Gary Bettman -- Bruins signee Mitchell Miller 'not eligible'

Gary Bettman said that the Boston Bruins did not consult the league before signing Mitchell Miller and that he would need to see a lot of things going forward.

The Bruins signed Miller to an entry level contract a day later. Miller was a fourth-round pick by the Arizona Coyotes in 2020 and had his draft rights taken away after a story was published about how he and another classmates were convicted of assault and harassment.

The report showed how Miller and another middle school friend were convicted in juvenile court for racially abusing and tormenting a fellow student. According to the report, Miller used racist slurs and abused Meyer- Cramer in second grade.

Bettman said what he had heard anecdotally was unacceptable. The Bruins did not consult the league according to him.

He isn't eligible to enter the NHL at this time, according to Bettman. I don't know if he will ever be eligible to play in the NHL. I'm not sure if they want him to play in the NHL at that point, but we're going to have to clear him and his eligibility in order to do that.

The Bruins were free to sign Miller to play somewhere else, as a reference to the fact that Miller was sent to play for the Providence Bruins. Nobody should think at this point that he is eligible for the NHL and the Bruins understand that.

The Bruins addressed the situation with Miller after their morning skate in Toronto ahead of their game against the Maple Leafs.

The culture we built here is against that kind of behavior. The team is built with character and character people We do not agree with what he did. We are all about inclusion in this locker room. Core values are what we have.

Guys wearing this jersey are expected to be high- character people with integrity and respect. I hope there is growth and change.

If Miller is the same person as the bully, he would not be accepted and wanted. The Bruins' culture isn't going to change and the changes are from the individual himself, according to him.

It was difficult for the team to hear about the signing of Miller.

I'm not going to lie to you. "I don't think anyone was too happy because of how proud we are to say that this is a group that cares about ourselves and how we treat people."

Montgomery said what Miller did was reprehensible and that it is up to Miller to show everyone that he is doing the right things.

This report was contributed to by an athlete.