Teen Banned For Chatting Up Cherry

Canadian Press

January 30, 2009 at 7:20 PM EST

TORONTO — A 17-year-old boy barred from volunteering at a hockey arena for casually chatting up Don Cherry is hoping the fiery commentator will speak out to get him reinstated.

Earlier this month Billy Steele, a volunteer camera operator with Rogers TV, was reprimanded for snapping a photo of Cherry and conversing with him at General Motors Centre in Oshawa, Ont.

Steele is now crossing his fingers that Cherry will speak to his defence Saturday night before a national audience during the commentator's Coach's Corner segment on CBC's "Hockey Night in Canada" broadcast.

"Don Cherry's the man — love that man, he's awesome," Steele said Friday. "I never miss Coach's Corner. Now I'm hoping he'll say something on Coach's Corner. He probably will."

"(I hope he says) GMC should be letting that kid back in, and shame on GMC."

A CBC spokesman said Friday that Cherry wasn't commenting on the situation, though it's likely he'll raise the issue during Saturday night's show.

Steele was banned from entering the rink for volunteer purposes — which involved shooting footage of Ontario Hockey League games — in mid-January. The decision came after a previous run-in with arena management in which he used his volunteer privileges to bring a friend onto the ice after a game.

After interacting with Cherry twice in the course of two days, an employee of Global Spectrum, which runs the arena, said Steele was no longer welcome.

"This young man seems to not want to adhere to our procedures," Vince Vella, general manager of the city-owned facility, said in an email.

"He has been counselled numerous times and doesn't seem to want to comply with our practices and procedures. He continuously fails to comply."

The teen said he believed the arena's rules only prevented him from talking to hockey players, not all celebrities.

Steele attends a special school because he has attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, a learning disability which in the past has caused him to have problems with the law, said his father Bill.

People with the developmental disorder are prone to impulsive behaviour and may be easily distracted.

Banning the boy from the arena was wrong because the job was helping turn his son's life around, Bill Steele said. He's since filed a complaint with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario asking for $100,000 in damages, proper posting of rules, and the firing of the Global Spectrum employee who barred the teen from the arena.

In the complaint, Steele alleges his son was "removed from the facility ... because of actions that were caused by, and a direct result of his disability."

"Nobody has opened their eyes up," the boy's father said. "Maybe if I mentioned $100,000 — which is probably peanuts to this company — maybe somebody will open up and say, 'Hey, this is kind of serious here.'

"If the courts think my son is entitled to it, good for him, go for the money. I have no problem with that at all."

Billy Steele said his dream job is to shoot the Toronto Maple Leafs for TSN, but he fears the situation at the Oshawa arena will mean he won't learn the skills he needs to get there.

Calling the incident "a personal situation," Rogers TV spokeswoman Julie Henson said the company hasn't decided whether to intervene.

In the meantime, Steele has been reassigned to work in a production truck outside the Oshawa arena and at other locations where he can continue to film sporting events.

So, he was breaking the rules, had been reminded of the rules and we should feel bad for him? Lucky for him Rogers hasn't stopped him from volunteering so he can still learn his trade. I've been told Bob Dylan can cancel if someone merely looks at him when he is practising. Quite simply, the kid needs to control his impulses and follow the rules. It may take learning new srrategies but that is the reasonable accomadation for this disability. I hope he uses this as a learning opportunity and not a chance to play victim.

There is more to this story that's not being told,just remember there is two sides of the story and people shouldn't judge till they hear Global Spectrum side,I was told Sunday that there is more to the story why he was let go but my info wouldn't go any farther in saying what was the pass issues and I didn't pursue it.
Don Cherry should keep his nose out of it because I sure he dosn't know all Billy Steele issues with Global Spectrum.

Don Cherry doesn't want to be the reason the kid was fired.... he doesn't want his name dragged into this

thats his issue

if your going to employ developmentally challenged you have to deal with them breaking rules.... be friendly is a dumb reason to fire someone....

maybe this was just the tipping point

but its a stupid tipping point

Thats what Cherry is getting at and thats the way I see it to.

Don't tell someone they were fired for saying hi.

My understanding is this young man has Attention Deficit disorder/ Hyperactivity disorder. This means that he is of average to above average intelligence but it has been stated he can be impulsive. He chatted with Grapes about his tie, a little more then saying hi. Just trying to keep things clear.

I truly hope that Billy will continue learning the ins and outs of television. Even if he is allowed back in the building in that capacity hopefully he'll learn that we all need to follow the rules.

