Blacks in Hockey

The sport of hockey has been known to be the white man sport and for the most part it has been. Several years ago that all started to change in the NHL. Blacks started to enter the league with much talent but a lot scrutiny to follow. Till this day they aren’t accepted by many of the fans that follow the sport. Philadelphia Flyers Wayne Simmonds was welcomed to an Ontario, Canada game with a banana peel thrown on the ice at him (B.E.T.com, 2011). When I heard and read about this story it really bothered me because I’m an African American & Hispanic man so that hit a spot. That is more than racist, its straight evil! No question about it. Growing up in the Bronx as a kid you either played basketball, baseball or football. The only hockey I knew about was hearing about Wayne Gretzky. It wasn’t popular at all in my neighborhood or just any urban one at that.

I must say that I’m proud to see African Americans playing in the NHL and being open to all sports and not the regular basketball or football outlet. Many of the players are residents of Canada and it’s mostly ice out there, so that is their sport. I have a good friend that told me that this would be a great topic to look into and write about because he follows my work and thinks that this will open up some eyes. He was right! I think that these African American hockey players are the lost and the forgotten. They aren’t getting the credit that they deserve as being the ones that will transcend the sport and open up the doors for more minorities in the sport.

I have a better appreciation for what they are doing on the ice. They aren’t just playing this sport because they love it. They are playing because they want to change the game just like Jackie Robinson did in baseball decades ago. Don’t get me wrong guys; they are being well compensated for by playing in the league. Simmonds just signed an extension with the Flyers for six years at $4 million annually. I don’t see in the future that hockey will have a major with minorities entering in the sport, but the ones that do they have to represent to the fullest. Do you guys think that hockey will let more blacks enter the league in the next ten years?