Does Jackson want to to retract the statement. I am sure he does because his check book could be coming out.
The Kitchener Rangers have confirmed it has held initial discussions with its legal advisors regarding what Chief Operating Officer, Steve Bienkowski described as "libelous comments" made by Jeff Jackson, the Head Coach of the University of Notre Dame's Men's Hockey team.
I guess the teams are tired of hearing the rumors and are going to take action. I didn't realize this but it's not easy for the Rangers to hide that type money from the public.
No it wouldn't be easy to hide $500,000 since every subscriber can run and vote for the teams board of directors. Plus they are all invited to meetings in which there is at least some financial disclosure. All it would take is for one person of the 4500 hundred season ticket holder to pay attention and do a little simple math and you would notice a $500,000 discrepancy fairly easily.
It looks like the Windsor Spitfires are going to do the same thing.
"To throw allegations out like that is irresponsible," Spitfires president and head coach Bob Boughner said. "I think it's sour grapes on (Jackson's) part and I would expect more from a program that is supposed to be as storied as Notre Dame."
How does Notre Dame respond? Do they suspended him in a middle of the playoff push? A distraction is created. Players are going to be asked about this. Some players could be asked directly.
This could affect future recruiting classes down the road and Bob Boughner wasn't afraid to pointed that out.
That being said, Boughner said Notre Dame can count on the Spitfires pursuing Stephan Johns when his two-year commitment to the USDP is up. Johns was a third-round pick by the Spitfires last summer, but has a verbal commitment to Notre Dame that came after Windsor selected him."We hope to do the exact same thing with Stephan Johns (as with Fowler)," Boughner said. "When the time is right, we want to have him look at our program."
If you were a parent would you trust Jackson now? I don't know if I would.
Jeff Jackson has built the Fighting Irish program but it doesn't look good for him. I am surprised this question wasn't asked: "What did it take to get Dustin Brown to Guelph?" Jackson was the Guelph's head coach when Brown was there. Jackson isn't in the OHL coaches fraternity anymore and he tried to let the cat out of the bag. It backfired on him.
That's My Take
(Nathan also is a writer for Maineiacs Post to Post and the Maine Hockey Journal. He can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)
18 comments:
Good Lord, what a horrifically biased article. The conclusions you draw come from absolutely nowhere.
Why would anything Jackson said have any bearing on whether or not potential recruits "trust him"? And why would OHL GM's target ND recruits any more than they did before? Their jobs require them to pursue every signee as vigorously as possible, no matter what vendettas might be at work. You think they'd simply take a laissez-faire attitude toward certain signees because they might "like" the college coache involved? It's business -- they'll go after everyone the same way.
I realize you're a Maine fan and write for their team (even though you go to Nescom, wherever/whatever the hell that is), and I know that ND is at the top of the college hockey world while Maine is languishing unfamiliarly at the bottom of the scrap-heap, but please keep your personal biases out of future articles.
Thank you.
I am having a hard time understanding this. If Mr Fowler actually told Jackson this, then what complaint does Kitchener have? If Jackson totally made up the story, then they have a legitimate complaint. Which is it?
Erin,
Thank You for your comments. One thing though this is my personal blog. If I want to give my opinion I have every right to do so. This isn't a news organization.
I tried to find an article from a South Bend newspaper but they haven't reported on the story yet.
This is no jealously towards Notre Dame...I respect what Jackson has done in South Bend to grow the program, Tim Whitehead hasn't done the job at Maine.
I don't know what my school NESCOM has anything to do with this...But for your information it's 15 minutes away from UMaine.
Once again thank you for reading and your comments.
You are biased for sure, but after all, it is your blog.
As for the $500 000, with creative book keeping, a sponsor... that money can be hidden easily.
A guy like Cam Fowler would be dumb to go to the O for a standard education package as he could easily get so much more. In fact, I think that any star player going to the CHL for a standard deal is dumb. These franchises make money hand over fist and they can afford to pay 6 figure salaries. Do the math.
Instead of singling the Fowler/Jackson rumor, why don't you investigate the other so called rumors like Pat Kane and his mega deal with London. There seems to be a trend here to bring kid's across the border. maybe some college boster clubs are luring kid's away from Canada or Euro. I think the issue is just not what you spoke to here. make it an evenly reported story and not just a snippet.
Thank you for your comments...The Pat Kane and London is old news...This story is news...I am not trying to singling out Jackson but he made those comments what am I suppose to do, not give my thoughts on it while its the hot topic of the day?
If you go back in the Archives, I talk about this issue in general. I don't remember an exact date but sometime before the turn of new year.
Jackson spoke very poorly about the OHL during his stints with Lake Superior State University and the NTDP. It was quite a shock to see him land in Guelph after the NTDP fired him but I suspect it was his petty way at getting back at the organization....to run to the "enemy" so to speak. Jackson of course did not last in Guelph and now is back to his old garbage talk at Notre Dame.
Perry Fowler, Cam's father, has made it very clear that he said no such thing to Jeff Jackson about a 500k payout from Kitchener and that Kitchener offered no such thing!
So why would big mouth Jackson say such a thing? Simple...to make other high end prospects believe that Fowler was offered big money to play for the OHL and that they should be too. When they are not offered the money (since the OHL does not throw that kind of currency around) they will get upset and play in the NCAA.