Young people with AD/HD need more emphasis on rules, not less. They need constant reminders of the rules and clear, consistent consequences when they are broken. It should not ever be used as a reason to have rules relaxed - relaxing rules is the last thing anyone should do with this particular disability.

I've also heard that there is way more to this story than is being reported.

I don't think this issue is going to die anytime soon. I see his father handing out pamphlets at every single Generals home game. I'm not sure about concerts.

I'm not sure what exactly they are trying to prove. The Gens office has received phonecalls complaining about their poor treatment of this kid when they have absolutely nothing to do with this. Whether Global Spectrum was right or wrong in what they decided, it seems to be the Gens that are taking the heat for it which is completely unfair.

What exactly is the father trying to accomplish? GS is not going to reverse its decision. This is only going to make them angrier at him.

My question is. Why was Billy Steele handing out "BOYCOTT INFO" cards before last night's game and then could be seen walking around, inside during the game?

I have recently seen leaflets suggesting that we all boycott GS events. This is getting a little ridiculous now. Beats, I applaud the points you have made about rules/emphasis on them. We live in a world now that so many people, people who are in any way "different" be it by virtue of race, size, sexual orientation physical or intellectual limitations, what have you, all want to live in a world where we are all treated equally. The politics of such ideals demand that this world be created and it's fundamentals be nurtured by the likes of entities such as Global Spectrum. Now the rules have been enforced and they are made out to be the "bad guys." I'm sorry this young man lost his position, I truly am. But this is how it works. As hard a reality as it may seem, and as cold as I may be perceived for saying so, letting this young man go from this position gave him a certain amount of dignity; the dignity of being treated like "everybody else." It's just such a shame that his family is making such a spectacle of the whole thing.

This is crazy. If this young man and his family have such issues with global spectrum and asking other fans to boycott gs events, how about this young man go by his own words and stay away from the gmc.He has been inside watching every home game since this episode first developed.Where is the logic in that. Right or wrong i am gona question the family on this monday.

I hope all of this is not a publicity stunt for his father. But it seems to be. I agree that's it's not the fault of Generals management. Unfortunately, they might have to intervene if it doesn't end.

1. GS is not innocent, even its headoffice has its head in the sand.
2. How many GS employees fratenized with Bobby Orr or Don Cherry? I can tell you more than a dozen. Where was Vella
when this was taking place.
3. Is it discrimination absolutely.
4. This is about being a camera man for Oshawa Generals Games, so attending a game is not a crime.
5. Vella thinks this is going away! Forget it, but he does have to prove he can make money, so why is he wasting security
efforts etc.. on a non issue.
6. What's next Don Cherry is banned for talking to people in a public place.
7. Vella is lucky this didn't happen in the states.
8. Who wants to bet there will be some form of mediation.
9. There are bigger issues to deal with than Vella's ego.
10. At least GS will be using their own money to fight this.
11. Don't respond because you can't even begin to comment because we all supposedly don't have the facts.
12. It is interesting that the same people comment over and over again.
13. We all have opinions don't we
14. Done.

Penalty Box wrote:1. GS is not innocent, even its headoffice has its head in the sand.
2. How many GS employees fratenized with Bobby Orr or Don Cherry? I can tell you more than a dozen. Where was Vella
when this was taking place.
3. Is it discrimination absolutely.
4. This is about being a camera man for Oshawa Generals Games, so attending a game is not a crime.
5. Vella thinks this is going away! Forget it, but he does have to prove he can make money, so why is he wasting security
efforts etc.. on a non issue.
6. What's next Don Cherry is banned for talking to people in a public place.
7. Vella is lucky this didn't happen in the states.
8. Who wants to bet there will be some form of mediation.
9. There are bigger issues to deal with than Vella's ego.
10. At least GS will be using their own money to fight this.
11. Don't respond because you can't even begin to comment because we all supposedly don't have the facts.
12. It is interesting that the same people comment over and over again.
13. We all have opinions don't we
14. Done.

I don't see anyone here stating that Global Spectrum is perfect. However it does appear that the father's campaigns are a bit unnecessary.

I totally support the kid, however I won't be boycotting the gens. They need to come up with another way if they want people to get involved. The gens are not at fault here and shouldn't be punished. From talking to the kid he's a big hockey fan and its unfair to everyone even him, to have to boycott a team we all love to get a point across.

