The Players' Tribune: Akim Aliu: Hockey is not for everyone

[Chuck Norris Trophy]

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/hockey-is-not-for-everyone-akim-aliu-nhl

A great read, as usual. Hats off to AA for saying these things aloud and calling out the executives and showing the situation of AHL players about how they really can't stand up to their teammates. Also, great points about hockey players' robotics and why they are the way they are. And yeah, f*** Steve Downie.

Click to read more...

 

[BruinsBtn]

This guy, whining again.

"I was on pace to be one of the top scorers on the team" He had 17 points in 48 games.

He acts like that completely derailed his career. He literally played for 20 different teams after that and never did anything. The Flames gave him a gift of a contract and he dogged it.

I have a tonne of respect for this guy's life story but he needs to accept that he just wasn't that good at hockey. Somehow 20 different organizations gave him a job. Yet all 20 of them are racist.

He finds a way to make everything that's positive into a negative: "The NHL shoved their LGBTQ and “Hockey is For Everyone” support programs into the same month as black history month. When I saw that, it made me feel that people like us, the outcasts, are a chore to them."

C'mon man.

 

[mattihp]

A great, must-read.

It is no surprise that the victims have more to write than the guys who just say "It's just locker room talk" about things we shouldn't want in our world or in our sport.

 

[1specter]

Great read, sadly I'm sure a bunch of people from the same homogenous group will brush this off saying that Aliu just wants attention or wants to stay relevant, or that they're tired of hearing about race.

Edit: LOL first reply first sentence.

 

[Ryuji Yamazaki]

Maybe you just f***ing suck?

 

[ViewsFromThe6ix]

Maybe you just f***ing suck?

If you don't see the issues with hockey culture, not sure what to tell you.

 

[The Macho King]

Ya know what - maybe at the end of the day he wasn't good enough .

Not the point . No one should have to deal with that shit. If you dont get that, you are the problem.

 

[Viqsi]

This guy, whining again.

"I was on pace to be one of the top scorers on the team" He had 17 points in 48 games.

He acts like that completely derailed his career. He literally played for 20 different teams after that and never did anything. The Flames gave him a gift of a contract and he dogged it.

I have a tonne of respect for this guy's life story but he needs to accept that he just wasn't that good at hockey. Somehow 20 different organizations gave him a job. Yet all 20 of them are racist.

He finds a way to make everything that's positive into a negative: "The NHL shoved their LGBTQ and “Hockey is For Everyone” support programs into the same month as black history month. When I saw that, it made me feel that people like us, the outcasts, are a chore to them."

C'mon man.

Who cares about whether or not he made it? The important part is that that kind of shit is Not Okay. Whether or not it prevented him from being an NHLer in the end is irrelevant. That it happened at all is the problem.

 

[Tad Mikowsky]

In before the “there isn’t a toxic hockey culture” crowd show up.

 

[1specter]

Who cares about whether or not he made it? The important part is that that kind of shit is Not Okay. Whether or not it prevented him from being an NHLer in the end is irrelevant. That it happened at all is the problem.

The guy you are quoting was arguing a lot that Bill Peters didn't deserve any retroactive punishment for what he did back when all of this was exposed months ago. It's clear that he doesn't understand.

 

[BruinsBtn]

Who cares about whether or not he made it? The important part is that that kind of shit is Not Okay. Whether or not it prevented him from being an NHLer in the end is irrelevant. That it happened at all is the problem.

That's not his point. His narrative is that his career was derailed by racism. Yet all the evidence points to the reality: He wasn't good enough and was given more chances than anyone, including nearly $1m from the Calgary Flames and he barely bothered to show up.

I'm all in favour of him sharing his story. I don't believe racism is ok and I don't believe in lies are ok. Using lies to combat racism isn't ok. If anything, it undermines what he's doing.

 

[inthewings]

In before the “there isn’t a toxic hockey culture” crowd show up.

No you're not lol

 

[1specter]

That's not his point.

What the f*** were you reading then? If all you got out of it was the part about getting sent down to the ECHL then it's clear you didn't understand it at all

 

[Viqsi]

That's not his point. His narrative is that his career was derailed by racism.

The point of the story was "this exists and it may have been a contributor to my career going downhill". It does not claim exclusivity. And the real problem is that it exists. Focusing on the latter half of that is just a distraction from the core issue.

 

[BruinsBtn]

The point of the story was "this exists and it may have been a contributor to my career going downhill". It does not claim exclusivity. And the real problem is that it exists. Focusing on the latter half of that is just a distraction from the core issue.

I believe that truth is the path to progress and that lying undermines it. You're allowed to believe differently, but this is the truth and it's indisputable: Akim Aliu Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com

 

[BrindamoursNose]

I think both realities of "Hockey is a culture that actively embraces straight white dudes and not so much anyone else" and "he just wasn't good enough to play anymore" are both valid and correct.

This isn't a hard and fast rule -- POCs can be loved and succeed, of course. But the numbers suggest that it's a CONSTANT uphill battle

And the sport inherently (at least in the U.S.) is not accessible to many POCs.

 

[Viqsi]

I believe that truth is the path to progress and that lying undermines it. You're allowed to believe differently, but this is the truth and it's indisputable: Akim Aliu Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com

You're arguing the positioning of deck chairs on the Titanic as it goes down. There's kind of a much bigger issue in play. Focusing on "on pace to be a top scorer" is a nitpick.

