NHL and NHLPA launches Player Inclusion Coalition

[Rabid Ranger]

You bring up some good points. I'd like to touch on the last one. I remember when I played my Midget youth hockey (in Southern California, 1991-1993), it was at a different rink where I played Bantams. On my Midget team we had people from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds. I remember there being Filipino's, Armenians, Koreans, African Americans, Hispanics and Caucasian. I couldn't tell you how far these kids all went on to play, but my point is, the team wasn't primarily white.

That's fair. There are definately some pockets of this country (and Canada) where there is much more diversity in those that play.

 

[eco's bones]

The game has become too expensive for many kids to play. It's more and more a rich person's game. For the great majority of black, brown and/or poor people it's pretty nearly impossible to keep a kid in equipment as they grow......and to play for a team in a league you just pile on the costs and if the team travels even more so. That's not even getting at the social/cultural issues which often enough aren't exactly warm and inviting to those who might be seen as 'different'.

 

[hfman]

NHL, NHLPA launch new player inclusion coalition​

The coalition aims to make hockey “more accessible, more inclusive, and more diverse."


These cliche words have become really, reeeaaallly old and tired

they've been drilling these terms into our heads for years now; the endless repetition of these words has caused just about everyone to tune out

 

[MikeyMike01]

That shit is all worthless .. its a bunch of grandstanding.

If they really want to include more in the game they'd put their money where their mouth is and start putting rinks in inner cities and having an equipment program.. get on the ground and do the work instead of the bitching and moaning and frivolous "innovatives"

As long as people continue to reward the appearance of caring, the corporations will do nothing more than appear to care.

It’s always about money.

 

[hfman]

NHL, NHLPA launch new player inclusion coalition​

The coalition aims to make hockey “more accessible, more inclusive, and more diverse."

These cliche words have become really, reeeaaallly old and tired

they've been drilling these terms into our heads for years now, they're becoming meaningless

 

[Deep Blue Metallic]

I'm skeptical that building rinks and funding youth programs in disadvantaged areas would get kids, especially the athletically gifted ones with a remote chance of an NHL career payoff that this initiative presumably desires, off the basketball courts and football fields, and onto the ice.

In terms of sports culture, this is a square peg / round hole situation.

 

[PK]

NHL should concentrate their efforts on their key geographic. Others will mostly always prefer basketball, football or soccer. Because why wouldn’t they? They need to try to keep the people where history and tradition is on the hockey’s side. Diversity is a fake virtue. They want everything, they’ll have nothing.

 

[1989]

I'm skeptical that building rinks and funding youth programs in disadvantaged areas would get kids, especially the athletically gifted ones with a remote chance of an NHL career payoff that this initiative presumably desires, off the basketball courts and football fields, and onto the ice.

In terms of sports culture, this is a square peg / round hole situation.

OK - and if you don't build it, how many kids do you think would participate then?

NHL should concentrate their efforts on their key geographic. Others will mostly always prefer basketball, football or soccer. Because why wouldn’t they? They need to try to keep the people where history and tradition is on the hockey’s side. Diversity is a fake virtue. They want everything, they’ll have nothing.

Then they've "had nothing" since the 1967 expansion including the California Seals, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota North Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis Blues, the first expansion since the Original 6 era and into non-traditional markets.

56 years later...

 

[holy]

Would be cool to see some underdog type stories come out of letting poorer people play hockey.

We’ll see though feel like hockey culture is pretty snobby in general, but still, doesn’t hurt to get more people playing in general.

 

[Albatros]

NHL should concentrate their efforts on their key geographic. Others will mostly always prefer basketball, football or soccer. Because why wouldn’t they? They need to try to keep the people where history and tradition is on the hockey’s side. Diversity is a fake virtue. They want everything, they’ll have nothing.

And what's that, rural Saskatchewan? Even there the population is becoming increasingly diverse, especially Asian. Hockey will either reflect that or shrink, tackling the cost issue alone is not enough to preserve the current standing of the game anywhere.

 

[PK]

And what's that, rural Saskatchewan? Even there the population is becoming increasingly diverse, especially Asian. Hockey will either reflect that or shrink, tackling the cost issue alone is not enough to preserve the current standing of the game anywhere.

