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

[Porter Stoutheart]

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.

A couple lines from the article:

"I’m talking about the racism, misogyny, bullying and homophobia that permeates the culture of hockey."

"I speak about the racism in the game because that’s what I endured. But there are countless stories of white boys and girls being chewed up and spit out by hockey because of their sexuality or their gender identification — and those issues deserve just as much attention."

He's 100% right and this has nothing to do with how good he was at hockey. And another thing he's absolutely correct about is that it is first and foremost a grassroots issue. It's a cultural issue. It starts with these kids when they are very young and impressionable.

And it is absolutely inevitable in every single case that is brought forward that the victim will face criticism, blame, and further harassment. It's a difficult thing to combat. Look at the apologizers for Leipsic, and on and on through every single variety of these things that comes up. "It's just lockerroom talk, boys will be boys. Everybody does it, everybody says those things. In private." On and on. Those are some of the fallacies that need to be addressed. And they need to be addressed as early as possible. We've seen it come through minor hockey in so many forms, gender identity awareness training was a huge one recently. Gradually, we hope that the dinosaurs get weeded out and become extinct. But Aliu is absolutely also correct that it is a long-term process. And the more people who are vigilant and willing to speak up, the more it will help the process along.

I'd be proud of Aliu if he was my kid. That article should be mandatory reading for young hockey players. There are some other people with related stories too that should be used as eye-openers. The kids have to learn what things actually aren't acceptable and where to draw the lines as early as possible.

 

[the paisanos guy]

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.

You're part of the problem by claiming Aliu's true motive for this story is that he thinks he should be in the NHL when he's not good enough. He gives many specific examples of racist treatment he encountered and you instead decide to focus on a single stat-line he mentions.

 

[Sky04]

Downie's a pos

 

[bleedblue1223]

Yes, racism exists, especially in places that are homogeneous like Canada or Sweden or countries like that, it's not just an issue in melting pot countries like the US. Yes, I'm sure he faced racism while playing hockey at each level. No, racism didn't prevent him from having a hockey career.

In other news, water is wet and when it gets really cold, it turns to ice.

 

[rt]

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.

Really any powerful organization that’s overly homogeneous and has unchecked power dynamics is going to be prime conditions for abuse. You can see these themes in many of the huge sex abuse scandals that have come to light of the last couple of decades.

 

[snipes]

This part of the article is so true:

“The speed, the agility, the cold air on your face.

There’s really nothing like it.

And the thing in Canada is, skating is the language everyone can speak.

You do a crossover, or skate backwards well?

All of sudden you’re approachable, all of sudden you’re one of them. I felt that.

I fell in love with the game and forced my parents to find a way to let me play. I wore the cheapest equipment, used old wooden sticks instead of the new fiberglass ones. None of it mattered because I was playing — I was a part of something. I was Canadian.”

On an outdoor rink everyone is equal and it’s all about just enjoying sharing the greatest sport on earth together. If only we could keep the purity of outdoor shinny as being “hockey culture”.

Pretty fascinating read all in all.

 

[Barnum]

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.

 

[Pyromaniac]

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?

Obviously what happened to Aliu was wrong, the question is whether he is the right person to lead this fight.

Nobody likes a whiner, makes you appear to be less of a man. Real men don't sit there and accept the roles of victims. They fight and overcome, like many players of colour have in the NHL. Do you think they did not get racially abused? Wayne Simmonds had a banana thrown at him in a game in Winnipeg.

Those guys didn't sit there and say 'woe is me I was a top scorer but I wasn't given a far shot'. The problem is that Aliu is just not tough enough, he is part of this current soft culture where you sit there and complain and blame all your life problems on other people. I want to hear more from other players of colour, who have endured the abuse and haven't been emasculated like Aliu seems to be.

 

[BruinsBtn]

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?

This is an embarrassing attempt at a re-do after I called you out on the facts. There's a difference and you know it. Man up.

 

[the paisanos guy]

Yes, racism exists, especially in places that are homogeneous like Canada or Sweden or countries like that, it's not just an issue in melting pot countries like the US. Yes, I'm sure he faced racism while playing hockey at each level. No, racism didn't prevent him from having a hockey career.

In other news, water is wet and when it gets really cold, it turns to ice.

'Yes racism exists, no I don't care about it enough to give it more than a passing snide remark'

 

[Machinehead]

Yes, racism exists, especially in places that are homogeneous like Canada or Sweden or countries like that, it's not just an issue in melting pot countries like the US. Yes, I'm sure he faced racism while playing hockey at each level. No, racism didn't prevent him from having a hockey career.

In other news, water is wet and when it gets really cold, it turns to ice.

I see takes like this all the time in these threads and I don't get it. "Well racism is bad but it's a reality." That's not good enough.

 

[Hierso]

Yes, racism exists, especially in places that are homogeneous like Canada or Sweden or countries like that, it's not just an issue in melting pot countries like the US. Yes, I'm sure he faced racism while playing hockey at each level. No, racism didn't prevent him from having a hockey career.

