Everyone loves a good comeback story. And when it comes to junior hockey clubs, no team is due for a good comeback story as much as the OHL’s Flint Firebirds are.
The Firebirds only officially came into existence in early 2015, when the Plymouth Whalers were sold and the league approved the organization’s intended move to Flint. Instead of a honeymoon phase, the franchise was immediately beset with a now-infamous scandal involving an overreaching owner and his son on the team, a fired-then-rehired-then-fired-again head coach, a team-wide protest straight out of a movie, and, ultimately, harsh disciplinary action from the league.