Racism in hockey is, unfortunately, nothing new. From youth leagues to professional hockey, we’ve witnessed ignorance mar a great sport.
Many are trying to eliminate racism from the game, including fans, players, executives and organizations like the Carnegie Initiative.
Now another group is adding their support to the mix.
The Hockey Diversity Alliance (HDA), in partnership with Budweiser Canada, announced their new #TapeOutHate campaign. It features rolls of hockey tape with the words “racism has no place in hockey” written on the tape.
The Alliance, made up of current and former players of color, hopes the tape and an emotionally-charged video they’ve released helps support their mission of eliminating racism from the sport.
The video features players discussing racist incidents they’ve experienced while playing hockey.
From abusive language to bananas being thrown at them, the video shines the light on what players of color experience simply from being on the ice.
“The biggest thing we want to do is spark a conversation. It’s a rallying cry. We know we can’t do this on our own. We need our allies behind us, and that’s the white community supporting us,” said Akim Aliu, a former NHL player and a founding member of the HDA, to ESPN. “We want to share our experiences and come together as one, no matter race or gender. We want this game to reach its full potential.”
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