Offseason 2023

[TalonsUpPuckDown]

FWIW, I was told by an extremely reliable source this evening that they believe the stories about the team petitioning Swankler to get off the team are accurate. In their opinion from who they have spoken with, it appears Swankler is essentially trying to burn down the program in retaliation while targeting the three players who initiated the petition.

Unfortunately, if the petition story is true, it must likely means there's some meat to the hazing. Petition is close to the last step in getting rid of someone. Usually, you just bully the crap out of them to make it known they are no longer welcome and they take the hint to move on.

Then again, if I was still in the locker room, it'd be real hard not to "leak" some wild s**t to see what people would run with. It'd be hard to even fake talk about what's going on in the room (reason #1 I'm pissed at Swankler), but I could definitely see the fun in it.

I've been wondering about hazing vs. bullying. The former has had me surprised throughout all this. The latter, at least in my mind, has been much more plausible. I understand in the eyes of the student code and through the lens of the recent Greek situation there's not a lot of daylight between the two. Feels like hazing is more grounded in cultural issues where bullying is, uhh, something a little different? Not sure how to describe it.

"It's time for you and the other freshmen to drink this 5th to prove you belong!" vs. "I've f'ing had it with that guy, I'm taking a leak (see what I did there PDT?) in his Powerade bottle." These days, either situation will get you in trouble.

[jpfalcon09]

FWIW, I was told by an extremely reliable source this evening that they believe the stories about the team petitioning Swankler to get off the team are accurate. In their opinion from who they have spoken with, it appears Swankler is essentially trying to burn down the program in retaliation while targeting the three players who initiated the petition.

Unfortunately, if the petition story is true, it must likely means there's some meat to the hazing. Petition is close to the last step in getting rid of someone. Usually, you just bully the crap out of them to make it known they are no longer welcome and they take the hint to move on.

Then again, if I was still in the locker room, it'd be real hard not to "leak" some wild s**t to see what people would run with. It'd be hard to even fake talk about what's going on in the room (reason #1 I'm pissed at Swankler), but I could definitely see the fun in it.

I've been wondering about hazing vs. bullying. The former has had me surprised throughout all this. The latter, at least in my mind, has been much more plausible. I understand in the eyes of the student code and through the lens of the recent Greek situation there's not a lot of daylight between the two. Feels like hazing is more grounded in cultural issues where bullying is, uhh, something a little different? Not sure how to describe it.

"It's time for you and the other freshmen to drink this 5th to prove you belong!" vs. "I've f'ing had it with that guy, I'm taking a leak (see what I did there PDT?) in his Powerade bottle." These days, either situation will get you in trouble.

There appears to be several layers to this entire fiasco which is probably why the investigation is taking a bit of time. For example, if Swankler was stealing and selling gear (and there are posts across different social media platforms that he has stolen items from other players' lockers), then there may be a criminal aspect to all this as well that must be vetted out.

Obviously if there is hazing, the police need to have enough evidence gathered for a prosecutor to file charges, and as TUPD mentions, there could be a gray area between what defines hazing vs. bullying. Both are unacceptable regardless.

[guest44]

FWIW, I was told by an extremely reliable source this evening that they believe the stories about the team petitioning Swankler to get off the team are accurate. In their opinion from who they have spoken with, it appears Swankler is essentially trying to burn down the program in retaliation while targeting the three players who initiated the petition.

Unfortunately, if the petition story is true, it must likely means there's some meat to the hazing. Petition is close to the last step in getting rid of someone. Usually, you just bully the crap out of them to make it known they are no longer welcome and they take the hint to move on.

Then again, if I was still in the locker room, it'd be real hard not to "leak" some wild s**t to see what people would run with. It'd be hard to even fake talk about what's going on in the room (reason #1 I'm pissed at Swankler), but I could definitely see the fun in it.

I've been wondering about hazing vs. bullying. The former has had me surprised throughout all this. The latter, at least in my mind, has been much more plausible. I understand in the eyes of the student code and through the lens of the recent Greek situation there's not a lot of daylight between the two. Feels like hazing is more grounded in cultural issues where bullying is, uhh, something a little different? Not sure how to describe it.

"It's time for you and the other freshmen to drink this 5th to prove you belong!" vs. "I've f'ing had it with that guy, I'm taking a leak (see what I did there PDT?) in his Powerade bottle." These days, either situation will get you in trouble.

There appears to be several layers to this entire fiasco which is probably why the investigation is taking a bit of time. For example, if Swankler was stealing and selling gear (and there are posts across different social media platforms that he has stolen items from other players' lockers), then there may be a criminal aspect to all this as well that must be vetted out.

Obviously if there is hazing, the police need to have enough evidence gathered for a prosecutor to file charges, and as TUPD mentions, there could be a gray area between what defines hazing vs. bullying. Both are unacceptable regardless.

So basically Bowling Green will be looking for a new coaching staff sooner than later is what I gather from this.

