Petition for Coach Nick Turcotte's Contract to be Re-Evaluated and Voted on by the ENTIRE Board
On 6/4/24 at 6:23pm, the Kansas City Fighting Saints sent an email to their families stating the following "...we are finalizing Nic Turcotte's contract to continue his vital role in player development. Nic's passion for the game and dedication to growing the Kansas City Saints program has been invaluable. We are pleased to have him on board as we strive to nurture and develop our players."
On 7/18/24, The Kansas City Fighting Saints board president informed Coach Nick Turcotte that they would not be offering him a contract due to financial reasons. It was brought to the attention of the parents that this decision was not made by a quorum of the Saints Board. This has been verified by board members who confirm they were not included in a vote on this matter, nor were they invited to a meeting held to discuss Nick Turcotte's future with the Saints. By not having 4 of the 7 board members vote on this matter, the board does NOT have a quorum to make such a decision as stated in the Bylaws.
On 7/24/24, parents received another email from the Kansas City Fighting Saints stating the following, "First and foremost, we want to express our deepest gratitude to Nick Turcotte for his dedicated service to the KC Saints Hockey Club. Nick has been an integral part of our team, contributing significantly to our players' development and our programs' overall success. His leadership, expertise, and passion for the game have left a lasting, positive impact on our club." They go on to state that they will not be renewing Nick's contract due to budget constraints, lack of development in the U8 and Learn to Play programs, and an under-developed house league.
Coach Nick has brought not only talent but also a wealth of knowledge to the Saints Organization since he was hired 3 years ago.
Some of his many accomplishments include:
1. Due to increasing numbers, the Learn to Play program was extended to include more Try Hockey for Free days, instead of just one or two National days like other rinks. To be specific, in 2021 there was one day with 55 kids; in 2022, one day with 135 kids; in 2023, 9 total days with a total of 175 kids; and in 2024, one day with 55 kids, since he wasn’t given the opportunity to host others prior to his contract ending.
2.The U8 teams saw consistent growth due to Nick's work in getting kids from other sports to come try hockey and fall in love with it, because of Nick! He made it fun, got down to their level, and trained his coaches to do the same. He maintained consistent numbers in U8 Blue and White, while moving players up to squirt and growing the squirt level house teams too. In the 2021-2022 U8 season, the Saints had 2 blue teams with 16 kids total and 3 white teams with 24 kids total. In the 2022-2023 U8 season, the Saints had 3 blue teams with 19 kids total and 3 white teams with 25 kids total. In the 2023-2024 U8 season, Nick had 3 blue teams with 25 kids total and 3 white teams with 24 kids total. Maintaining consistency at the U8 level while also continuously transitioning kids up where they belong to be challenged is a strength and was not seen in seasons prior to Nick becoming director. This information was taken directly from the KCYHA website.
3. In regard to the Squirt, Peewee, and Bantam divisions, in Nick’s first year with the Saints (July 2021- June 2022) there was one team at each division (6 teams) and they all placed 3rd, 4th or 5th out of no more than 7 teams. In Nick’s second season (2022-2023), the Squirt Silver division doubled in numbers (making 7 total teams across divisions). PW Gold and Bantam Silver both won the division championships in the 2022-2023 season. In Nick’s third season (2023-2024), Squirt Silver, Squirt Gold, PW Silver, PW Gold and Bantam Gold all had 2 teams per division, doubling their numbers from the year before (for a total of 10 teams across divisions). Two of those teams won the division championship and two of those teams brought home third place. This increasing growth is a direct contradiction to the email parents received on 7/24/24 stating that "the Board felt we took significant steps backward in our House and Select programs. These factors also contributed to the decision to make changes in our staffing."
4. Nick cannot directly coach every team and shouldn't; instead, he has a strong foundation allowing him to train other coaches to follow his guidance and expertise. Nick created a strong coaching network to allow coaches to communicate, train, ask questions, and work with one another to utilize ice time wisely.
5. Nick’s coaching style is what kids (and parents) love. He is real with the players, shows honesty, and pushes them to be their best, even moving them on to higher level programs when they are ready. Nick does not keep a player in the Saints program just to improve numbers. He strives to make every player better than they were the day before. He encourages them to only compare themselves to the person they were yesterday, not other players on their team.
This being said, we politely request Coach Nick Turcotte's potential contract extension be voted on by ALL of the 7 board members in the Kansas City Fighting Saints Organization.
