Hockey faces a reckoning in the wake of Jacob Blake's shooting
The United States is having another reckoning. Continued inaction on the part of those with the platform to affect significant change has pushed our country to a boiling point yet again. This is especially the case for hockey, which has, perhaps unsurprisingly, been the furthest behind of the major professional sports in taking a stand.
After the NBA players scheduled to play yesterday announced that they would be undertaking a wildcat strike, the WNBA, MLS, and several MLB teams suspended their games in solidarity. The horrifying shooting of Jacob Blake, an unarmed black man shot seven times in the back by police along with a 17-year-old walking free immediately after killing two protesters and injuring a third, have sparked unprecedented action from these leagues.
Yet, after promoting the newly formed Hockey Diversity Alliance and “standing against racism” at the beginning of the playoffs, the NHL and most of its players decided that issuing a statement and broadcasting the completely tone-deaf platitude “End Racism” on the scoreboard before the remaining two games of the day illustrates the different world this league lives in. It took multiple leagues and a fever-pitch of voices piling on for the NHL to postpone their games. The reaction illustrates what Akim Ailu and his fellow players of color have been saying for years now: that hockey is in dire need of a systemic change to address the racism that mirrors the world outside the bubble in distress.
Crash The Pond may be a site that focuses on the Anaheim Ducks, but we also cover the sport of hockey in general, as evidenced by our continuing playoff articles even though the Ducks are not taking part. Ignoring an issue like this that affects the entire league and not just singular teams is irresponsible, and we’re not in the business of being irresponsible.
We can’t promise that we will address every single instance in this regard given our focus, but we at least want to let you know that we are listening and learning as these events unfold. We are doing our best to educate ourselves and to listen to our brothers and sisters who wish to speak out on these matters. And you have our word that we will do our best to do justice to these topics as, hopefully, a small reparation for those who have seen no justice.
We encourage you to read this fantastic article from our neighbors at Crashing The Pearly Gates for their perspective on these recent events.