Stay informed with the LNN Daily Newsletter
Calgary Flames head coach Bill Peters, The Canadian Press

Bill Peters resigns as Calgary Flames head coach

Nov 29, 2019 | 11:58 AM

CALGARY — Bill Peters is no longer the head coach of the Calgary Flames.

Flames GM Brad Treliving announced during a media conference Friday morning that he received and accepted a letter of resignation from Peters, who has been under investigation by the Flames and the NHL after allegations surfaced earlier this week that he used a racial slur against a former player 10 years ago.

“Effective immediately, Bill Peters is no longer a member of the Calgary Flames organization,” Treliving said.

The controversy has been developing since Monday night, when former NHL player Akim Aliu tweeted that he had racism directed his way by a former coach in 2009-10 while with the American Hockey League’s Rockford IceHogs.

Aliu, who was born in Nigeria, did not refer to Peters by name in his tweet, but he used Calgary’s airport code “YYC” when writing about the specific coach.

Peters issued an apology in a letter addressed to Flames general manager Brad Treliving two days later, which Aliu called “misleading, insincere and concerning.”

Treliving also announced Friday that associate coach Geoff Ward will be the team’s interim head coach moving forward.

More to come.