According to the Bylaws of the organization, the decision to not offer Nick a contract was made with complete disregard to Article IV, section 2, which states that all board members must be notified of a meeting at least 2 days prior to the meeting and that 50% of the board must be present to make a quorum. Four members of the board would have needed to be present for the vote to be "legal" according to the Bylaws. If this occurred, there would be minutes to document the discussion and voting on such a decision, as required by Article XIX, section 1 of the Bylaws. No minutes have been posted or provided to families on any meetings in the last three years. Furthermore, it has been brought to our attention that not all 7 board members were notified of the special meeting, which violates Article IV, section 2 of the Bylaws.
Please see the Bylaws of the Kansas City Fighting Saints for further reference. https://cdn1.sportngin.com/attachments/document/00...
Updates
July 27, 2024
We hit a significant threshold in our push for board accountability. Now clear your schedule to attend the next public meeting and email your representative board member to demand a formal vote.
Reached 100 supporters
July 27, 2024
43 Comments
This was going to be Hans’ first year playing hockey (he is 8) and Nick’s ability to coach Hans over the summer is the sole reason for choosing the Saints org. He is a huge pull for kids to choose to play with the Saints as was evident by the three families who told us to go to the Saints org so we could work with Nick
nobody cares more about player development than Nick Turcotte. It is unconscionable to make key personnel decisions, such as contract non-renewals, without even a quorum of the board.
Please re-evaluate Nic Turcotte’s contract and allow the entire board vote on his contract. Regardless of some people opinion of Nic, he is the reason we came from the stars to the saints. He’s always been fair, honest, a great coach, and has our kids in his best interests.
Like many parent's I was not happy with this decision and the fact that it was made so close to the season is crazy. Many families like us drive past other hockey rinks to this one for a reason. We will be looking at other options for the coming season due to these actions if the decision is not reversed.
Nick has some a lot to grow this organization as well as my son. Before he came we had one u8 team and last year we had 8. I have been excited about the direction he has taken and was VERY disappointed that his contract was not renewed. I believe this will lead to a decrease in numbers this upcoming season.
Nick was encouraging and helpful to my grandson in his first year of playing hockey. He should be retained.
Mr. Nick is a demanding coach. He his more of a talent evaulator that some don't like. He is not the same old pay or play style of leader; which is why KC United was a great success.
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Petition for Coach Nick Turcotte's Contract to be Re-Evaluated and Voted on by the ENTIRE Board
On 6/4/24 at 6:23pm, the Kansas City Fighting Saints sent an email to their families stating the following "...we are finalizing Nic Turcotte's contract to continue his vital role in player development. Nic's passion for the game and dedication to growing the Kansas City Saints program has been invaluable. We are pleased to have him on board as we strive to nurture and develop our players."
On 7/18/24, The Kansas City Fighting Saints board president informed Coach Nick Turcotte that they would not be offering him a contract due to financial reasons. It was brought to the attention of the parents that this decision was not made by a quorum of the Saints Board. This has been verified by board members who confirm they were not included in a vote on this matter, nor were they invited to a meeting held to discuss Nick Turcotte's future with the Saints. By not having 4 of the 7 board members vote on this matter, the board does NOT have a quorum to make such a decision as stated in the Bylaws.
On 7/24/24, parents received another email from the Kansas City Fighting Saints stating the following, "First and foremost, we want to express our deepest gratitude to Nick Turcotte for his dedicated service to the KC Saints Hockey Club. Nick has been an integral part of our team, contributing significantly to our players' development and our programs' overall success. His leadership, expertise, and passion for the game have left a lasting, positive impact on our club." They go on to state that they will not be renewing Nick's contract due to budget constraints, lack of development in the U8 and Learn to Play programs, and an under-developed house league.
Coach Nick has brought not only talent but also a wealth of knowledge to the Saints Organization since he was hired 3 years ago.
Some of his many accomplishments include:
1. Due to increasing numbers, the Learn to Play program was extended to include more Try Hockey for Free days, instead of just one or two National days like other rinks. To be specific, in 2021 there was one day with 55 kids; in 2022, one day with 135 kids; in 2023, 9 total days with a total of 175 kids; and in 2024, one day with 55 kids, since he wasn’t given the opportunity to host others prior to his contract ending.
2.The U8 teams saw consistent growth due to Nick's work in getting kids from other sports to come try hockey and fall in love with it, because of Nick! He made it fun, got down to their level, and trained his coaches to do the same. He maintained consistent numbers in U8 Blue and White, while moving players up to squirt and growing the squirt level house teams too. In the 2021-2022 U8 season, the Saints had 2 blue teams with 16 kids total and 3 white teams with 24 kids total. In the 2022-2023 U8 season, the Saints had 3 blue teams with 19 kids total and 3 white teams with 25 kids total. In the 2023-2024 U8 season, Nick had 3 blue teams with 25 kids total and 3 white teams with 24 kids total. Maintaining consistency at the U8 level while also continuously transitioning kids up where they belong to be challenged is a strength and was not seen in seasons prior to Nick becoming director. This information was taken directly from the KCYHA website.
