Flames coach apologizes for language used with black player

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Calgary Flames coach Bill Peters acknowledged in a letter of apology on Wednesday that he used offensive language in dealing with a Nigerian-born player 10 years ago in the minors. “Although it was an isolated and immediately regrettable incident, I take responsibility for what I said,” Peters wrote, saying the comments were made in a “moment of frustration” and that his words didn’t mirror his “personal values.” Those were Peters’ first comments in the three days since the NHL and the team began investigating allegations made by Aliu, who said Peters “dropped the N bomb several times” because he didn’t like the player’s choice of music. Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said “for sure that happened,” backing a former player’s complaints about Peters physically going after his own players behind the bench during his four seasons in Carolina from 2014-18. “Management handled it directly and never heard of it again and never saw anything else after that,” said Brind’Amour, who spoke to reporters in New York before the Hurricanes’ game against the Rangers. “So it was definitely dealt with, in my opinion, correctly.. We’ve definitely moved past that.” Brind’Amour took over as coach after Peters opted out of his contract following the 2017-18 season.