If the population in a hockey area becomes more diverse, it’s not necessarily an issue. Local tradition can still be a plus for hockey even regarding immigrants.

 

[Tad Mikowsky]

If the population in a hockey area becomes more diverse, it’s not necessarily an issue. Local tradition can still be a plus for hockey even regarding immigrants.

So Immigrants should just assimilate. Gotcha.

 

[Xerloris]

So Immigrants should just assimilate. Gotcha.

Well ya. What's the point of immigrating if you're not going to join in on the culture you're moving to be in? I would hardly call learning a local sport as assimilating though.

 

[Hierso]

Speaking as a European how does a really physical sport count towards incurance? Hockey is a pretty dangerous sport after all and i don't really know if a insurance company would try to weasel their way out paying.

 

[Xerloris]

Speaking as a European how does a really physical sport count towards incurance? Hockey is a pretty dangerous sport after all and i don't really know if a insurance company would try to weasel their way out paying.

All I can tell you is that when I was a kid I was covered under my parents insurance and there was never any questions about what I was doing to get hurt. They just paid. I'm not sure if all companies are like that or not.

 

[MXD]

So Immigrants should just assimilate. Gotcha.

I mean... Getting to hockey could be considered some kind of assimilation.

Speaking as a European how does a really physical sport count towards incurance? Hockey is a pretty dangerous sport after all and i don't really know if a insurance company would try to weasel their way out paying.

Not super relevant in Canada. Could be different in the US.

 

[norrisnick]

Speaking as a European how does a really physical sport count towards incurance? Hockey is a pretty dangerous sport after all and i don't really know if a insurance company would try to weasel their way out paying.

Doubt it would be any different than American football.

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

People here at hfboards complain (correctly) about the NHL still being largely run by an old boys club that is increasingly out of touch. They also complain (also correctly) that the NHL marketing and outreach efforts are usually dated and cringey.

So the NHL and NHLPA have an initiative to improve community outreach through grassroots programs and get some new voices in the room instead of the same recycled retired hockey players, yet people here immediately condemn it?

 

[Bear of Bad News]

People here at hfboards complain (correctly) about the NHL still being largely run by an old boys club that is increasingly out of touch. They also complain (also correctly) that the NHL marketing and outreach efforts are usually dated and cringey.

So the NHL and NHLPA have an initiative to improve community outreach through grassroots programs and get some new voices in the room instead of the same recycled retired hockey players, yet people here immediately condemn it?

Important to note that the intersection of the groups described by your first paragraph and your second paragraph is quite small.

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

Well ya. What's the point of immigrating if you're not going to join in on the culture you're moving to be in? I would hardly call learning a local sport as assimilating though.

The opportunity for a better life for you and your family?

Immigrating doesn't necessarily mean you need to take on the culture you're moving to.

 

[Voight]

This is fine and dandy but they already caved on the Pride thing so I don't have the patience for it.

They didn't have much of a choice.

 

[vegarover]

I'm all for projects aiming to improve inclusion, but zero European representatives in a league that is more than a quarter European does look funny.

Well, I'm guessing this will be mainly a U.S. focused program with a lot of work done in the off-season. And most European players go home over the summer, so that may be why no one volunteered.

Oh and I was curious so I looked it up. Europeans only make up 22 percent of the NHL. Unless you include Russians as Europeans. They make up 5.6 percent. But I don't think they'll be participating in any "diversity" programs any time soon.

 

[MXD]

The opportunity for a better life for you and your family?

Immigrating doesn't necessarily mean you need to take on the culture you're moving to.

Again... Getting an interest in hockey should be at least considered to be some kind of assimilation for most immigrants, the same way me getting a sudden interest in cricket should I be moving to the Bahamas should be considered as such.

 

[Machinehead]

They didn't have much of a choice.

Yes they did.

Let people sit out. Put the onus on the players instead of creating a safe space for their decision.

 

[GrumpyKoala]

I'm cynical by nature, but someone convince me this isn't just a complete grift

Seems like just a front for PK Subban and George Laraque to go to fancy fundraisers and drink champagne with bigwigs, followed by some nominal donation through the coalition to buy equipment for some youth hockey team in downtown Atlanta.

You might remember him for the tasteful brand of advertisement

I am not posting the link, find it yourself you perv