3. In regard to the Squirt, Peewee, and Bantam divisions, in Nick’s first year with the Saints (July 2021- June 2022) there was one team at each division (6 teams) and they all placed 3rd, 4th or 5th out of no more than 7 teams. In Nick’s second season (2022-2023), the Squirt Silver division doubled in numbers (making 7 total teams across divisions). PW Gold and Bantam Silver both won the division championships in the 2022-2023 season. In Nick’s third season (2023-2024), Squirt Silver, Squirt Gold, PW Silver, PW Gold and Bantam Gold all had 2 teams per division, doubling their numbers from the year before (for a total of 10 teams across divisions). Two of those teams won the division championship and two of those teams brought home third place. This increasing growth is a direct contradiction to the email parents received on 7/24/24 stating that "the Board felt we took significant steps backward in our House and Select programs. These factors also contributed to the decision to make changes in our staffing."
4. Nick cannot directly coach every team and shouldn't; instead, he has a strong foundation allowing him to train other coaches to follow his guidance and expertise. Nick created a strong coaching network to allow coaches to communicate, train, ask questions, and work with one another to utilize ice time wisely.
5. Nick’s coaching style is what kids (and parents) love. He is real with the players, shows honesty, and pushes them to be their best, even moving them on to higher level programs when they are ready. Nick does not keep a player in the Saints program just to improve numbers. He strives to make every player better than they were the day before. He encourages them to only compare themselves to the person they were yesterday, not other players on their team.
This being said, we politely request Coach Nick Turcotte's potential contract extension be voted on by ALL of the 7 board members in the Kansas City Fighting Saints Organization.
According to the Bylaws of the organization, the decision to not offer Nick a contract was made with complete disregard to Article IV, section 2, which states that all board members must be notified of a meeting at least 2 days prior to the meeting and that 50% of the board must be present to make a quorum. Four members of the board would have needed to be present for the vote to be "legal" according to the Bylaws. If this occurred, there would be minutes to document the discussion and voting on such a decision, as required by Article XIX, section 1 of the Bylaws. No minutes have been posted or provided to families on any meetings in the last three years. Furthermore, it has been brought to our attention that not all 7 board members were notified of the special meeting, which violates Article IV, section 2 of the Bylaws.
Please see the Bylaws of the Kansas City Fighting Saints for further reference. https://cdn1.sportngin.com/attachments/document/00...
Updates
July 27, 2024
We hit a significant threshold in our push for board accountability. Now clear your schedule to attend the next public meeting and email your representative board member to demand a formal vote.
Reached 100 supporters
July 27, 2024
43 Comments
Over the past years Nick has helped me become a better hockey player. Nick is not the coach to focus only on the talented kids, he strives to make each kid the best they can be. -Landon Goodwin
This was going to be Hans’ first year playing hockey (he is 8) and Nick’s ability to coach Hans over the summer is the sole reason for choosing the Saints org. He is a huge pull for kids to choose to play with the Saints as was evident by the three families who told us to go to the Saints org so we could work with Nick
nobody cares more about player development than Nick Turcotte. It is unconscionable to make key personnel decisions, such as contract non-renewals, without even a quorum of the board.
Please re-evaluate Nic Turcotte’s contract and allow the entire board vote on his contract. Regardless of some people opinion of Nic, he is the reason we came from the stars to the saints. He’s always been fair, honest, a great coach, and has our kids in his best interests.
Like many parent's I was not happy with this decision and the fact that it was made so close to the season is crazy. Many families like us drive past other hockey rinks to this one for a reason. We will be looking at other options for the coming season due to these actions if the decision is not reversed.
Nick has some a lot to grow this organization as well as my son. Before he came we had one u8 team and last year we had 8. I have been excited about the direction he has taken and was VERY disappointed that his contract was not renewed. I believe this will lead to a decrease in numbers this upcoming season.
Nick was encouraging and helpful to my grandson in his first year of playing hockey. He should be retained.
Mr. Nick is a demanding coach. He his more of a talent evaulator that some don't like. He is not the same old pay or play style of leader; which is why KC United was a great success.
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Over the past years Nick has helped me become a better hockey player. Nick is not the coach to focus only on the talented kids, he strives to make each kid the best they can be. -Landon Goodwin