Category Archives: Hockey News

Dubas vows Leafs will be more proactive in combating racism

General manager Kyle Dubas understands there's a lot more that the Toronto Maple Leafs can and should do to help combat systemic racism.

"What the last week has shown us is that merely living a good life yourself and treating other people well yourself ... that's great, but it's not quite good enough in order to enact change in the greater swaths of society," Dubas said Wednesday on Sportsnet's "In Conversation with Ron MacLean."

"I think what we've learned, especially in the last number of days, is that with the Maple Leafs and with our players and with our staff ... we need to be doing more on the anti-racism side of things. Not only with our statements and our words and our tweets and what we put out there but with our actions, and we know that people will be watching us and holding us accountable in that regard."

Dubas added, "I won't hide it, it is reactionary rather than being proactive, which I certainly wish we were. And that's on me ... that we are reacting versus having a plan in place, and it's something that we will be better at as we move ahead."

The 34-year-old believes the onus ultimately falls on him to guide his players and staff in the right direction by providing leadership, education, and proper resources.

"What we're trying to do now is build out a proper protocol where we can educate our entire organization - meaning the Leafs - on what organizations they can get involved with if they want ... and how we can help them moving forward as well as what organizations can help best educate our group," he said.

Dubas is happy with what he's seen so far from his players and staff, many of whom have already reached out to see how they can help.

"One of the most positive movements that we've seen internally ... is that our players and our staff have all been reaching out and asking us what they can actually do rather than what they can say," Dubas said.

He continued, "In the last couple of days, as our players and our staff have asked what more can we do, we've begun to investigate different groups in Toronto, in Canada, and in the United States that our people can be involved with, whether it's donating their time, donating their platform and visibility to those different groups, or financial activism."

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Kevin Weekes: NHL needs to ‘be real’ to combat racial inequality

Former NHL goaltender Kevin Weekes believes the league can make progress with the multitude of racial issues it faces.

"I want to see people be real - you're real about other things - be real," Weekes said on the "ESPN on Ice with Wyshynski and Kaplan" podcast. "'Hey, you know what? This is a problem,' 'Hey, you know what? We do have qualified women, we do have qualified transgender people, we do have qualified people of color.'"

"... Let's just put the best people in the position," he continued.

"If you have knuckleheads, get them outta there," he added. "Root them out. You're gone. It's a three-year ban, it's a lifetime ban as a managerial person or coach. You're out. Bye. ... If you're a fan (who's racist)? Bye."

Weekes, who spent 11 seasons in the NHL, pointed to some personal experiences to highlight racial issues in hockey.

"If you're at your place of work, and I've had this numerous times, and ironically Philly being one of them - and I love Philly - but I've had this a lot of times. Why are you cheering for Allen Iverson? You're booing Donovan McNabb, but you're still cheering for him. But you're cheering for Allen Iverson, but now you're yelling racial epitaphs at me behind the bench?" Weekes said. "And then you're gonna come after Wayne Simmonds comes and you're gonna cheer for Wayne Simmonds?"

"As a black goalie specifically - and a lot of times, people in Canada will say, 'Oh, well that's an American problem' - they couldn't be any further from the truth," he said.

The now 45-year-old also said he would often be racially profiled on his way to the rink in Canada. He estimates it happened a "minimum 20 times."

"I'd have my goalie pads, and my two sticks, and my goalie bag, and next thing you know, cops pull me over. 'Hey, is this your vehicle? Can we see the license and registration?'" he said.

Weekes became the first black NHL analyst after retiring from the league in 2009. He currently works for the NHL Network.

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McDavid condemns racism: It’s time to ‘get out of our comfort zones’

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid released a statement Wednesday condemning racism and vowing to educate himself and initiate societal change in the wake of George Floyd's death in police custody.

"Like everyone else, I watched the horror of George Floyd's murder and felt helpless and sick to my stomach," McDavid said. "And as I have watched the many protests against racism and social injustice that have been taking place around the world, I realize that I need to do more to educate myself ... that I need to learn more about the history of racism in our countries and to listen to the voices and the perspectives of the black community and other racial minorities to try and understand how I can help to affect positive change going forward.

