The guy was 100% right on half on his opinion, and 100% wrong on the other. Latins are much more capable of dealing with the heat more so than others, and Blacks are just the opposite that do not like to deal with the heat.
Black Hockey Players in the NHL
February 3, 2000 When Anson Carter was ten years old, his life was much the same as most of the other boys growing up in his Scarborough, Ontario, neighborhood. He went to school, came home, and played hockey. As he continued to play, advancing rapidly through his local leagues and on to Michigan State University, he began to stand out for two reasons. One, he was almost always the best player on the ice, and two, he was black—a rarity in hockey.
Carter, 25, is currently one of the most promising young forwards in the National Hockey League. He was the second-leading scorer for the Boston Bruins in 1999-2000, and is one of 19 black athletes now playing in the NHL. It's a number that may seem low, given the 650 players in the NHL today, but it still represents a noticeable increase in what has always been thought of as a "white" sport.
According to league reports, only 18 black players reached the NHL between 1958 and 1991. While racism certainly played some role in keeping the figure to a minimum, it may have been more a function of the demographic makeup of Canada. In 1971, Canadians made up over 95% of the NHL, and only .02% of all Canadians were black. Today, the black population in Canada has increased to 2%. In addition, the United States, with a much higher black population than Canada, now contributes approximately 15% of all NHL players while Canada produces just over 60%.
Fulfilling All Roles
Calgary Flames goaltender Grant Fuhr is considered to be the most successful black player in the history of the sport. The backbone of the Wayne Gretzky-led Edmonton Oilers of the late 1980s, Fuhr currently stands in sixth place in all-time wins for goalies and is a sure-thing for induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame. His success has paved the way for other black goalies like Calgary teammate Fred Brathwaite and N.Y. Islanders Kevin Weekes, now starting in net for their respective clubs.
Along with Carter, young black forwards Jarome Iginla from Calgary and American-born Mike Grier from Edmonton have both become offensive leaders on their teams. Iginla, just 22 years old, finished second in Rookie of the Year voting in 1997 while Grier is gaining a glowing reputation around the league for his scoring touch and hard hits.
Speaking of hard hits, there is also a growing legion of black players that, to be blunt, have become known more for what they accomplish with their fists, rather than with their sticks. Edmonton's Georges Laraques, Vancouver's Donald Brashear, and Florida 6-6, 235-pound giant Peter Worrell have all become valuable commodities as their teams' enforcers.
As Carter told Sports Illustrated in October, "Black players are scorers. Black players are checkers. Black players are enforcers. Black players are tough, stay-at-home defensemen. We have different roles on a hockey club. Black players are bringing different things to the table, which means that black players are the same as everyone else."
Willie O'Ree became hockey's version of Jackie Robinson on Jan. 18, 1958, when he made his NHL debut with the Boston Bruins. Despite being legally blind in his right eye (due to an errant puck that felled him two years earlier - a trait he kept secret), O'Ree rocketed through juniors and the minors, and reached the pinnacle of the hockey world.
He played just two games with the Bruins that year, was sent down to the minors for the following two, and didn't come back to the NHL until 1961, when he returned for a 43-game stint. Through it all, he was met with an endless stream of verbal abuse.
"Racist remarks were much worse in the U.S. cities than in Toronto and Montreal," said O'Ree. "Fans would yell, 'Go back to the south' and 'How come you're not picking cotton.' Things like that. It didn't bother me. I just wanted to be a hockey player, and if they couldn't accept that fact, that was their problem, not mine."
O'Ree scored an uninspiring four goals and 10 assists in 1961. And that was that. While he continued to forge a respectable career mostly in the Western Hockey League (twice winning the scoring title), he never returned to the NHL. And unlike baseball, where Jackie Robinson's breaking of the color barrier cleared a path for thousands of black ballplayers to follow, no other black athlete played in the NHL until 1974, when Mike Marson was drafted by the Washington Capitals.
