Montreal Canadiens prospect barred from playing in the NHL
The Boston Bruins made a massive blunder when they signed Mitchell Miller. The 20-year-old had already been dropped by the Arizona Coyotes after it came to light that Miller had horrifically abused a young African American child with a learning disability for "years and years." His offences were so heinous and so numerous he was convicted in juvenile court for them. When news broke of the signing, NHL Commossioner Gary Bettman announced that Miller would not be allowed to play in the NHL without first going through the long and difficult process of making up for and learning from his past behaviour.
In light of the Miller fiasco, the NHL was also asked about the eligibility of Canadiens prospect Logan Mailloux. Mailloux had been convicted of a sexual crime in Sweden after sharing private pictures of a woman, with whom he had been romantically involved, with his teammates without her consent. He also shared her personal information along with the sexually explicit photos so that she could be easily identified.
Afterwards, Mailloux asked NHL teams not to draft him, saying he needed to work on himself. The Canadiens drafted him anyway in the 2021 NHL entry draft with the 31st overall pick. According to the NHL, Mailloux is under the same condition as Miller. He must show that he has learned from what he did and find a way to make up for it in the community before being allowed to step onto NHL ice. As such, Bettman has revealed that Mailloux is not eligible to play in the NHL.
Some may think this punishment is harsh coming from the NHL. I don't believe so in the slightest. Hockey as a whole has been rocked by scandal after scandal over the past few years. If this type of behaviour is allowed to be swept under the rug because someone is good at hockey, it will only add fuel to the fire. Hockey has a culture problem, that much is clear. The first step in fixing this issue is accountability. No, Miller and Mailloux are not being "cancelled," they are being held accountable for their actions. If either player wants to have a career in the NHL, they've got a LOT of work ahead of them.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 10 | 349 ANSWERS Montreal Canadiens prospect barred from playing in the NHL Is the NHL doing the right thing by rendering Logan Mailloux and Mitchell Miller ineligible to play in the NHL? | ||
| Yes | 285 | 81.7 % |
| No | 64 | 18.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