"As a young white male and pro athlete, I recognize that we live a very privileged life. I believe that the time is now for all of us to get out of our comfort zones, to not sit idly on the sidelines, and to be part of the solution to ensure we end racism in our society."

Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died in Minneapolis on May 25 after Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes while Floyd was handcuffed on the ground.

McDavid is the latest NHL star to speak out against racial injustice amid nationwide protests over the killing of Floyd. Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby also released a statement Wednesday, saying what happened to Floyd "cannot be ignored."

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Bergeron, Landeskog join list of NHLers to release anti-racism statements

In addition to Sidney Crosby, Braden Holtby, P.K. Subban, and Shea Weber, several other NHL players spoke out against racial injustice Wednesday.

Boston Bruins star Patrice Bergeron released his statement through the team's Twitter account, offering to educate himself while pledging to donate to two separate initiatives.

Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog also chimed in, saying we need to "learn how we got to this point, so we can do better."

Washington Capitals enforcer Tom Wilson announced he'll be making a donation to the oldest minority hockey program in the United States.

Montreal Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher also released a statement shortly before his captain did, condemning "bad police officers and ... the systems that allow them to continue to wear a badge," as well as looters who are "stealing the headlines."

Former NHL goaltender Ben Scrivens, who's currently working on his master's degree in social work, questioned why this many NHL players didn't speak out after the Bill Peters firing saga, K'Andre Miller's zoom call, or Akim Aliu's Players' Tribune article.

Dylan DeMelo of the Winnipeg Jets and Adam Henrique of the Anaheim Ducks also tweeted out statements of their own.

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Subban calls for justice, donates $50K to fundraiser for Gianna Floyd

P.K. Subban is speaking up in an effort to end racial injustice and is determined to help those affected by it.

"What does 'change the game' mean?" the New Jersey Devils defenseman said Wednesday, referring to the phrase on his hat. "'Change the game' means 'change the narrative.' The narrative has been the same. No justice. There needs to be justice.

"Justice has to happen, change needs to come, but we need everyone ... to look at our lives and see where we can help that change and do our part. I'm committed to that - I'm committed to that through and through."

Subban also said he's donated $50,000 to the GoFundMe campaign created to assist Gianna Floyd - the six-year-old daughter of the late George Floyd - and revealed the NHL subsequently matched that amount.

The campaign has raised more than $800,000 of its $1-million goal.

Subban joined a growing number of NHLers and other athletes who are making their voices heard following the death of the elder Floyd. Floyd, a black man from Minneapolis, died in police custody on May 25 after a white officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeled on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes while holding him on the ground in handcuffs.

Floyd's death has sparked protests in many U.S. cities, as well as in Subban's hometown of Toronto.

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Holtby: ‘America will never be great until all black lives matter’

Braden Holtby strongly condemned anti-black racism in a powerful message Wednesday.

The Washington Capitals goaltender opened his statement on Twitter by pointing out that a local landmark, the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, is named after a former U.S. president who enacted racist policies.

Holtby referred to the bridge as "monstrous" and called Wilson "an outspoken white supremacist."

"The bridge sits there mocking every black person who has to travel across it while reading that name as a reminder of how much pain has been inflicted on their race," he wrote.

Holtby then denounced systemic racism and racial injustice as a whole.

"The injustice and hatred-infused power we've seen recently is anything but new," he wrote. "To say there have been improvements is very naive. In today's age of information and communication at our fingertips, the change is far too minimal.

"The amount of inhumane, hate-based, racial crimes that have been committed in the centuries of American history is enough to make your skin crawl in discomfort and your eyes well with tears. Yet it's still happening. In 2020. It should never happen. Yet it still is."

The Capitals netminder also offered words of encouragement for protesters and closed by rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump's campaign slogan while affirming his own support for the black community.

