FREDERICTON, New Brunswick -- The family of the 16-year-old boy suing the New Brunswick Amateur Hockey Association over not winning the MVP award has been suspended from the league.
Michael Croteau and his son, Steven, will meet with a lawyer to discuss their situation.
The boy was suspended by the provincial amateur hockey association. There was no comment Tuesday from the New Brunswick Amateur Hockey Association.
"He is suing because his rights have been infringed by this association and because of that, they kick (him) out? That's not right,'' said Euclid LeBouthillier, Michael Croteau's lawyer.
"A hockey player must play. The worst thing you can do to a hockey player is to suspend him from the league for the rest of the term,'' he said.
Michael Croteau said he is ready, if necessary, to launch a second lawsuit to have his son's suspension overturned.
"My son is fed up and I am fed up,'' Croteau said. "All we wanted was a clarification about how these decisions were made. How come they can't answer my questions?''
Croteau is seeking $300,000 in psychological and punitive damages from the association. He claims that his son was robbed by the association of two awards he should have won: the league's most valuable player award and the top playmaker award.
Croteau, who plays for the Acadian Peninsula AAA team, led the bantam league last season with 45 goals and 42 assists in 27 games. The league MVP, Lucas Martin who plays for Moncton, had 21 goals and 39 assists, fourth in the league.
Croteau also wants his son to be guaranteed a spot on the New Brunswick Canada Winter Games roster.
The kid probably never passed the puck to his teammates in order to pad his stats.
(edited by evilwaldo on 13.11.02 0910) These commercials are superfine because they pay for the production costs of putting CHRIS MOTHERFUCKING BENOIT on my GODDAMN TV SCREEN! I will GO GREYHOUND! I am thinking OUTSIDE THE BUN! – Dean Rasmussen 8/1/2002 Smackdown Workrate Report
Or he played the favorite game of one of my ex-teammates: coming onto the ice after a goal is scored and telling the ref he had an assist on the play...
They take their hockey pretty damn seriously in New Brunswick, especially in Fredericton (the Fredericton Midget AAA team is a perennial powerhouse in New Brunswick and, indeed, Atlantic Canada).
One thing I do wonder about, however, is the cultural issue: notice the name of the kid who got ``passed over'' (Steven Croteau) and the kid who was given the MVP (Lucas Martin). Now, granted, if Croteau was a hard-core Francophone his name would have been Stephen and Lucas Martin isn't exactly guaranteed to be an Anglo name, but still. This never would have happened in Moncton... I do suspect the `culture card' will be played at some point in the proceedings.
Suffice it to say, of all the hockey teams I've ever been on, from the age of 4 to the age of 17, rarely was the top scorer also the team MVP. Often, in fact, the top scorer was so caught up in himself and his ``skills'' that he was the least-liked player on the team. And frankly, if you score 100 goals but none of them are game-savers, game-tyers, or game-winners, then your 100 goals don't count for much.
Then again, current Buffalo Sabres goon extraordinaire Eric Boulton was the co-MVP of my PeeWee A hockey team, so mileage varies everywhere (I kid, he certainly deserved it at the time).
/tarnish...
how come you're so afraid of things that dont make any sense to you? do you water your raisins daily? do you have any raisins? is there anything that does make sense to you? are you afraid of twelve button suits? how come you're so afraid to stop talking?
Eric Boulton! LOL! I remember when he was CUT in the ECHL, from the Hampton Roads Admirals, and he got signed by CHarlotte. The first time they came to town, he was talking smack during warmups and Aaron Downey decided he would whoop his ass. Made him look like a big old chump!
This story has been making me laugh since I saw it on the CBC news last week.
Of course the kid can't play...would you want the son of the guy who is currently suing you anywhere near your ice? I wouldn't...
Tarnish, I did have a question about the "culture issue" you mentioned. Yes, the Croteau kid is full-on French (in the CBC interview, he didn't speak a word of English,) but you say "this would never have happened in Moncton." Moncton's one of the most French cities in the country...I'm not sure I understand your position on this. Let me say that I've read a lot of your stuff on this board, and always respect your take on things...this one has confused me, though! :)
Tarnish, I did have a question about the "culture issue" you mentioned. Yes, the Croteau kid is full-on French (in the CBC interview, he didn't speak a word of English,) but you say "this would never have happened in Moncton." Moncton's one of the most French cities in the country...I'm not sure I understand your position on this. Let me say that I've read a lot of your stuff on this board, and always respect your take on things...this one has confused me, though! :)
It wouldn't have happened in Moncton because there wouldn't be any Anglos in the league
Just outside of Moncton proper (if there be such a thing), there's a town/suburb called Dieppe. The home penalty box in the town arena comfortably sits 2. The visitors' penalty box, on the other hand, sits 6.
It's not the only arena in New Brunswick like that, either.
I am terribly curious to see if the language/culture card is played. I don't think it'll get too far in Fredericton, though; the local AHL team is the Montreal farm club and the Midget AAA team has taken the Canadiens moniker as well. Fredericton is a great hockey town; there are plenty of French players in their system and half the fans at any given game are French. They know their hockey, and if the kid wasn't the MVP, he wasn't the MVP, period. I just want to watch the wreckage if they try
/tarnish...
how come you're so afraid of things that dont make any sense to you? do you water your raisins daily? do you have any raisins? is there anything that does make sense to you? are you afraid of twelve button suits? how come you're so afraid to stop talking?
I agree with tarnish almost completely, although in my opinion Martin is much more likely to be a francophone name or a "bilingual" name, than an anglophone name. Given that the kid in question played for Moncton, I think that the odds are pretty good that he is at least part Acadian.
Due to a bout of temporary illiteracy I completely missed both the fact that this was a provincial award and that Lucas Martin (the kid the award was actually given to) was from Moncton. By my own previous post I obviously would expect that Martin would be French (and I am aware that Martin could easily be a French surname). I also managed to come away with the impression that Fredericton had more to do with the story than simply being the home of the Hockey Association's office.
At the same time Don Cherry brought up the language issue on last week's Coach's Corner, so maybe it's still an issue for one reason or another.
Or maybe Cherry is just as confused as I was
The father's demands, i.e. that the MVP be taken away from the kid who originally won it as well as the top playmaker award and that his kid be guaranteed a spot on the Canada Games team are so ludicrous I can't even believe he's serious.
And it makes me worry that all sorts of people might have learned entirely the wrong lesson from the Sale-Pelletier Salt Lake City Olympic Figure Skating Scandal...
/tarnish...
how come you're so afraid of things that dont make any sense to you? do you water your raisins daily? do you have any raisins? is there anything that does make sense to you? are you afraid of twelve button suits? how come you're so afraid to stop talking?
This is ridiculous. Suing to get your own way is selfish and childish. Did anyone think to see if Steven Croteau was a better ALL-AROUND player than Martin? Does Steven forecheck? Does he get back on defense? I believe these considerations must be made when choosing an MVP. Michael Croteau needs to think about that before touting his son's offensive numbers as the basis of his suit.
"Don't feel bad. I've been wrestling wolves since you were on your mother's teet!" -- Groundskeeper Willie
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