Diversity in the NHL
To its credit, the NHL has taken an active role in promoting diversity throughout the league. Each player is required to enroll in a diversity training seminar before the beginning of each season. Trash-talking is an ugly side effect of almost all athletic competition, but the league has made it clear through suspensions and fines that any racially-motivated verbal abuse will not be tolerated.
The league has also recently brought O'Ree back into the limelight, making him the Director of Youth Development for the NHL/USA Hockey Diversity Task Force, a non-profit program designed to introduce children of diverse ethnic backgrounds to the game of hockey.
Hockey is an expensive sport to play, with full equipment packages costing hundreds of dollars. In 1997, the NHL and USA Hockey developed the Used Equipment Bank, designed to encourage people to donate their used equipment to economically disadvantaged youths.
Carter has also been instrumental in trying to give inner city youths more access to the sport. He sponsors a program, "Carter's Corner" in which he purchases six tickets for each Bruins home game (matched by the club) for distribution to youth groups in the Boston area.
Grier believes the professional black players are role models for youth. "If any of the black players have success," says Grier, "kids will want to emulate us."
February 3, 2000 When Anson Carter was ten years old, his life was much the same as most of the other boys growing up in his Scarborough, Ontario, neighborhood. He went to school, came home, and played hockey. As he continued to play, advancing rapidly through his local leagues and on to Michigan State University, he began to stand out for two reasons. One, he was almost always the best player on the ice, and two, he was black—a rarity in hockey.
Carter, 25, is currently one of the most promising young forwards in the National Hockey League. He was the second-leading scorer for the Boston Bruins in 1999-2000, and is one of 19 black athletes now playing in the NHL. It's a number that may seem low, given the 650 players in the NHL today, but it still represents a noticeable increase in what has always been thought of as a "white" sport.
According to league reports, only 18 black players reached the NHL between 1958 and 1991. While racism certainly played some role in keeping the figure to a minimum, it may have been more a function of the demographic makeup of Canada. In 1971, Canadians made up over 95% of the NHL, and only .02% of all Canadians were black. Today, the black population in Canada has increased to 2%. In addition, the United States, with a much higher black population than Canada, now contributes approximately 15% of all NHL players while Canada produces just over 60%.
Fulfilling All Roles
Calgary Flames goaltender Grant Fuhr is considered to be the most successful black player in the history of the sport. The backbone of the Wayne Gretzky-led Edmonton Oilers of the late 1980s, Fuhr currently stands in sixth place in all-time wins for goalies and is a sure-thing for induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame. His success has paved the way for other black goalies like Calgary teammate Fred Brathwaite and N.Y. Islanders Kevin Weekes, now starting in net for their respective clubs.
Along with Carter, young black forwards Jarome Iginla from Calgary and American-born Mike Grier from Edmonton have both become offensive leaders on their teams. Iginla, just 22 years old, finished second in Rookie of the Year voting in 1997 while Grier is gaining a glowing reputation around the league for his scoring touch and hard hits.
Speaking of hard hits, there is also a growing legion of black players that, to be blunt, have become known more for what they accomplish with their fists, rather than with their sticks. Edmonton's Georges Laraques, Vancouver's Donald Brashear, and Florida 6-6, 235-pound giant Peter Worrell have all become valuable commodities as their teams' enforcers.
As Carter told Sports Illustrated in October, "Black players are scorers. Black players are checkers. Black players are enforcers. Black players are tough, stay-at-home defensemen. We have different roles on a hockey club. Black players are bringing different things to the table, which means that black players are the same as everyone else."
Willie O'Ree became hockey's version of Jackie Robinson on Jan. 18, 1958, when he made his NHL debut with the Boston Bruins. Despite being legally blind in his right eye (due to an errant puck that felled him two years earlier - a trait he kept secret), O'Ree rocketed through juniors and the minors, and reached the pinnacle of the hockey world.
He played just two games with the Bruins that year, was sent down to the minors for the following two, and didn't come back to the NHL until 1961, when he returned for a 43-game stint. Through it all, he was met with an endless stream of verbal abuse.
