What Is Integrity Worth?

You may recognize the title of this article as a line delivered by actor Daniel von Bargen as Chief Grady in the 2001 smash comedy movie Super Troopers. That's him pictured to the left in a GIF where he delivers the line, and it seems like the most appropriate line for what's happening in the EIHL with the Fife Flyers. They are routinely one of the worst teams in the EIHL dating back to 2019-20, and they are heading towards missing the playoffs for the third-straight season. So it's incomprehensible why they went and did what they did today.

In 20 games this season, Fife has just seven points on a 1-16-2-1 record, and they sit six points back of the final playoff spot. It's very clear that they haven't found the right players or enough talent to change their fortunes to this point, so they've started looking elsewhere for help. There aren't many players who are sitting at home right now who are wanting to join a last-place team, but they found one guy who would. And it ended up costing them good people.

For days, it was rumoured that the Flyers were negotiating with former NHLer Milan Lucic about possibly joining the team. Today, they removed any doubt of it happening by signing Lucic to a contract for what appears to be the remainder of the season. After being unable to grab a roster spot in the AHL with the Springfield Thunderbirds, Lucic will now look to extend his career in the EIHL.

Lucic is hardly the player I would expect to turn Fife's season around in any meaningful way, but, as the title reads, desperation is a stinky cologne. That stink has already cost the Flyers two front-office people as Chief Operating Officer Gareth Chalmers and Media Coordinator Craig Anderson both resigned from their positions with the club prior to today's signing. While neither man says it in their statement, both of these resignations come after the rumours of Lucic joining the Flyers started. That's more than just coincidence.

If that wasn't bad enough for the Flyers, Scottish Women's Aid, Scotland's leading charity that works to prevent of domestic abuse, criticised the Fife Flyers for "sending out the wrong message" when it comes to having someone who was allegedly involved in domestic abuse on their roster. Fans have been hammering the Flyers on social media over Lucic's signing while others have been urging the EIHL to prevent Lucic from playing in the United Kingdom. In short, this has been a catastrophic signing with regards to Fife supporters.

Some will say, "What about second chances, Teebz?" and my response to that is, "We're not in Kansas anymore". The United Kingdom has a completely different view on domestic abuse and domestic violence than North America does, and it's telling that their 2020 bill to "[r]aise awareness and understanding about the devastating impact of domestic abuse" is more about protecting and helping victims than it is about ensuring that the perpetrator's rights are upheld. As the bill's summary reads, "There are some 2.3 million victims of domestic abuse a year aged 16 to 74 (two-thirds of whom are women) and more than one in ten of all offences recorded by the police are domestic abuse related", so something needed to change in the UK.

With the laws changing and the public's feelings towards domestic violence and abuse already decidedly against those alleged to have committed those crimes, Lucic's signing by Fife is baffling to say the least. Again, Lucic has put in the work and he and his wife seem to be in a better place, but the people of Kirkcaldy, Scotland who support the Flyers are already turning on the team with Lucic's presence on the roster. Are wins really that important when alienating a fanbase?

Making matters worse is that this is all happening while the Sheffield Steelers are dealing with a major problem of their own, releasing forward Cliff Pu after he "admitted two charges of assault by beating at a hearing at Sheffield Magistrates' Court on Monday" after he assaulted a woman twice between November 17 and December 11. With people shocked and appalled at that revelation, the Flyers go and sign a guy who is only playing hockey still because his wife dropped the charges. Maybe read the room, Flyers management?

If Fife management feels that Milan Lucic is a game-changer for them on the ice, so be it. I'm not one to point out how he's a 37 year-old, former NHLer whose skating was already in question when he was in the prime of his career. However, I am one to point out that, in light of what's happening in Sheffield, the public outrage shown by Flyers fans, and the front-office resignations, the Flyers would have been wise to back away from signing Lucic for very obvious reasons.

If desperate times call for desperate measures, the Flyers may have misunderstood the crux of that statement. Milan Lucic might help them move past Dundee or even catch Coventry in the standings, but there are now major questions that need to be asked about the values of this organization. And with fans and sponsors turning against them, this decision to bring Lucic to town by Fife's new ownership and management may prove costlier than they ever imagined.

Sacrificing integrity for a few wins in the standings will always show a net loss even if the team does make the EIHL playoffs, and Fife ownership and management may learn that lesson the hard way.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!