OHL's Flint Firebirds reinstate fired coaches after player walkout

It didn't take long for the Flint Firebirds to make an impact in the Ontario Hockey League, albeit under rather unusual circumstances.

All 24 Firebirds players walked out after ownership fired the team's coaching staff Sunday, as first reported by ESPN's John Buccigross.

Head coach John Gruden and assistant coach Dave Karpa were reinstated Monday following a meeting with owner Rolf Nilsen.

"Last night, after our emotional shootout game against the Oshawa Generals, I made a decision with regards to our coaching staff, which was an irresponsible mistake," Nilsen said in a statement.

"This morning, we took steps to immediately reinstate the coaches. Today, the team’s senior leadership met with the players to apologize and have a very frank discussion about next steps leading to a resolution."

The owner confirmed that OHL commissioner David Branch met with the team Monday and that the club is fully cooperating with the league's investigation.

OHL Insiders, which initially broke the story Sunday, reports that the firings stemmed from a lack of ice time for Nilsen's son, Hakon Nilsen. The 17-year-old defenseman was reportedly part of the walkout.

The Firebirds, who are new to the OHL this season after relocating from Plymouth, Mich., improved to 7-9-0-1 on the year following a 4-3 comeback victory over the Generals. The walkout occurred hours later.

There are five NHL draft picks currently playing on Flint's roster: Alex Peters of the Dallas Stars, Connor Chatham of the New Jersey Devils, Vili Saarijarvi of the Detroit Red Wings, as well as Alex Nedejkovic and Josh Wesley of the Carolina Hurricanes.