While many members of the LGBTQIA+ community are skeptical of the NHL, the perception of those from visible minorities is similar.
Thus, the Alliance for Diversity in Hockey issued a press release on social networks on Wednesday to denounce the establishment of a committee whose mandate will be to make this sport more accessible. However, the group in question considers itself betrayed by the circuit, believing that the initiative confirmed a few weeks ago comes in a way to play in its flowerbeds.
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Made up of a few players – former and current – in 2020, the Alliance wants to fight racism in hockey, but in the project launched by the NHL, it is totally absent. The league committee will be led by Anson Carter and PK Subban and will work separately, which makes the Alliance rather testy.
“When we approached the NHL three years ago for financial and strategic support, they closed the door on us saying the Alliance had no track record. […] But in three years, we have shown who does the real work and who is on the right side of history,” the organization co-founded by Akim Aliu explained in a statement.
“Our interactions with the NHL indicate to us that they have no intention of working in partnership for a good cause,” she continued. She prefers to retain full control over innovating, even with the best intentions in the world. Metaphorically, the instinct of the owners [de la ligue] is more about owning a team than being part of it.”
Relations between the Alliance and the circuit were already strained. In October 2020, she ended her dialogue with the NHL, deeming her efforts to eliminate racism insufficient. The previous June, seven players of color, including Aliu and Evander Kane, created this organization, shortly after the death of George Floyd in Minnesota.