Shouldn’t everyone on this team be focused on winning the cup though? Seems like a bit of a distraction to me for a front office that clearly can’t chew gum and walk at the same time. When did we want the best players possible for winning the Stanley cup…. turn into a race matter? Aren’t we just looking for the best players available and not picking by social need?
Not being able to decipher if someone is here to evaluate talent vs for marketing is a HUGE problem.
Unfortunately the depth of discussion is limited because it will get into a political discussion, but...
Expanding the pool of talent will bring in better athletes and thus better players.
And even at the junior age and younger, these programs need to have success. It helps Team USA, grow accessibility to the game, and build a pool of local talent who may one day grow into a superstar and want to sign in LA, like Tavares and Toronto.
The game of hockey is expensive. Socially and economically, the game hasn't been as available to non-white players.
And people can walk and chew gum at the same time. Connor McDavid doesn't spend every waking hour practicing or playing hockey. Dean Lombardi didn't spend every minute to scout every single player and to read/write every single contract.
Just because she takes extra time to grow the game doesn't mean she's unable or unwilling to evaluate talent.
Plus, even if you remove all the transactional benefits, it's just a nice thing to do. And in general, I believe we should be supportive of people who want to give to the community.