In other news, water is wet and when it gets really cold, it turns to ice.

Didn't he get fired from his swedish team after he hit the other teams goalie after a game?

 

[bleedblue1223]

'Yes racism exists, no I don't care about it enough to give it more than a passing snide remark'

I'm not giving it a passing remark, just surprised at people that are surprised by the racism.

 

[JungleBeat]

Exactly why the NHL is the least popular sport among the major leagues in North America and won’t be changing anytime soon.

 

[bleedblue1223]

I see takes like this all the time in these threads and I don't get it. "Well racism is bad but it's a reality." That's not good enough.

No, the point is how many of these articles/threads have to be done before something actually happens. We all know the problem exists, but nothing ever happens. I'm making fun of people saying they'd move to Canada after 2016 because they viewed it as a post-racial paradise. This stuff doesn't help the issue.

 

[Machinehead]

I'm not giving it a passing remark, just surprised at people that are surprised by the racism.

Some people just want to act surprised because they've watched it and they're ok with it.

 

[Viqsi]

I'm not giving it a passing remark, just surprised at people that are surprised by the racism.

I'm not surprised by it, I'm irritated that it's still a thing and that folks still respond to it with "whatever" or with nitpicking distractions.

 

[BrindamoursNose]

Exactly why the NHL is the least popular sport among the major leagues in North America and won’t be changing anytime soon.

I tend to think it's one of the least accessible sports (ice hockey) in the U.S., so that's really been a massive contributor IMO.

 

[Machinehead]

And sure, Akim Aliu wasn't prevented from playing the NHL because of race, but there's a very recent case of it happening in a pro league:



Let's not pretend it's something beyond the realm of possibility.

 

[bleedblue1223]

Exactly why the NHL is the least popular sport among the major leagues in North America and won’t be changing anytime soon.

This is sort of the post I'm talking about, not calling you out either. Racism and that culture isn't isolated to just hockey. In football, it's just now becoming mainstream to have black quarterbacks, it wasn't that long ago that many believed that was a position for whites. Football was the most popular sport in the US during that time.

Hockey is an expensive sport to play, so that's really the main issue.

 

[snipes]

I see takes like this all the time in these threads and I don't get it. "Well racism is bad but it's a reality." That's not good enough.

Exactly, I think the larger issue writ large is that hockey is a relatively homogenized white upper middle class sport.

I mean, guys like Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzky came from average families who likely wouldn’t have even been able to afford to put their children in organized high level hockey today.

 

[bleedblue1223]

And sure, Akim Aliu wasn't prevented from playing the NHL because of race, but there's a very recent case of it happening in a pro league:



Let's not pretend it's something beyond the realm of possibility.

It's at least a better example, even if it's more nuanced than that. He had contract offers and turned them down, he didn't want to be a backup. And it was more about a political stance, not just because of his race. His political stance was made for racial reasons though, so there is a bit of a point there.

 

[robertmac43]

Obviously what happened to Aliu was wrong, the question is whether he is the right person to lead this fight.

Nobody likes a whiner, makes you appear to be less of a man. Real men don't sit there and accept the roles of victims. They fight and overcome, like many players of colour have in the NHL. Do you think they did not get racially abused? Wayne Simmonds had a banana thrown at him in a game in Winnipeg.

Yes he is the right person as he was racially abused...

The bolded is the exact mentality that hurts hockey's culture. Aliu sharing his story is not whining, it's an attempt to shed light on an issue that has existed for ever. Him speaking out was a brave thing to do if anything.

 

[93LEAFS]

Yes, racism exists, especially in places that are homogeneous like Canada or Sweden or countries like that, it's not just an issue in melting pot countries like the US. Yes, I'm sure he faced racism while playing hockey at each level. No, racism didn't prevent him from having a hockey career.

In other news, water is wet and when it gets really cold, it turns to ice.

You seriously don't get the demographics of Southern Ontario. I mean, seriously. Where Akiu lived in Canada is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the world with a massive percentage of visible minorities and first-generation immigrants living there.

 

[DudeWhereIsMakar]

It isn't for everyone... some hockey players make better golfers, football players, soccer players, baseball players, etc.

But all jokes aside I feel bad for Akim Aliu, I could see how he's such an angry person today. Didn't deserve any of that and I'm glad Steve Downie never won a Stanley Cup.

But Downie is a genuine Sociopath, seeing all the dirty stuff he did, though I think back to the tweets back a few years calling out Don Cherry, Dave Tippett, etc. Plus Downie did have problems with losing his dad at an early age and wearing a hearing aid. He also mentioned he watched tons of Don Cherry rock em' sock em' hockey.

Think life might have been better for Aliu if his family moved to Winnipeg, lots of Ukrainians and Ukrainian speaking schools where he could've transited easier.

Bill Peters though... I wish the KHL never gave him an offer.

Think Hockey is in the shadow of all major sports that it isn't as relevant, but considering it's grown heavily popular since the Vegas Golden Knights joined the league and specific players are taking a stand that people are taking more notice.