired for not signing flag for troops
Last Updated: Monday, December 18, 2006 | 3:12 PM AT
CBC News
A Saint John Sea Dogs hockey player has been kicked off the team after he did not sign a Canadian flag to be sent to troops in Afghanistan.

Dave Bouchard, who played left wing on the Quebec Major Junior team, said he thought someone else had already signed his name.

But Sea Dogs coach Jacques Beaulieu does not accept that explanation and cut him from the team on the weekend.

"Morally, we have standards with this hockey team and that's a standard that we believe in," Beaulieu told CBC News Monday.

"I mean, if Dave doesn't believe in it, that's fine. But he won't be part of it. He won't be part of this organization. That's the standard that we set."

Beaulieu said he believes in freedom of expression

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2006/12/18/nb-hockeyflag.html

also being discussed at

http://saintjohnhockey.proboards24.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=1166385595&page=1

 

[timma]

He should have signed it for the troops.Just because you don't support a war doesn't mean you  should not support the troops.

 

[Gunner98]

Good thing he was not Lemming.



The actual reason for their 'suicide' deaths is because lemmings have poor eyesight and cannot distinguish a small river, which they can easily cross, from a fjord, in which they will almost surely drown.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemming

 

[Paul Gagnon]

Good thing he was not Lemming.



The actual reason for their 'suicide' deaths is because lemmings have poor eyesight and cannot distinguish a small river, which they can easily cross, from a fjord, in which they will almost surely drown.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemming

Ah but properly placed diggers and bashers can ensure that all of your lemmings get to the other side. 

 

[Klc]

The actual reason for their 'suicide' deaths is because lemmings have poor eyesight and cannot distinguish a small river, which they can easily cross, from a fjord, in which they will almost surely drown.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemming

... or disney made it up years ago and it jsut sort of stuck.
http://www.snopes.com/disney/films/lemmings.htm

Back on topic,

Earlier issues with Bouchard, coach says

Beaulieu said Bouchard's decision not to sign the flag was just the latest in a long list of problems.

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.

Right in the article - It was the last of a series of events. The flag thing just set it off.

 

[Gunner98]

KLC,

Don't be a party-pooper, humour does not have to be accurate, just funny.  You missed emphasizing the important part of the article...

"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."

It must be some team, 17th of 18 in the QMJHL- 35 games  played- 10/23/1/1.  Maybe they did him a favour.  Not sure I would want my name on the flag with those guys either. 

Maybe he was misled by all of the 'X' on the flag and mistook one of them for his own.

 

[Nieghorn]

Maybe he was misled by all of the 'X' on the flag and mistook one of them for his own.

Best laugh I've had all day, gunner!    ;D

 

[KevinB]

:

Dont get me wrong I support the troops 110% -- probably cause I was one once.  BUT it disgusts me that someone would be fired (even if it was a poor excuse) for not signing.  We are not the fucking taliban -- the guy has a right to sign or not too.  Just cause someone is an asshat does not mean we lynch them.

 

[ClaytonD]

He may be completely honest when he says he thought his name was already on it too. And if he flatly refused to sign the flag because he doesn't support the war (Or hell, even the troops), good for him, it's a free country. I doubt this is the whole story though.

 

[1feral1]

As much as I approve of the sentiment behind signing the flag, the act itself is specificaly forbidden by Canadian Flag Etiquette

"The National Flag of Canada should not be signed or marked in any way (A border could be attached to the outside edge of the Flag on which it would be acceptable to have signatures leaving the Flag itself untouched)."

From

http://www.canadianheritage.gc.ca/progs/cpsc-ccsp/etiquette/2_e.cfm

Signing flags goes back a long time. I have seen huge Union Jacks with the signatures of local men who returned from the Great War from my home town. Nothing wrong with that. Its history.

At the end of the day with this new and ongoing war, our governments, right or wrong, either way, how about supporting the troops! If the guy did not want to sign, so what. Its in bad taste in my views, but no reason to get fired.


Cheers,

Wes

 

[Mr. Proulx]

I say good riddance to him. When you play on a team, your supposed to act like your part of the team. When the coach asks the team to do a simple thing like sign a flag supporting the soldiers, do it. Its not like hes asking you to pledge your allegiance to the war in Afghanistan.

 

[FredDaHead]

I say good riddance to him. When you play on a team, your supposed to act like your part of the team. When the coach asks the team to do a simple thing like sign a flag supporting the soldiers, do it. Its not like hes asking you to pledge your allegiance to the war in Afghanistan.

And here I was, thinking our soldiers were there to, I dunno, protect little things like, say, "freedom of speech?" I don't agree with him deciding not to sign the flag, but I sure as s**t agree with him having the right to not sign the flag and not be punished for it.

If your coach asks to do a simple thing like get a tatoo, do you do it? What if he asks you to jump off a bridge? Where do you draw the line between a team-building thing, and having the coach ask you to rescind on your principles, on your freedoms?