[Flipper]

Exactly...WTF is going on with the coaches? No matter which version you accept as reality the Swankler "I was harrassed/hazed so I'm out" or the alternate "He was a thief and we wanted him gone so we bullied him until he left" , neither version makes the staff look like they have control over the team

[jpfalcon09]

Exactly...WTF is going on with the coaches? No matter which version you accept as reality the Swankler "I was harrassed/hazed so I'm out" or the alternate "He was a thief and we wanted him gone so we bullied him until he left" , neither version makes the staff look like they have control over the team

It's rare coaches go on some sort of administrative leave and come off it still employed. Can assume on that alone that Ty has an uphill climb to remain behind the bench.

[vwfalcon]

Exactly...WTF is going on with the coaches? No matter which version you accept as reality the Swankler "I was harrassed/hazed so I'm out" or the alternate "He was a thief and we wanted him gone so we bullied him until he left" , neither version makes the staff look like they have control over the team

That makes sense, unless the discipline for the alleged theft was yet to be announced and Swankler tried to get ahead of it by the transfer and report.

That’s the only scenario that really counters that narrative.

[Critical Thinker]

"It's time for you and the other freshmen to drink this 5th to prove you belong!" vs. "I've f'ing had it with that guy, I'm taking a leak (see what I did there PDT?) in his Powerade bottle." These days, either situation will get you in trouble.

In that hypothetical there's a clear delineation between bullying and hazing: there's one powerade bottle total and one 5th for each freshman.

If this kind of thing happened to Swankler, even if some university administrator agrees that fits the definition of hazing, Swankler's reputation is probably unrecoverable and no coach will be willing to risk signing him.

And all that's assuming the incident he reported actually happened, which is looking more questionable by the day. What a mess.

[jpfalcon09]

From Mike McMahon's blog post today:

"According to multiple sources, there was a strained relationship between Swankler and a group of BGSU teammates dating back to last season. A small group of players even discussed pushing for Swankler to be removed from the team this past offseason, multiple sources have confirmed to College Hockey Insider."

"This story is still evolving, and I believe there is a lot we still don’t know. I get the impression there were some contentious issues within the room at BGSU, and the players involved in this situation were at the center of it.

There are also many lingering questions. Will Eigner return? Who are the players suspended? Will those players return, and will they tell their side of the story, as Swankler told his on social media last week?

The impact this story will have on the future of the BGSU program is one of the biggest lingering questions. Swankler has moved on and will presumably be a part of the MTU program in the second half of this season. What’s left of BGSU remains to be seen."

[pdt1081]

"It's time for you and the other freshmen to drink this 5th to prove you belong!" vs. "I've f'ing had it with that guy, I'm taking a leak (see what I did there PDT?) in his Powerade bottle." These days, either situation will get you in trouble.

In that hypothetical there's a clear delineation between bullying and hazing: there's one powerade bottle total and one 5th for each freshman.

If this kind of thing happened to Swankler, even if some university administrator agrees that fits the definition of hazing, Swankler's reputation is probably unrecoverable and no coach will be willing to risk signing him.

And all that's assuming the incident he reported actually happened, which is looking more questionable by the day. What a mess.

It wouldn't be anything that severe trying to get him to leave. Hitting hard in practice, intentionally "forgetting" to invite him to team outings, ignoring him at key times, etc. It would be more little things to make it obvious he wasn't liked, nor wanted by his teammates. It could go as far as trying to get him to drop the gloves in practice. That's happened before without trying to get people to leave.

Can't help but think back to his freshmen year. Every off ice interview, post game or mid week, every single player mentioned how "close" the team was. To the point I thought it was the "if you say it enough it has to be true" then.

[pdt1081]

Exactly...WTF is going on with the coaches? No matter which version you accept as reality the Swankler "I was harrassed/hazed so I'm out" or the alternate "He was a thief and we wanted him gone so we bullied him until he left" , neither version makes the staff look like they have control over the team

And the coach was in a dammed if you do, dammed if you don't scenario. He lets him go, coach can't retain talent, and he cannot tell the whole story publicly. He keeps him trying to put the best team on the ice, and the room is in shambles.

[Bgsu2016]

The perfect summary of BGSU Athletics the past decade.

More like a damn roller coaster. The highs have been unreal (NCAA tourney berth in hockey, almost winning in men's basketball, 2 MAC championships in football) but the lows (Jinks, Huger, Bergeron leaving) have also been bad.

[jpfalcon09]

Exactly...WTF is going on with the coaches? No matter which version you accept as reality the Swankler "I was harrassed/hazed so I'm out" or the alternate "He was a thief and we wanted him gone so we bullied him until he left" , neither version makes the staff look like they have control over the team

And the coach was in a dammed if you do, dammed if you don't scenario. He lets him go, coach can't retain talent, and he cannot tell the whole story publicly. He keeps him trying to put the best team on the ice, and the room is in shambles.

It depends if the team/group of players collectively went to the coaches or not. I have a hard time accepting the staff wasn't aware of what was going on, especially since Taylor Schneider made it public earlier in the year.

Regardless, the staff brought Swankler in and they own it.

[TommyG]

The best players almost always get treated a little differently by the coaching staff.

Sometimes it’s because you don’t have to coach them as hard because they are good and buy in and show up on gameday.