"This young man seems to not want to adhere to our procedures."
"He has been counselled numerous times and doesn't seem to want to comply with our practices and procedures. He continuously fails to comply."
- this is a quote from the article. if Mr. Vella is able to provide proof of this by way of witnesses or documentation, the Steele family will not have a case.

"if your going to employ developmentally challenged you have to deal with them breaking rules...."
- this is a quote from a poster above, and with all apologies, i believe you are wrong, sir. This is the kind of thinking that advocates (paid support, families, employers) are trying to get away from. we (and yes, I can use the word "we") are asking for full inclusion everywhere, which includes the workplace. sometimes modifications must be made to help people adapt but that does not include changing the rules.
No matter how this turns out, the family has not done people like Billy any favours. This has garnered a fair bit of public attention and i am willing to bet that some employers will now say (mind you, not out loud) "i'm not hiring him/her, what if it goes wrong? are we going to be dragged through the media too?"

and furthermore, it's pretty hard to take this cause seriously when Billy has been seen at the Gens games since this situation began. we're supposed to boycott but he doesn't have to? wha?

and penalty box, if that is your real name i suggest you not tell people not to post and respond, because as you mentioned in point #13, we all have opinions......don't we?

Maybe there is more to this story than what I have heard so far but it is starting to really take on the feel of a money grab.

and penalty box, if that is your real name i suggest you not tell people not to post and respond, because as you mentioned in point #13, we all have opinions......don't we?

Gens Fan 112. Read my post if you don't understand read it again. If you feel the same way read it again.

Question: Does the number of times a person posts indicates what _____________________?

I thought you would have better online manners.

right. so i need to continue to read your post until i agree with your point of view? how then am i supposed to feel about it? maybe you could re-read mine and make note of words like "if" and the use of the phrase "i believe."

to answer your question, the amount of times a person posts on a subject clearly indicates the strength of their knowledge or feelings about a certain topic. i don't know what you think is so interesting about it. i have a strong opinion about it and feel i have some insight to offer. don't like it? don't read it.

...............not sure what made you think i would have better online manners because i really don't have much patience for ignorance. as far as our useless spat goes, see point #14 again, well said............

say something

any money won goes to the animal shelter i heard

I too don't have much patience for ignorance either. You can have the final word, perhaps the "click" will stroke your ego. You can post as many times you want, it doesn't make you an expert. You chose to resort to calling me out. Check your yourself, ignorance comes in many forms. If you think viciousness is a way to get your point accross so be it, I am sure your mouth will get you in trouble if it hasn't already.

Good Night Gens Fan 112

I had 3 jobs and I'm still working at my 3rd for 28 years,and every job I had has rules if I don't follow those rules that are set by my employer there is concqunce(sp) to your actions.Also the father and son are telling you to boycott the GMC or Gen's event's and I see them walking around @ Gen's game

Penalty Box wrote:I too don't have much patience for ignorance either. You can have the final word, perhaps the "click" will stroke your ego. You can post as many times you want, it doesn't make you an expert. You chose to resort to calling me out. Check your yourself, ignorance comes in many forms. If you think viciousness is a way to get your point accross so be it, I am sure your mouth will get you in trouble if it hasn't already.

Good Night Gens Fan 112

You called out anyone who has a point of view when you posted #'s 11 through 14. My biggest problem is you telling people not to post. What do you think this is? We aren't bound to some sort of degree of responsible journalism or such; it is a place to post opinions so nevermind your attempt at censorship. Do you have anything more to add to your points, some first hand knowledge, practical experience? Explain how you think this is discrimination. Back-up some of your points. Join the discussion.

I'd prefer you left my ego and mouth out of this............


*click* oh wow! that did feel good.

hockeybeats wrote:Young people with AD/HD need more emphasis on rules, not less. They need constant reminders of the rules and clear, consistent consequences when they are broken. It should not ever be used as a reason to have rules relaxed - relaxing rules is the last thing anyone should do with this particular disability.

I've also heard that there is way more to this story than is being reported.

I could not agree with you more. There's always more behind the story, so how can a third party really understand the situation? I also agree with your point about young people with AD/HD and sticking to the rules. My brother has AD/HD and he knows that he cannot use this as an excuse. Its true that people with AD/HD need to work that much harder, but they're not that different from anyone else. They are perfectly capable of following the rules.

As for this kid's future career, it would really be a shame if he couldn't get the experience that he needs, but he's no different from anybody else. When you step out of line, you should deal with the consequences, and yeah, it could cost you your dream career.

I haven't seen anyone handing out pamphlets lately. Maybe it's dying down.