Evander Kane on white NHLers addressing racism: We need ‘strengt... https://theathletic.com/1847691/2020/06/01/evander-kane-on-white-...

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Evander Kane on white NHLers

addressing racism: We need ‘strength in
numbers’

By Ryan S. Clark (/author/ryan-s-clark/) Jun 1, 2020

A few seconds have passed. That is the time Evander Kane needs to collect
his thoughts before answering what is the first of several questions regarding
what it is like to see his two universes finally collide.

Hockey, and the perpetual conversations about facing racism as a black man.

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George Floyd died a week ago Monday when he was arrested by police
outside a shop in Minneapolis. Several videos of Floyd’s arrest revealed how a
white police officer, Derek Chauvin, knelt on Floyd’s neck while he was
pinned to the ground. Floyd’s death has generated mass protests and rioting in
numerous cities throughout the United States over a five-day period.

What happened to Floyd has led to several discussions taking place with the
focal point being racism. A growing number of white NHL players have
begun speaking out via social media about why changes need to be made.
They have joined black players such as the San Jose Sharks’ Kane, Tampa Bay
Lightning prospect forward Mathieu Joseph and J.T. Brown, who is a forward
in the Minnesota Wild organization, in speaking out over the last few days.

New Jersey Devils defenseman Connor Carrick tweeted Sunday morning that
“racism is alive and well in the shoulders of our country” while further stating
“we must see, acknowledge, listen to the struggles of minorities.” Carrick was
joined by Florida Panthers center Brian Boyle, Sharks center and captain
Logan Couture, Los Angeles Kings center and captain Anze Kopitar and
Nashville Predators center Kyle Turris in issuing statements calling for action.
The Devils tweeted Sunday how “the racism, prejudice and injustice faced by
the black community and people of color is unacceptable and has no place in
society” while the Kings stated they are “united against racism and acts of
hatred toward others.”

Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews, who is Mexican American,

became the most notable figure in the sport to voice his opinion Sunday
night. His tweet expressed how “as a Latino American it is impossible for me
to understand and fathom what others endure” and that “the world must unite
not divide.”

Even Sharks owner Hasso Plattner released a statement Friday evening saying
“there is no room for racism in hockey,” adding that the organization

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applauded Kane (https://theathletic.com/1846530/2020/05/30/evander-kane-

and-the-sharks-speak-out-about-racial-injustice/) for his responses on the
subject.

“For me, it’s been … it’s been a good step. A small step in the right direction,”
Kane said in a Sunday interview with The Athletic about having white players
speak out. “It was great to see not only from white players in the league but
our owner, Hasso Plattner, being the first on that front with his own words
and not just issuing a general statement on behalf of the organization. That
was awesome to see from him. It shows the type of character he has and the
type of character we have in this organization.

“I am a believer in things starting at the top, and it does not get any higher at
the top than with ownership. It was great he was taking the lead on these type
of things.”

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Connor Carrick @connorcarrick · May 31, 2020

To the Leaders before me who have inspired me to be more, to be
better, thank you.

Connor Carrick
@connorcarrick

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796 9:51 AM - May 31, 2020

98 people are talking about this

Kane, who has been vocal about racism throughout his career, said he did not
know Couture was going to comment. He received a text message from
Couture shortly after the tweet and they began texting each other. Kane
praised Couture by saying the Sharks’ captain showed his character and
leadership and said “he wants to be a part of it and have all of his teammates’
back, not just certain guys.”

The 11-year veteran was then asked why he felt Floyd’s death became the
catalyst for white players voicing their thoughts, especially considering
previous cases, such as those of Mike Brown, Trayvon Martin and Tamir Rice
over the last few years, could have served as a conversation starter. Kane said
the immediacy of Floyd’s death along with the fact the video was on social
media within hours is one of the factors he believes played a role in why white

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players have commented.

“It was showcased in a fashion that people saw it take 8 minutes and 46
seconds for a man to die and for the police brutality to continue after a man
was dead and unconscious,” Kane said. “Maybe it was the fashion he was
murdered in and it made people wake up and realize it has been an issue. It’s
been going on in the U.S. and around the world for hundreds of years. There
have been opportunities to take people up and learn why it happens. It had to
take another incident for people to start getting it and to realize we have a
problem and for them to admit it to themselves.

“A lot of people like to pretend it does not happen. That it does not exist.
That’s part of the problem. That’s where you get pushback as a minority.”

Kane said conversations about race and racism are not often had in the NHL.
He said teammates can be close with each other but that does not mean those
discussions are necessarily going to take place. He said it goes back to the fact
“nobody really wants to ruffle any feathers,” and he said black players
throughout the league discuss those issues among themselves.

He said race and racism are under more of a microscope because of Akim
Aliu’s story. Aliu tweeted in November how then-Calgary Flames coach Bill
Peters, who was Aliu’s coach in the Chicago Blackhawks system, “dropped the
N-bomb several times toward me in the dressing room” for his choice of
music. Aliu also claimed Peters wrote a letter to the front office asking the
forward be sent to the ECHL. Days later, Aliu then talked about how he was
playing with the Colorado Eagles (https://theathletic.com/1453179/2019/12
/12/akim-aliu-on-blackface-incident-i-want-to-bring-to-light-that-there-
are-issues-in-the-game/) in the ECHL in 2011 when he attended a
Halloween party and the team’s equipment manager, Tony Deynzer, entered a
room in blackface wearing an Afro wig that was attempting to replicate Aliu’s
hairstyle and a sweater that had Aliu’s nickname “DREAMER” on the

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nameplate across the shoulders with his No. 78 beneath.

