Russian Coach Fired After Kicking Player on Bench

Here's a free tip for all the coaches out there: Don't kick your players.

Vladimir Gromilin clearly skipped that lesson in coaching school, as the bench boss was fired by Sarmaty Orenburg of Russia's MHL on Saturday morning after a video surfaced of Gromilin kicking 19-year-old Jegor Razumnjak during a game this week. 

The full video can be found below. 

Sarmaty Orenburg did not release a lengthy statement on the matter, simply stating that Gromilin's contract with the club had been terminated effective immediately and that assistant coach Dmitri Stulov would assume the role of interim head coach moving forward. 

Gromilin has comprised an extensive coaching resume for the past 20 years, holding a multitude of coaching positions throughout Russia's minor leagues since 2001 that culminated in him becoming the head coach of Sarmaty Orenburg prior to the 2019 season.

Clearly, tempers have been at an all-time high this season, with Sarmaty Orenburg sitting 13th in the MHL's Eastern Conference standings with a 20-22-3 record. It's entirely likely that Gromilin would have been fired even if he had not assaulted one of his own players, in fact, as his team finished the 2020-21 campaign in 13th place as well with a dismal 14-38-3 record, as well. 

Perhaps Gromilin's players would have performed better without being in constant fear of physical attacks from their coach. Alas, we will never know.