I hope both Kitchener and Windsor pursue this lawsuit and finally shut up these cry baby NCAA coaches!
I dont think that it is unimaginable that the Fowlers would deny accepting the $. It would only make Cam a target. Is that too hard to ponder?
The denial might also be a way of the Fowlers to say "mind your own business".
In addition, if the Fowlers used ND as a bargaining chip, can you blame them? Does it matter?
Jeff Jackson lied, and it was on the record. That is the only fact that we know for sure. Great values, is that what the NCAA is about?
There is no way an OHL club would extend a 500,000 dollar offer to any player! It would only be a matter of time before such an offer would become public and then all of hell would demand blood.
This is just a lame way for Jackson and other lame NCAA coaches to rationalize why a player spurned them for the OHL.
Jackson is a sore loser and now he's going to have to pay the piper!
I'll bet there is a way to offer that dough.......sponsors, parking, concessions, jesrseys, and tickets, all the revenue that is pouring into Windsor. Oh ya, and a trade or two with a cashino.
X 6,000 fans a night. don't kid yourself. As for Jackson, he could be one of the best college/ junior coaches of all time. He has integrity and knows what he is talking about. The rumored figure for Fouler, has been out there for a bit of time, so maybe it was spoken as a repeat of a quote. It is really "old news". Except to Nathan.
Jeff Jackson lied, and it was on the record. That is the only fact that we know for sure. Great values, is that what the NCAA is about?
March 15, 2009 4:42 PM
First off, Where is this on the record? i would love to see it.
Secondly, as stated, this is a horrifically biased article. Will you be blogging with a college hockey bias next year after your MAINEiacs are gone?
Third, Jeff Jackson is a very knowledgeable man and would not make up erroneous statements out of the blue. if any of you had ever met him or spoken to him, you could tell right away that he isnt going to throw any smoke up your ass.
Forth, the 500,000 offer that was said to be made by the rangers WAS ACCORDING TO MR. FOWLER. Who in their right mind would subject their kid to having a huge X on their back? That is why he is denying it all. plus they probably didnt make the offer and he was jockeying for playing time at ND.
Do you actually think Jackson has no idea of what Cam got from Windsor?
Has anyone met Mr. Fowler?
His kid is great and he'll be the first to tell you. Im sure he was probably jockeying for playing time at notre dame for his kid and telling Jackson that this team is offering this and this team is offering this and Jackson wouldnt offer guaranteed playing time as they have 4-5 NHL draft picks on D at notre dame that he would be playing behind.
Oh and i love how threatened these OHL teams are by one comment. Seems like it struck a nerve.
Jackson has integrity???
Are you serious???
You also believe sub=prime mortages are a good thing, right??
He shot off his mouth, his bluff was called, lets see where this all settles.
Thanks for all the comments,
I want to know what my bias is on this article? Yes I understand the quotes are from OHL sources of information but at the time I wrote this story, the South Bend newspapers hadn't reported on it! I haven't had a chance to see if a South Bend newspaper reported on the story yet. I've been busy the last 24 hours.
Anonymous 8:05`
Read the title of the blog "THE WORLD OF JUNIOR HOCKEY" and most issues will tend to the side of junior hockey. I love both products though.
What does Maine and the Maineiacs have to do with anything in this article?...By the way it looks like the Maineiacs are staying in Lewiston.
thirdly quick the links that I provide (I know that one extra step is hard and isn't spoon fed to you...I am a nice guy so I will)
Mr Fowler said he never made those comments to Mr. Jackson.
From The Record
"Mr. Fowler told me himself that Kitchener put together like a $500,000 package for him," Jackson said.
Perry Fowler denies that allegation.
"That's absolutely untrue," he said.
a blog is web log: a shared on-line journal where people can post diary entries about their personal experiences and hobbies; "postings on a blog are usually in chronological order"
If you don't like what's being posted here no one is making you read it. My opinions my differ from yours.
Anonymous 7:25
I understand its possible but the Rangers allow the public to look at financial records...You also have to take in account expenses also...Not too many teams make a profit.
----------------
I also understand Notre Dame could of been a bargaining chip....
The point of this article was Jackson making the comments that he did and how they backfired him and could cost him.
As for the denial of Mr Fowler, Raphael Palmero, Roger Clemons...
all claimed that they didnt do steroids either.
And the sour grapes of Jeff Jackson, I listened to an interview on The Scouting News of him and he was quite professional and talked positively about the O. The proof is probably still on their website if you wanted to have a listen, conversely, where is the proof that Jackson for sure flat out lied?
Jeff Jackson and integrity? You have got to be joking. He often spouted his mouth off about the "evils" of the OHL when he was the coach for both the LSSU Lakers and the NTDP and is now covering his arse as to why he lost a big time prospect to the OHL.
The Kitchener Rangers are community owned. They could not and would not be able to pay anywhere near $620,000 Canadian dollars to Ovechkin if he wanted to play there. Bottom line.
They couldn't hide the money. BTW they already have three defensemen (2 are Americans) on the team who are just as good as Fowler is. They just don't have the draft hype attached.
Jackson is a woman scorned as well as a hypocrite. He talks out of both sides of his mouth and was badmouthing major junior at LSSU and then immediately jumped to the OHL and Guelph when he was found lacking. I have dealt with him and if his lips are moving he's lying.
Thanks for this blog Nathan. Don't let the idiots get you down.
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