When it goes bad however is when the coaching staff has 2 different sets of rules and lets the best players get away with things they shouldn’t.

From my conversations, Swankler needed to go a while ago. Eigner let him get away with things until he couldn’t anymore. Swankler facing discipline, decided to leave and make a mess on his way out.

Normally you’d like an administration to really back your coach here and fight to clear his name. I’ll just say I don’t think that will happen. I wouldn’t rule out Eigner being back behind the bench, but I don’t see it being for more than next year.

[BG84]

This story is beyond insane at this point.

Three college hockey players are up to no good on a Saturday night, as usual. Instead of studying, they are sitting around a poker table in a dark basement rec room, drinking and playing cards. They have a case of NeHi grape, and go fish is their game.

Probert asked for a seven.
"Go fish," Dunlop growled. "You know, that Gretsky really is a stinker, isn't he?"
"Golly, he is!" agreed Hanson.
"I wish he wasn't on the team," Dunlop said.
"Me, too!" agreed Probert.
"What should we do?"
Probert suggested tickling him until he peed. Hanson thought of washing Gretsky's whites without fabric softener.

Dunlop, however, didn't want to fool around. Gretsky was a big stinker and really had to go. "No. He might like tickling, and I've seen his underwear. He wears plaid boxers, not tighty-whities." No. Something else, but what?

Dunlop pondered and thought. What was a sure-fire way to get a teammate off the team? Hmm. Punch him in the face? No, they'd hurt their hands. Hmm. The idea came to him in a slow flash. A petition. Not only that, but none of this change.org Internet junk, but a petition on paper, with printing. It was perfect!

"I've got it!" Dunlop announced "We'll write-up a petition and get all the guys to sign it, using real ink. Then we'll give it to the equipment manager and Gretsky will be gone."

"Yay!" the others cheered. "After that, we can use the old barn to put on a show and save the orphanage."

A major penalty later, the three burst into the equipment room with the signed petition. Instead of the manager, they found Gretsky taking pictures of broken skate blades and posting them on eBay. "Hey, you stinker!" they cried. "What are you doing?" "Living my values," replied Gretsky. "What are YOU doing?" "We have a petition that will get you kicked off the team," the three answered in unison. Gretsky immediately ran to an blue-lighted emergency call box and reported hazing that went against his values.

31 Keystone Cops raced around campus, searching for answers in the haze. Coach Babcock called Dunlop, Probert, and Hanson into his office. "You're suspended for acting like stinkers," he said. President MacArthur roared, "Coach Babcock, you're suspended!" Ness arrived and began an investigation.

Meanwhile, Gretsky dropped a lighted match into the hockey laundry and posted on social media that he was leaving a team that did not reflect his values. The match, of course, went out because of the suffocating, noxious gasses associated with hockey laundry.

[jpfalcon09]

This story is beyond insane at this point.

Three college hockey players are up to no good on a Saturday night, as usual. Instead of studying, they are sitting around a poker table in a dark basement rec room, drinking and playing cards. They have a case of NeHi grape, and go fish is their game.

Probert asked for a seven.
"Go fish," Dunlop growled. "You know, that Gretsky really is a stinker, isn't he?"
"Golly, he is!" agreed Hanson.
"I wish he wasn't on the team," Dunlop said.
"Me, too!" agreed Probert.
"What should we do?"
Probert suggested tickling him until he peed. Hanson thought of washing Gretsky's whites without fabric softener.

Dunlop, however, didn't want to fool around. Gretsky was a big stinker and really had to go. "No. He might like tickling, and I've seen his underwear. He wears plaid boxers, not tighty-whities." No. Something else, but what?

Dunlop pondered and thought. What was a sure-fire way to get a teammate off the team? Hmm. Punch him in the face? No, they'd hurt their hands. Hmm. The idea came to him in a slow flash. A petition. Not only that, but none of this change.org Internet junk, but a petition on paper, with printing. It was perfect!

"I've got it!" Dunlop announced "We'll write-up a petition and get all the guys to sign it, using real ink. Then we'll give it to the equipment manager and Gretsky will be gone."

"Yay!" the others cheered. "After that, we can use the old barn to put on a show and save the orphanage."

A major penalty later, the three burst into the equipment room with the signed petition. Instead of the manager, they found Gretsky taking pictures of broken skate blades and posting them on eBay. "Hey, you stinker!" they cried. "What are you doing?" "Living my values," replied Gretsky. "What are YOU doing?" "We have a petition that will get you kicked off the team," the three answered in unison. Gretsky immediately ran to an blue-lighted emergency call box and reported hazing that went against his values.

31 Keystone Cops raced around campus, searching for answers in the haze. Coach Babcock called Dunlop, Probert, and Hanson into his office. "You're suspended for acting like stinkers," he said. President MacArthur roared, "Coach Babcock, you're suspended!" Ness arrived and began an investigation.

Meanwhile, Gretsky dropped a lighted match into the hockey laundry and posted on social media that he was leaving a team that did not reflect his values. The match, of course, went out because of the suffocating, noxious gasses associated with hockey laundry.

Gretzky: