A B.C. Supreme Court justice granted Nanaimo Clippers head coach Darren Naylor and assistant coach Colin Birkas a temporary injunction to coach through next week, including in tonight’s and Saturday night’s B.C. Hockey League games in Powell River against the Kings, after the league placed the pair on temporary administrative leave for allegedly breaching the BCHL’s coaches code of conduct
The Supreme Court ruling read: “An Interim Injunction restraining the [B.C. Hockey League] from suspending either Darren Naylor or Colin Burkas, as coaching staff for the Clippers Ltd partnership … [is] granted on an interim basis only and will lapse on Friday, February 18th.”
The BCHL informed the Clippers players of their decision to suspend Naylor and Birkas in an email to them on Feb. 7, and the league has hired an independent investigator to look into matters.
The reasons for the suspensions have not been disclosed.
BCHL commissioner Chris Hebb did not return calls to the Times Colonist on Friday but the league issued a statement that it is applying to have the temporary injunction set aside.
