The WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes have hired former NHL coach Bill Peters as their head coach, the team announced on Wednesday.
A former head coach of the Calgary Flames, Peters resigned from the team in 2019 following allegations of racial abuse by Akim Aliu.
Peters allegedly directed a racial slur toward Aliu “several times” while the two were together in the AHL. Aliu played for Peters when he was head coach of the Rockford IceHogs, Chicago’s AHL affiliate, for five games in the 2008-09 season and 48 games in 2009-10. Aliu also appeared in 13 games for the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye in ’09-10.
“To Akim, I apologize,” a tearful Peters said in his opening statement during Wednesday’s press conference in Lethbridge to announce his hiring. “I did not recognize the impact of my words. I was uneducated in my use of inappropriate language. I take ownership of my actions, I regret my choice of words. I failed to create a safe space for the team, and I’m deeply sorry.”
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Aliu shared correspondence with an unidentified NHL coach who was trying “to broker an apology” from Peters to Aliu. In his post, considering the event in question happened 13 years ago, Aliu said he was “curious as to why (Peters) wants to apologize now.” He also said, “I don’t feel that I have anything to say to Bill at this point.”
Michal Jordan, who played for Peters with the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, also alleged Peters kicked him and punched another unnamed player during a game.
The NHL said in 2021 it had completed an investigation of Peters.
WHL commissioner Ron Robison said in a Hurricanes statement that he is satisfied Peters has taken the necessary steps required to return to coaching in the
WHL.
“After a thorough review, speaking with representatives from Shades of Humanity, and receiving a commitment from Bill to continue on his path of anti-racism, self-growth and redemption, the WHL is satisfied Bill is ready to return to coaching
in the WHL,” said Robison, who was also at Wednesday’s media conference, in an issued statement. “The journey towards individual and systemic equity learning should be viewed as an ongoing process. Bill has demonstrated that through this process and the WHL remains committed to systemic change through
continued education.”
After his resignation from the Flames, Peters joined Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg of the KHL in April 2020 and was fired in November 2022.
Peters will replace Brent Kisio, who took an assistant coaching job with the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights after eight seasons with the Hurricanes.
Peters has had two previous stints as a coach in the WHL, with the Spokane Chiefs as an assistant from 1999-2002, then as the head coach from 2005-08.
Peters, a 57-year-old native of Three Hills, Alta., had a 199-175 record as coach of Carolina and Calgary over a six-year career in the NHL.
— With files from The Canadian Press
