On Friday, April 3, the New York Rangers hosted a Zoom Conference for their newly signed defensemen K’Andre Miller. The point of the Zoom was to introduce the Rangers fans to one piece of the Rangers future; it was unfortunately ruined when someone in the chat flooded the comments with vile, racist comments against Miller.
Rangers fans, and even other hockey fans, were quick to point this out and started tweeting at the official New York Rangers Twitter begging for the organization to address the gross act that happened to Miller. It took the Rangers (and the league) four hours to release a statement about the incident.
None of this surprises me. As a black, female hockey fan, I am hyper aware of the social issues that plague the hockey as a sport. Racism, classism, sexism, homophobia, etc. all fester in hockey starting at the grass roots level. Just in December 2019, former Calgary Flames Head Coach Bill Peters resigned after it came out that he used racial slurs when describing Akim Alui’s (a black player) choice of music. After the incident, Wayne Simmons, a seasoned veteran, said he was sure every black hockey player has been called a slur.
It is accounts like this that makes me, a black fan, worried for the people of color in the league (and the ones that dream about it). Hockey does not reflect the fans the way other sports do. It is time to have an honest conversation about how hockey has a racism problem; it alginates people based on things they cannot change. It is up to the players, coaches, fans, organizations, and media at all levels to take this effort on. I want to be proud of the sport I love, and I want hockey to truly be for everyone.
Unfinished Business 