Let’s rip the Band-Aid off from the top: the silence of white NHL players when it comes to the racism their fellow black hockey players continue to endure is deafening.
On Tuesday, a powerful piece written by former NHL player Akim Aliu was posted to The Players' Tribune, and in it, Aliu details more of the racist abuse he endured from childhood on as he pursued his NHL dream. Aliu wants to see change in hockey, to make “Hockey is for Everyone” more than a catchphrase rolled out for a couple of weeks every year.
Aliu didn’t say it, but in order for that to happen, white players will have to step up and speak out.