The Bruins lost only their second game of the season last night at Toronto. This should have been a blog about how great they’ve been all year or welcoming David Krejci back into the lineup. We could talk about the Bruins epic comeback against the Pens, or their complete dismantling of the Rangers. Topics could have included secondary scoring, Brad Marchand’s new hips, or the up-tempo system that new HC Jim Montgomery has installed. We could talk about the Black and Gold being one of the best teams in the NHL, or the unveiling of Hampus Lindholm as an absolute blueline stud, or maybe even the rejuvenation of Nick Foligno. Any of those topics would have been welcomed.
Unfortunately Dear Reader, we have to talk about quite possibly the biggest misstep the Bruins brass has made in all my years of supporting this team. The brain trust went out and signed an absolute garbage human being in Mitchell Miller. Yep, he’s garbage. A steaming trash bag full of dirty diapers left sitting in the hot sun garbage. I don’t care about your second chance arguments or your whataboutisms. If you want to argue, hit that big ol’ X up in the right corner and happily fuck off, I already got the click. This kid is not worthy of playing professional hockey. Full stop. Take your nonsense argument and bring it down the Elks or go yell at your dog. You’re wrong and I’m happy to tell you why.
This was not an isolated incident or a moment of youthful indiscretion as some may lead you to believe. This was the systematic bullying of a developmentally delayed black child that started in 2nd grade and continued through 10th grade. Read that again (and for all of you dipshits on Facebook, read it real slowly) – he bullied a child physically and emotionally and berated him with racist taunts for EIGHT FUCKING YEARS.
Miller was convicted as a teenager and was sentenced to 25 hours of community service. Ridiculous, but I guess that’s what happens when you grow up white in Ohio and are good at hockey. Oh but Brownie, he wrote a letter apologizing. Yep, you’re right fuckstick, he wrote a court-mandated letter and never personally apologized to the victim until he took to Instagram in a pathetic last ditch attempt to salvage his pro career.
Akim Aliu, chairman of the Hockey Diversity Alliance weighed in on Friday
Bruins GM Don Sweeney who was out in front doing his best turd polishing, admitted that he wasn’t sure if he could have forgiven Miller if it was Sweeney’s own kid who was being bullied. “I can’t categorically tell you that this was the right decision.” Then what the fuck are you doing Donny? I get that all you Harvard guys always have to be the smartest guys in the room, but what the hell man? Part of your job is to protect your players and by extension, other players in the league. Is putting this excrement into the league part of that protection?
The other half of the Black and Gold decision makers; team President Cam Neely didn’t even have the stones to face the media. Instead he issued a statement that said in part “Representing the Boston Bruins is a privilege we take seriously as an organization. Respect and integrity are foundational character traits we expect of our players and staff.” I tuned out the rest of Neely’s statement because if Neely actually believed the word salad he was tossing, then they shouldn’t have touched this kid with a 10ft pole.
I can give Arizona a pass for this. When they made Miller their first draft pick in 2020, this story hadn’t broken. They were in the dark. What did they do once they found out? Turns out the Desert Dogs did the right thing; they released Miller and rescinded their pick. They knew drafting Miller was wrong, but somehow the Bruins don’t? The Bruins did everything they could to slip this news past the goalie. First a Friday afternoon press release and then who did they send onto TSN to defend this signing? Sweeney surely? Nope. Maybe Neely went out there and gave it straight and answered the tough questions? Wrong again. They sent Patrice Bergeron out there to try and spin this shit sandwich as they hid in their Causeway Street bunker.
Poor Bergy. Put on the spot when Bruce Cassidy was turfed and now sent out there to cover his bosses’ tracks…again. “I was asked by Don close to a week ago for my opinions and I had my concerns. I shared my opinion. In a way, I did not necessarily agree with it.” That’s about a strong as of a statement that Bergeron would ever make in contradicting anyone involved with the team. Nick Foligno also weighed in, “The culture we’ve built and these guys have built before I got here, is one of inclusion. I think it goes against that” Foligno went on to add that he thought “It was a tough spot to put Bergy in, whether he likes the move or not, he’s going to stay true to his morals.” Foligno also added at the end of his availability “It was a tough one for us to swallow.” I don’t know about you out there in Bruins-land, but somehow those comments don’t make it seem as if Sweeney and Neely were so much asking for input as they were giving the leaders a heads up about the shit storm heading their way.
But, guess what Dear Reader. You’re boy Donny may have outsmarted himself after all. Turns out that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman may have the last word on the subject as the Bruins didn’t check in with the big boss before inking this piece of shit. Per the NHL, Miller is currently ineligible to play in the league. If the Bruins ever decide to promote him, they will need to appeal to Bettman before Miller can gain eligibility. Bettman did indicate that it would not be so easy for him to clear Miller. “They were free to sign him to play somewhere else, that’s another league’s issue. But nobody should think, at this point he is, or may ever be, NHL eligible. And the Bruins understand that now.” Take a fucking bow Commish. Here’s a sentence I thought I would never think, type or say: Way to go Gary!
I’m sure it had nothing to do with this circus that the Bruins dropped the game in Toronto. I mean nothing like having to answer questions in the pre-game media availability about idiotic moves your front office is making. The team was 9-1-0 when this news broke, good vibes all around and we’re having fun: why would you risk screwing that up?
Hopefully Miller figures it out and makes something positive out of his life, but it certainly doesn’t seem like that’s his plan. He’s supposedly “spent time with the Bruins Hockey Ops and Community Relations groups over the last few weeks” and that’s supposed to show he’s changed his ways? You mean this kid on what he knows is his probably hopefully last shot at a NHL career behaved appropriately? He didn’t make any racist comments or physically assault anyone while spending time with Bruins employees? What a hero. Did they have him working with developmentally delayed kids? Was he talking to kids at schools about bullying? Has he spoken in person to his victim or the victim’s family? No and No and No (and while I’m at it: I also think it’s deplorable that the Bruins never reached out to the victim’s family the way the Coyotes did in the past). The judge at his sentencing commented on the fact that Miller didn’t seem remorseful and was just going through the motions to in order to get out of trouble. Is that the action of someone who’s learned from his or her mistake?
I have no problem with him getting another chance, he should be able to live his life and earn a living. He can get a sales job, work construction or join the Post Office. Being a professional athlete is a dream job and he shouldn’t get his dream for what he did to his classmate. You can and should get a second chance but you should NOT get rewarded for being a bullying piece of shit. Playing professional hockey is a reward and fuck Mitchell Miller and racist bullies like him, none of them deserve any rewards.
You can read more about Brownie in his bio down below of follow him on Twitter @Abrow28
The Morning Skate 
Yeah you got your click dipshit…talk with people who deal with behavioral difficulties with adolescents and how they deal with such things.
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Are you talking about the piece of shit bully? Making excuses for him? Soft sauce Brucey boy. Try harder next time
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