What did Bill Peters say to Akim Aliu? How former NHL HC's racial slurs cost him his job 

By Abhilasha Aditi

Modified Sep 01, 2023 11:12 GMT

In November 2019, the NHL was thrust into a storm of controversy when former Calgary Flames winger Akim Aliu accused then-head coach Bill Peters of racial abuse. Aliu claimed that Peters had directed racial slurs towards him when he was with the Rockford IceHogs, the AHL affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks, in the 2008-09 season.

In a tweet, he accused Peters of using racial slurs, including the "N-word," multiple times when he was a rookie. Aliu further elaborated on the incident during an interview with Frank Seravalli of TSN, detailing that Peters confronted him about his choice of hip-hop music by using derogatory language.

According to Akim, Peters allegedly said:

"Hey Akim, I'm sick of you playing that n----r s--t. I'm sick of hearing this n----rs f--king other n----rs in the a-s stuff."

Simon Pepin and Peter MacArthur, who were Aliu's teammates at the time, corroborated his account of the incident, confirming the tense atmosphere that followed Peters' comments. The NHL released a statement condemning Peters' alleged behavior.

The revelation forced the Calgary Flames organization to address the issue. Brad Treliving, the Flames' general manager, said they would investigate the accusations against Peters.

Bill Peters, in response to the allegations, reportedly sent a letter to Treliving, apologizing for his actions. However, Aliu expressed skepticism regarding the sincerity of Peters' apology, claiming it failed to address the full scope of his misconduct.

In the midst of the investigation, Bill Peters voluntarily resigned from his position as head coach of the Calgary Flames. The controversy extended beyond Aliu's accusations when further reports emerged of Peters' inappropriate conduct, including physical altercations with players during his tenure with the Hurricanes.

Bill Peters has yet to directly apologize to Akim Aliu

On Aug. 29, 2019, NHL insider Frank Seravalli tweeted:

"Following up on Gregg’s report that Bill Peters is potentially next head coach in WHL Lethbridge. Checked in with Akim Aliu, who said Peters has still not apologized - 13 years after the incident, and nearly 4 years after it became public and cost him his NHL head coaching job."

Author Gregg Drinnan previously reported:

"NEWS: Sounds like ex-Flames coach Bill Peters could resurface as head coach of WHL Lethbridge Hurricanes, as @gdrinnan first reported. Might happen as soon as Wed. Peters resigned in 2019 after Akim Aliu said the coach directed racial epithets toward him in the minors."