Peters stepped down from the Flames, who also issued a statement
denouncing racism on Sunday. The Eagles, who are the AHL affiliate of the
Colorado Avalanche, placed Deynzer on administrative leave.

Aliu shared his story (https://theathletic.com/1477996/2019/12/21/dreams-

and-nightmares-inside-akim-alius-troubled-hockey-past-and-his-quest-to-
change-the-game/) in the wake of what happened to Maple Leafs forward
Mitch Marner and then-head coach Mike Babcock. Marner was a rookie
when Babcock had him rank his teammates from hardest to least-hardest
working. He then shared Marner’s opinions with his teammates.

“That’s the point people don’t understand as to why that it is important,”

Kane said of Aliu. “We knew about (Aliu’s) story and some of the things he
said. But until it involved someone who was in our league, it then took the
articles and stories that had to take place for action to eventually happen.”

Toronto Maple Leafs

@MapleLeafs

Statement From The Toronto Maple Leafs

6,904 8:48 PM - May 31, 2020

1,469 people are talking about this

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Kane spoke with The Athletic a few hours before the Maple Leafs tweeted a
statement Sunday evening calling for change.

He pointed out how Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, the firm that owns
Toronto FC, the Toronto Raptors and Maple Leafs, showcased discrepancies
in how it handled addressing racism. Kane asked why the Raptors had a
statement ready and prepared that was released Saturday night but why the
Leafs — when they are owned by the same group — had not put out one of
their own at that time.

“You have certain people that are willing to have a conversation and they
would have been willing to have it a long time ago,” Kane said. “At the same
time, part of the reason that players of colors and minority players are scared
to have the conversation and knew maybe someone else was not ready to have
that conversation is the culture of our sport and the culture of our game.
When I saw (the Raptors’ statement), I was a little surprised. I know there are
owners out there that own multiple franchises in the same city and found I
found it interesting the Toronto Raptors issued a statement, which was great.

“But the Leafs are owned by the same company and ownership group and
haven’t done it yet. People might say ‘you’re nitpicking’ and ‘you’re looking for
something that is not there,’ that it’s bullshit. It does not come off that way to
me or to us. It speaks to the culture of hockey at the highest level and the
people in positions who are at the highest level.”

On Sunday night, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment issued a statement

through its four teams in the Avalanche, Colorado Mammoth, Colorado
Rapids and Denver Nuggets that was posted on each team’s Twitter account
within a half-hour.

Kane said the conversations held between black players are not done in large
groups. He said it does, however, reside in the back of their minds when

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saying “hello” to each other on the ice or walking down the hallway before the
game. He said the league’s black players “for the most part” are on the same
page but the biggest issue goes back to the repercussions of speaking out about
racism.

He said a player going into unrestricted free agency might worry about how it
impacts his next contract, or that a fringe player could wonder if it plays into
why he might not be called up to the NHL on a regular basis, or that a young
player has to contemplate the consequences of speaking about it at an early
age knowing those actions run the risk of being held against him later in his
career.

“As a minority, there is more for us. We have to take more into account,” he
said. “It’s because we’re different. No matter how many times people want to
say we’re all the same and we’re all one team, we have not been treated the
same. Not just in hockey but in the world, which is what we’re fighting for.
That’s to be treated as equals and to get equal opportunities.”

Exactly what is it that makes Kane unafraid to speak considering there are
others who feel they cannot do the same?

“Hockey is such a culture where guys are worried about what they are saying
and how their reputation is perceived. Reputation for me is bullshit,” Kane
said. “It’s about someone’s character. Reputation is how someone perceives
you. … What I do is put stock into people’s character and it truly shows and
you truly find out about someone’s character and that things are not all
rainbows and butterflies. When it comes to speaking out and saying what is
right and what is just and what I believe in? I don’t really care what other
people have to say.

“Are there consequences in terms of making people uncomfortable? I don’t

care. I think we need to make people more uncomfortable.”

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Kane was asked if there is any advice he would offer to help more white
hockey players, athletes or people speak up. He suggested that talking to those
impacted by racism would be a strong start. He recalled speaking to his
parents about race and how their experiences as older people allowed him to
have a better understanding of what took place before Kane was born in 1991.

He also offered another suggestion in that having strength in numbers is

critical in spreading more awareness about racism and what needs to be done
to combat the issue.

“You look at some of the biggest people in sports. People like LeBron James,”
Kane said. “He’s been saying this for years as well. That it is always been
about supporting people and issues like racial injustice. If his voice is not
going to create the change alone, nobody’s voice is. We need to support one
another and use our numbers to our advantage and that’s where you get
strength in numbers. That could not be more true. Especially in these
circumstances.

“We need as many people, as many voices and as many heads put together to
help change the way we do things in society, especially in the justice system.”

(Photo of Kane: Jared Silber / NHLI via Getty Images)

R ya n S . C l a r k ( /a u t h o r/r ya n - s - c l a r k / ) joined The Athletic in 2018 as a staff writer to cover

the Colorado Avalanche. He previously covered the Washington Huskies for the Tacoma News
Tribune. He's also worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Follow Ryan S. on Twitter
@ r ya n _ s _ c l a r k ( h t t p s : //t w i t t e r.c o m /r ya n _ s _ c l a r k ) .

Editor’s Note: Due to the sensitive nature of this topic, comments have been disabled for this
story. Please visit the Code of Conduct (/code-of-conduct/) page for additional information.

The Athletic Community Team

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