Akim Aliu's Label Is Wrong

With rookie camp getting ready to kick off BWA has started a look at the new rookies and their prospects for making big boy camp...and possibly the NHL roster for this season with the Thrashers.

So they review Akim Aliu and of course the Steve Downey incident is brought up along with the fact that he's been labeled a trouble maker. I looked at pretty much every scouting report and all other source material about him that I could google and OTHER than the Steve Downey incident I found no mention of him being a problem with other players or with coaches. He's not prone to on ice difficulties with opponents that would be out of line with hockey players either.

So why is he labeled a trouble maker?

Just to recap for you, in case you're not familiar with the Downey incident. Basically it works like this..

During the 2005/2006 OHL season Downey was suspended for 5 games for cross checking Akim Aliu in the mouth and knocking out 3 of his teeth...was Aliu an opponent??...no...he was a teammate. Why would he cross check a teammate? Well maybe because Aliu refused to take part in a hazing incident earlier in the season whereupon he was ordered to stand naked in a tour bus lavatory with other naked rookie teammates.

Because he refused to take part in a humiliating and degrading hazing incident Downey decides that he needs to live the rest of his life sans his 3 front teeth in front of a crowd, during a game...and Aliu gets the label as trouble maker? Is it just me or is this not making sense.

If you think he is a trouble maker for not participating then my question to you is would you stand naked in a bus lavatory with other naked people of the same sex? If you answer yes then you're either mindless or really secure with yourself...let's just leave it at that.

I, for one, would have refused also; and given the fact that Downey acted the way he did..he's lucky that Aliu didn't use his stick to take his frickin' head off his shoulders like he deserved.

Aliu doesn't seem to me to be a trouble maker...it seems to me he just has a brain, some principles and is willing to go against the grain when it doesn't meet his moral standards...boy those are terrible traits to have...