"For everyone standing up and marching for what is right, your voices are not going unheard," Holtby wrote. "You're bringing pride to every person who believes in the universal value of a human being. Keep fighting, and I vow to demonstrate and educate what you are fighting for. Not only to myself but my children, family, and anyone else who will listen. Because America will never be great until all BLACK lives matter."

Holtby is Canadian but has spent his entire 10-year career with the Capitals. He declined an invitation to the White House last year, saying, "I've got to stay true to my values."

Numerous players and teams have issued statements over the past week following the killing of George Floyd. Floyd, a black man from Minneapolis, died in police custody after Derek Chauvin, a white officer, kneeled on his neck for over eight minutes while holding Floyd in handcuffs on the ground.

Floyd's death has sparked protests across the United States.

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Report: Adrahtas banned for life from USA Hockey for sexual abuse allegations

The U.S. Center for SafeSport has issued a lifetime ban to former Chicago-area youth coach Tom "Chico" Adrahtas following its investigation into sexual abuse allegations against him, according to The Athletic's Katie Strang.

Adrahtas is prohibited from coaching in any USA Hockey-sanctioned event or any activity that involves a national governing body under the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic committee's purview.

In a Feb. 21 article in The Athletic, multiple former players said Adrahtas sexually abused them.

The SafeSport investigation into Adrahtas found that he "engaged in a pattern of exploitative and abusive sexual misconduct with multiple young athletes he coached, egregiously abusing a position of authority to manipulate and deceive young male athletes he mentored and coached, for sexual purposes." It also states that evidence "overwhelmingly" reveals that Adrahtas exploited at least six other athletes in addition to the three interviewed by SafeSport officials.

USA Hockey president Jim Smith remains under investigation for his handling of the allegations. Smith is accused of turning a blind eye to the allegations against Adrahtas during his time with the Amateur Hockey Association of Illinois (AHAI), which included a stint as president from 1985-88.

For years, AHAI officials refused to nominate Adrahtas into the Illinois Hockey Hall of Fame because of "innuendo and rumor" about abuse. However, in 2010, Mike Mullally, who was the association's president at the time, said a group that included Smith decided to "put him through anyway." Adrahtas took himself out of consideration after Mullally confronted him about allegations from a former player.

USA Hockey was not officially informed of his admission to the Hall of Fame because Smith and Tony Rossi - who were both Illinois Hockey Hall of Fame committee members - were high-ranking members of USA Hockey at the time and already aware of the situation, Mullally said.

Adrahtas also coached at Robert Morris University - which is a member of the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) - for 10 years from 2008 to 2018. Adrahtas abruptly resigned after SafeSport's investigation began in 2018 following former junior player Mike Sacks' letter to the ACHA detailing sexual abuse by Adrahtas over a 20-month span when he was a teenager.

The U.S. Center for SafeSport was established in 2017 following the USA Gymnastics sexual abuse scandal, during which former doctor Larry Nassar was accused of assaulting over 250 young women and girls.

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Crosby: ‘What happened to George Floyd cannot be ignored’

Sidney Crosby has joined the growing number of NHL players speaking out against racial injustice and police brutality.

"What happened to George Floyd cannot be ignored," the Pittsburgh Penguins captain wrote in a statement from his foundation Wednesday. "Racism that exists today in all forms is not acceptable. While I am not able to relate to the discrimination that black and minority communities face daily, I will listen and educate myself on how I can help make a difference.

"Together, we will find solutions through necessary dialogue and a collective effort."

Crosby is the latest player to offer thoughts in the wake of Floyd's death in police custody, which has led to protests throughout the United States.

San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane, who's black, called last week for white athletes "like Tom Brady and Sidney Crosby" to make their voices heard about "what is right, and clearly in this case, what is unbelievably wrong."

Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died in Minneapolis on May 25 after Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes while Floyd was handcuffed on the ground.

A multitude of athletes and the majority of North America's pro sports teams have since issued statements condemning systemic racism and inequality.

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