After some very low points in their tumultuous history, the Flint Firebirds are being taken seriously. And it was no easy task making it happen.
The Firebirds had a questionable reputation at best after their owner was suspended following player protests in their inaugural 2015-16 season in the Ontario Hockey League. The Michigan club was fined, stripped of a draft pick, and had little to no success on the ice, only making the playoffs once in its first four years with a combined record of 88-159-25.
Things have changed this season, though. Flint is riding a 10-game win streak into this weekend's action, is 32-17-2 overall and sits fourth in the always-difficult Western Conference.
"It's been rewarding, exciting, been a long time coming wanting to be a competitive hockey team," said forward Ty Dellandrea. "Everyone's pretty pumped. But also we aren't satisfied, we want a long run to the playoffs. We're motivated."
In April 2016, Firebirds owner Rolf Nilsen was suspended for five years by the OHL for ‘violations contrary to the best interests of the players, the team, and the OHL.'
On Nov. 8 of that season, all 23 players on the team quit in response to the firing of then-head coach John Gruden and his staff. Gruden had been let go over an ongoing dispute with Nilsen, who wanted more ice-time for his son, defenceman Hakon Nilsen.
The players' protest worked, as Gruden and his staff were re-hired that day and given three-year contract extensions. However, Gruden was fired again on Feb. 17, leading to OHL commissioner David Branch suspending Nilsen for five years, along with his appointees on the management and coaching staff. Nilsen declined to appeal the suspension.
Hakon Nilsen stayed on the Firebirds' roster until 2018-19 and is currently playing for a professional team in Norway. He was never drafted by an NHL club.
The controversy came in the first season after Nilsen purchased the Plymouth Whalers and relocated the franchise to Flint.
Dellandrea was Flint's first draft pick after the 2015-16 debacle and has since become the captain, and often the face, of the franchise. It would have been easy for him and his family to say no to the Firebirds due to their reputation at the time, but he chose to embrace the situation.
"We didn't have concerns, we had questions. We just wanted to find out more," said Dellandrea, who was picked fifth overall in the 2016 OHL draft.
"When I came here I wanted to be part of the change and create a new definition of Flint and I wanted players to come here, so for four years it's been my goal to try and make change."
Head coach Eric Wellwood isn't surprised with his team's success so far this season, believing that the right group of kids had reasons to be motivated following two seasons of no playoffs and the poor outlook others had of the organization.
"They came in this year knowing they had a good team with good players, mainly they wanted to prove something — that you can have success in Flint and that we're not a bad organization and can make some noise in this league," said Wellwood, a native of Windsor, Ont., and a former NHL player.
Amongst numerous changes to hockey operations, Wellwood was appointed as an assistant coach with Flint in 2016-17 under Ryan Oulahen before eventually taking on head coaching duties in 2018-19. He recognized that the Firebirds needed to get past their negative history that made international news at the time and thought that creating a positive environment for the players would be the first, and most important, step.
"When you say Flint for a potential trade, for players they instantly had bad memories or stories from that (previous) era, so I think it was important that the player experience is the best in the league," said Wellwood.
"A lot of heavy lifting, not just with myself … It was bringing in the people we thought could provide the player experience we are after. We changed every single person from assistant coaches to trainers. Not that people here prior weren't qualified, it was just time for a reset. For me I wanted to bring in good people, create chemistry. I think we've done a good job with that and it trickles down to the players."
Dellandrea speaks highly of his coach and the setting put in place.
"First of all, he's such a great guy in the way he handles himself and the relationships with players. He's always checking up on us and making sure we're having fun playing hockey. It can be tough being away from home so long," said Dellandrea, who leads the team in scoring despite missing three weeks of action while helping Canada win gold at the world junior championship.
"We have team movie nights or go bowling and he's always a part of that, keeps the mood fun and enjoyable on and off the ice."
Dellandrea has not only embraced the Firebirds since moving there in the fall of 2016 from his tiny hometown of Port Perry, Ont., but also the city of Flint, which has also had its own problems in recent years. The city has had a water crisis along with economic and crime concerns.
Dellandrea, a first-round pick (13th overall) of the Dallas Stars in 2018, says he would never trade the experience to join an OHL powerhouse such as the London Knights or Windsor Spitfires.
"I love it, I have no problems with it," said Dellandrea. "It's not your big city but the people are so great and down to earth, billets have been awesome and it's a special place in my heart."
Flint can set a single-season franchise record for wins with just one more, and will get its first chance Friday against its Michigan rival — the Saginaw Spirit.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Feb. 13, 2020.
Kyle Cicerella, The Canadian Press