 

[the paisanos guy]

That's not his point. His narrative is that his career was derailed by racism. Yet all the evidence points to the reality: He wasn't good enough and was given more chances than anyone, including nearly $1m from the Calgary Flames and he barely bothered to show up.

I'm all in favour of him sharing his story. I don't believe racism is ok and I don't believe in lies are ok. Using lies to combat racism isn't ok. If anything, it undermines what he's doing.

No, it's you who's missed his point entirely. There's very little in there about his career trajectory and he never once says he should be in the NHL. It's all about the numerous racist encounters he's had over the years at every level within the sport and hoping that it changes.

 

[rt]

This guy, whining again.

"I was on pace to be one of the top scorers on the team" He had 17 points in 48 games.

He acts like that completely derailed his career. He literally played for 20 different teams after that and never did anything. The Flames gave him a gift of a contract and he dogged it.

I have a tonne of respect for this guy's life story but he needs to accept that he just wasn't that good at hockey. Somehow 20 different organizations gave him a job. Yet all 20 of them are racist.

He finds a way to make everything that's positive into a negative: "The NHL shoved their LGBTQ and “Hockey is For Everyone” support programs into the same month as black history month. When I saw that, it made me feel that people like us, the outcasts, are a chore to them."

C'mon man.

He should not have overstated his production level or perceived contributions to the team. That was ill-advised because it left him open for distracting and utterly unimportant criticism like what you opened your post with (games played and points).

Do you think his actual level of production is actually important to the story? Do you think that in his particular case, his play was the determining factor for opportunities received or not received from his coach? Remembering that his coach called him a Racial Slur to his face, in front of his teammates? And then sent him down to the ECHL?

Does that seem like he had an equal opportunity to you?

 

[BruinsBtn]

You're arguing the positioning of deck chairs on the Titanic as it goes down. There's kind of a much bigger issue in play. Focusing on "on pace to be a top scorer" is a nitpick.

What's the point of the story?

That racism exists? That it's a huge problem in the world? Like, is that even in dispute? It's a horrible, horrible thing. It's disgraceful and repulsive. It's sickening on every level. Combating it is everyone's responsibility.

What he's doing sharing is his story. But it's a ridiculous, infantile re-writing of history and it undermines what he's trying to accomplish and simply empowers the people who don't think it's a problem because they can point to his obvious and contrived untruths. It's a tragedy.

 

[robertmac43]

Maybe you just f***ing suck?

That is an absolute brutal take. No one is saying Aliu was destined to be a star in the NHL or anything like that. but if you cannot recognize that; 1) Hockey has some deep-routed issues in it's culture, and 2) Aliu's career trajectory was negatively impacted by this race; you are ignorant and perpetuating the issue at hand.

 

[BruinsBtn]

He should not have overstated his production level or perceived contributions to the team. That was ill-advised because it left him open for distracting and utterly unimportant criticism like what you opened your post with (games played and points).

Do you think his actual level of production is actually important to the story? Do you think that in his particular case, his play was the determining factor for opportunities received or not received from his coach? Remembering that his coach called him a Racial Slur to his face, in front of his teammates? And then sent him down to the ECHL?

Does that seem like he had an equal opportunity to you?

You sure about that?

What you've done by repeating something that's not true is made my point for me: That using lies undermines what he's trying to do.

 

[Machinehead]

This guy, whining again.

"I was on pace to be one of the top scorers on the team" He had 17 points in 48 games.

He acts like that completely derailed his career. He literally played for 20 different teams after that and never did anything. The Flames gave him a gift of a contract and he dogged it.

I have a tonne of respect for this guy's life story but he needs to accept that he just wasn't that good at hockey. Somehow 20 different organizations gave him a job. Yet all 20 of them are racist.

He finds a way to make everything that's positive into a negative: "The NHL shoved their LGBTQ and “Hockey is For Everyone” support programs into the same month as black history month. When I saw that, it made me feel that people like us, the outcasts, are a chore to them."

C'mon man.

The fact that you thought this was about not making it tells me you either didn't read it or ignored what it said because you already decided what you thought about it.

 

[rt]

You sure about that?

What you've done by repeating something that's not true is made my point for me: That using lies undermines what he's trying to do.

Yes. It’s obviously true. Do you believe there was a failure to investigate the claims, or that the investigation covered up or disregarded the truth that would vindicate him? Do you think Jake Dowell and other teammates are part of a conspiracy? Or that they would somehow be punished if they came forward to defend the truth?

Or are you saying there’s a difference between telling a black man he is a Racial Slur versus telling him that he listens to Racial Slur music? That somehow, those aren’t the same thing?

 

[CupofOil]

There's "toxic culture" in every sport and every thing.

And that doesn't make it right. The fact that this toxic culture is largely accepted because of the "it is what it is" narrative is the main problem.

I'm far from a snowflake, I've seen some of this hazing culture firsthand when I played baseball back in high school (which is probably the worst sport with their hazing culture) and it needs to stop or at least be curtailed greatly. It's no different than bullying, it's disgusting. Anything that brings attention to the horrors some people go through with this to hopefully elicit some change is a good thing.

This isn't even touching on the racism that exists in the hockey community which is a bigger issue altogether and is something you'd think society would have evolved away from nowadays.
How anybody can get from this story that he's just whining because he wasn't good enough is missing the point entirely.