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Bo Horvat, Troy Stecher and the Vancouver Canucks speak out on racism
June 2, 2020, 2:05 PM ET [282 Comments]
Carol Schram
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • RSS • Archive • CONTACT
Are we seeing a sea change in attitudes surrounding the issue of racism in hockey?

Players, teams and owners are speaking out about a desire to do better on the issue in the wake of George Floyd's murder in Minnesota last week.

That includes the Vancouver Canucks, and owner Francesco Aquilini:



It includes captain Bo Horvat:



It includes Troy Stecher:



It includes Jake Virtanen:



This list is not exhaustive. Others have posted on their Instagram Stories.

How did we get here? Why are players and teams speaking out now?

On Friday, Evander Kane of the San Jose Sharks appeared on ESPN's 'First Take,' and asked for top athletes to start making their voices heard.



"We need so many more athletes that don't look like me speaking out about this, having the same level of outrage that I have inside," said Kane. "It's time for guys like Tom Brady and Sidney Crosby and those type of figures to speak up about what is right."

It didn't take long for Sharks owner Hasso Plattner to offer his support.



Then, players started chiming in. Sharks captain Logan Couture was tentative but brave.



Minnesota native Blake Wheeler was brutally honest.



Jonathan Toews was thoughtful and compassionate.

View this post on Instagram

A lot of people may claim these riots and acts of destruction are a terrible response. I’ll be the first to admit that as a white male that was also my first reaction. But who am I to tell someone that their pain is not real? Especially when it is at a boiling point and impossible to hold in anymore. It’s obviously coming from a place of truth. This reaction isn’t coming out of thin air. I’m not condoning or approving the looting, but are we really going to sit here and say that peaceful protesting is the only answer? There has been plenty of time for that, and if it was the answer we would’ve given it our full attention long ago. Listen to these two men debate. They are lost, they are in pain. They strived for a better future but as they get older they realize their efforts may be futile. They don’t know the answer of how to solve this problem for the next generation of black women and men. This breaks my heart. I can’t pretend for a second that I know what it feels like to walk in a black man’s shoes. However, seeing the video of George Floyd’s death and the violent reaction across the country moved me to tears. It has pushed me to think, how much pain are black people and other minorities really feeling? What have Native American people dealt with in both Canada and US? What is it really like to grow up in their world? Where am I ignorant about the privileges that I may have that others don’t? Compassion to me is at least trying to FEEL and UNDERSTAND what someone else is going through. For just a moment maybe I can try to see the world through their eyes. Covid has been rough but it has given us the opportunity to be much less preoccupied with our busy lives. We can no longer distract ourselves from the truth of what is going on. My message isn’t for black people and what they should do going forward. My message is to white people to open our eyes and our hearts. That’s the only choice we have, otherwise this will continue. Let’s choose to fight hate and fear with love and awareness. Ask not what can you do for me, but what can I do for you? Be the one to make the first move. In the end, love conquers all. #blacklivesmatter

A post shared by Jonathan Toews (@jonathantoews) on



There have been many, many more posts from around the league.

The coronavirus has forced NHL players outside their usual hockey bubble for probably the longest time in their lives. Instead of their usual regimented existence, where they're told where to be and what to do nearly every moment of the day, it seems like players' eyes are currently open more widely to what's happening around them.

When Akim Aliu's essay appeared on the Players' Tribune a few weeks back, only a couple of players publicly commented on social media.



My guess is that many other players read the essay. They didn't know what to say at the time, but they were still pondering the issue when the outrage exploded around George Floyd's murder.

I'm not going to nitpick on who's saying what or if they could express themselves better. No one's going to be able to please everybody in these conversations — myself included. That's part of what makes it so difficult to dip a toe into these waters, as many of the players have acknowledged.

Right now, I think it's important to recognize that a broad shift in attitude does seem to be occurring. And players like Kane, who are leading the charge, are staying vocal and providing important leadership in helping others understand what they can do to help and why it's important for their voices to be heard.

I wasn't sure whether or not I should write on this, or even if I should post it on #BlackoutTuesday. But I think it's the most important story in hockey right now and I'm hopeful that it's the first step toward building a more equitable environment for players, coaches, managers and fans at all levels of the game.

I also want to learn more about what I can do to make things better.
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