Vegas Golden Knights goalie Robin Lehner has clarified a statement he made on the weekend, saying he does not accuse Philadelphia Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault of improperly distributing pills, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports.
Earlier Monday, Vigneault denied the accusation when speaking to reporters, saying “I have no idea where that comes from.”
In a series of tweets posted Saturday, Lehner accused “many teams” of giving out Benzodiazepines and Ambien to “employees when they travel.”
In the tweets he named Vigneault, writing “dinosaur coach treating people robots not human. Fire these dinosaurs” and “I got proof.”
However, in a clarification given to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, Lehner said he intended to criticize the way Vigneault treats his players — “which he believes is unacceptable” — and not accuse him of passing pills.
“I consider myself experienced. A dinosaur? You could say with experience you become a dinosaur maybe,” Vigneault said in response to the tweets Monday. “But I do know I’ve been coaching a few years and I am tough, I am demanding but I care about my players. Through the years probably there are some guys who liked me and probably some a little less, but I’ve done it with the best intention (and) with respect.”
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told the Associated Press Sunday that the league plans to reach out to Lehner to discuss the accusations he made. Kaplan reported Monday that Lehner “had a good call with the NHLPA” on Sunday.
“The health and well-being of our players is our top priority, and any care provided to them comes from the team’s health care professionals, not the coaching staff,” Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher said in a statement Sunday. “We have no reason to believe any of our players have received improper care.”
