'A little extreme': Sting GM on OHL team's coaching suspensions

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The Sarnia Sting want to talk with Ontario Hockey League brass after head coach Alan Letang was suspended for three games and assistant coach Micheal Haley for two games.

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'A little extreme': Sting GM on OHL team's coaching suspensions Back to video

The punishment was handed out Thursday for “conduct demeaning the officials” in the Sting’s home finale March 22, according to an OHL news release.

The Sting were also fined $2,500.

Both coaches received game misconducts for abuse of officials late in a 4-2 loss to the Saginaw Spirit at Progressive Auto Sales Arena. Assistant coach Dustin Jeffrey was not at the game, so general manager Dylan Seca was pressed into service as a coach after the ejections.

“We take ownership over the fact that two coaches obviously crossed the line and we respect the league’s desire to not have that type of behaviour from their coaches,” Seca said.

“We respect the league’s expectations on the behaviour for the coaches, but, I’ll be honest, I find the fact that they’ve taken Al Letang and Micheal Haley to this extreme a little bit surprising.

“We don’t disagree that it crossed the line, but we find that this punishment (is) a little extreme.”

Letang served the first game of his suspension in the season finale March 23, sitting out a 3-0 win at the Flint Firebirds after being suspended indefinitely earlier in the day.

Letang and Haley will each miss the first two games of the 2024-25 season.

“I’m hoping to have further discussions with the league on it because we don’t operate this way,” Seca said. “Our coaching staff are not the type that are consistently yelling. We do not want that perception of our bench being one that’s loud and always challenging.

“We expect a lot of our players, too. We expect our players to be respectful and to toe the line and, essentially, just to play the game. Alan’s approach has always been that way. The fact that things escalated was pretty surprising and the fact that this is the result is just the same.”

An OHL spokesperson hadn’t replied to a Postmedia request asking how the coaches demeaned officials.

Letang consistently treats officials with respect, Seca said.

“He’s one that’s approachable, he’s calm,” Seca said. “I think he carries a lot of respect around the league. I can tell you, based on the conversations I’ve had with other GMs and other coaches, that they put him in the upper group of the way he manages a bench.

“The fact that this has been the result is why I’m so shocked.”