Rangers, Michigan Daily Reach Settlement

It looks like the Michigan Daily has finally succumbed to the pressure and taken their famous story down. [Link to the Story]

Steve Bienkowski, Chief Operating Officer of the Kitchener Rangers Hockey Club, has released the following statement regarding the organization’s settlement with the Michigan Daily newspaper.

“The Michigan Daily has removed the article that caused the Kitchener Rangers to commence legal proceedings against the newspaper and the reporter, Matt Slovin. As they have acceded to what was from the outset the Kitchener Rangers’ primary demand, we are discontinuing the legal proceedings as against the newspaper and Mr. Slovin.

The Kitchener Rangers remain gravely concerned about the ease with which a source hiding behind the cloak of anonymity was able to spread the false allegation that our organization offered Jacob Trouba financial compensation.

We are not discontinuing the action against the anonymous source. Although truth would be a complete defence to the libel action, we fully expect that the source will not have the courage to step forward, as there is not a shred of truth to the allegation, as the Ontario Hockey League investigation has now confirmed.

It is unfortunate that there are individuals so intent on harming our organization that they would fabricate and disseminate harmful lies. It is particularly unfortunate that they chose to implicate Jacob Trouba and his family, who should not have had to answer to the baseless allegation.”

It would have been interesting to see what a hockey team in a foreign country could have actually done against the University of Michigan newspaper and or Matt Slovin – I can’t imagine that a foreign countries court (CANADA) could levy a criminal sanction decision that would have much for teeth in it.

Hey kudos to Matt Slovin for not caving earlier and the story was actually up for a month plus before the took the article down. In my opinion, this still looks like the bully boys from the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL bullying a student newspaper.

EDIT: The Michgian Daily has a clarification on its webpage. [Click to link]

The Kitchener Rangers sue the Michigan Daily

Well the big bad Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League have finally sued The Michigan Daily newspaper. Wow!

Sunaya Sapurji, Yahoo! Sports --- Herschel Fink, the lawyer representing the University of Michigan student paper and reporter Matt Slovin, confirmed to Yahoo! Sports on Tuesday that his clients had both been served with libel notices.

“It’s really disturbing to me what the Rangers are doing and it’s bullying,” said Fink. “It’s bullying a student newspaper and student journalists who are reporting on a legitimate subject of public interest, particularly in the public interest of those who follow hockey.”

The Rangers are suing The Daily over a story published on July 2 in which Slovin reported - based on an anonymous OHL source -- that Winnipeg Jets prospect Jacob Trouba had been offered $200,000 in lieu of an education package to play in the Ontario Hockey League this season. Such a payment would contravene the OHL’s rules pertaining to impermissible benefits. The Rangers hold the Canadian Hockey League rights to the standout defenceman, though he has been steadfast in his commitment to attend the University of Michigan and play hockey for the Wolverines.

On July 13th, Herschel Fink the lawyer that is representing The Michigan Daily and Matt Slovin in this frivolous lawsuit was on Toronto's Sports Net 590 the fan and you can listen to the interview by Matt Brown on this link provided. [Click to listen]

The Kitchener Rangers must really be proud of themselves.

Really! I am being serious, the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League have sued a college newspaper because they disagreed with a story that The Michigan Daily wrote and published in their newspaper. So what is the message here? When you don't like the story that was written in a newspaper you sue the author of the article? Why? I do think this law suit is about getting the CHL's honor back and that the Rangers are a proxy in this fight against the NCAA- especially after last summer when the former head of College Hockey INC Paul Kelly told the Boston Globe that the CHL offered players that had committed to College Hockey teams large sums of money to de-commit and have their kid come play for their team.

“As much as the CHL denies it, there are still instances where money is being paid to the family to lure kids away and de-commit from colleges,’’ Kelly said. “It’s off the books, under the table, whatever you want to call it. If your dad is a fisherman, an out-of-work machinist, or a farmer, and a CHL program comes along and offers you $300,000 in cash, it’s tough for these families not to accept that type of proposal.’’

It will be very interesting to see where this story ends up - Chris Peters of the United States of hookey has a good run down of the situation.

The Michigan Daily stands by their man.

I am very happy to learn that the Michigan Daily is standing behind their man Matt Slovin, who has not backed off his story one bit, even with a threat of a law suit staring him in the face, he did not blink.

Honestly, I have to admire a person like that, Slovin will probably go down in history as the guy that stood up to the mighty Kitchener Rangers.

A statement from The Michigan Daily regarding the situation involving the Kitchener Rangers:

On June 28 The Michigan Daily published an article on its website that said hockey player Jacob Trouba was considering an offer to play for the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League. The article was updated to include further developments on July 2, July 3 and July 4. The Rangers and the Trouba family have denied the offer, and the Rangers have threatened legal action. The Daily stands behind the story and the reporter, Matt Slovin. The Daily will respond to threats of legal action in an appropriate fashion. [The Michigan Daily]

Kitchener Rangers sue the Michigan Daily

The Kitchener Rangers have sued the University of Michigan’s student newspaper the Michigan Daily and reporter Matt Slovin for his story that Michigan recruit Jacob Trouba was offered 200,000.00 by the Kitchener Rangers to break his commitment to the University of Michigan and play for the Kitchener Rangers who drafted him.

By QMI Agency --- The Kitchener Rangers of the OHL have taken legal action against a University of Michigan student newspaper and one of its reporters for publishing a story that alleged the team offered defenceman Jacob Trouba $200,000 to play for it.

A story that appeared in The Michigan Daily last week alleged that the Rangers tried to coax Trouba, a first-round draft pick of the Winnipeg Jets last month, out of a deal to play for the Michigan Wolverines.

This story is getting more interesting by the minute – here is a story from the Record that says the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL are suing the Michigan Daily for $1 million dollars in damages for the story that Matt Slovin wrote on Michigan recruit Jacob Trouba and him being offered 200,000.00 to play for the Rangers.

You can also read more about this developing story here and here.