"Racist remarks were much worse in the U.S. cities than in Toronto and Montreal," said O'Ree. "Fans would yell, 'Go back to the south' and 'How come you're not picking cotton.' Things like that. It didn't bother me. I just wanted to be a hockey player, and if they couldn't accept that fact, that was their problem, not mine."
O'Ree scored an uninspiring four goals and 10 assists in 1961. And that was that. While he continued to forge a respectable career mostly in the Western Hockey League (twice winning the scoring title), he never returned to the NHL. And unlike baseball, where Jackie Robinson's breaking of the color barrier cleared a path for thousands of black ballplayers to follow, no other black athlete played in the NHL until 1974, when Mike Marson was drafted by the Washington Capitals.
Diversity in the NHL
To its credit, the NHL has taken an active role in promoting diversity throughout the league. Each player is required to enroll in a diversity training seminar before the beginning of each season. Trash-talking is an ugly side effect of almost all athletic competition, but the league has made it clear through suspensions and fines that any racially-motivated verbal abuse will not be tolerated.
The league has also recently brought O'Ree back into the limelight, making him the Director of Youth Development for the NHL/USA Hockey Diversity Task Force, a non-profit program designed to introduce children of diverse ethnic backgrounds to the game of hockey.
Hockey is an expensive sport to play, with full equipment packages costing hundreds of dollars. In 1997, the NHL and USA Hockey developed the Used Equipment Bank, designed to encourage people to donate their used equipment to economically disadvantaged youths.
Carter has also been instrumental in trying to give inner city youths more access to the sport. He sponsors a program, "Carter's Corner" in which he purchases six tickets for each Bruins home game (matched by the club) for distribution to youth groups in the Boston area.
Grier believes the professional black players are role models for youth. "If any of the black players have success," says Grier, "kids will want to emulate us."
I play hockey, For top notch player gear you're out over 1000.00. You can get by cheap for about 500.00 but quite simply most families can't afford that. Ice time runs about 15-20$ a game (1-1.5 hours) and that is shared between many people. The reason that hockey is a "white" sport has less to do with racism and more to do with economics. The reason you see so many latin american soccer players is any poor family can afford a soccer ball. And a pair of cones or a rock is a goal and you have a $1 game.Now i am not saying latino people are poor but as a whole the populations of south america are very poor relative to 1st world nations. Basketball is the same way. Every race can play because all you need is a 5$ ball and a public park with 1 rim and you have a game. You don't need any other gear. As blacks, latinos, and other races are rising in the terms of economic rank we are seeing them in more sports that require a higher economic status to play.
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>the simple fact is, people laugh it off when dusty says it and they would crucify a white coach for saying something similar. it is a total double standard and i, for one, am sick of it.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Many people feel this way.
I'm curious: do you feel the solution is to fire Dusty Baker (to keep things equal) or to let it slide when a white coach says these things(to keep things equal)?
Many people feel this way.
I'm curious: do you feel the solution is to fire Dusty Baker (to keep things equal) or to let it slide when a white coach says these things(to keep things equal)?
i think firing dusty would be taking it way too far. but, if a white coach is racist saying white guys handle the cold of the ice better than blacks then, how is dusty's comment not racist?
if we laugh off dusty's comment, we have to laugh off the white coaches comment. if the white coach is a racist, then so is dusty.
remember when shaq made fun of yao ming...talking in a fake chinese accent? everyone laughed and said, "that's just shaq being shaq". fuzzy zoeller makes a joke about tiger woods planning to have collard greens in the dinner at the masters and they never let him forget it.
that is a double standard and it is a crock of sh*t.
you ask "what is the solution?". well, i'd say you either hammer dusty in the press for making a racist comment or you "let it slide" when white coaches make similar comments.
what will happen...neither. why...because this country is so "politically correct" that an 80 year old grandmother gets randomly searched at an airport while a 21 year old muslim male does not because we are too afraid of being labelled racists.
if we laugh off dusty's comment, we have to laugh off the white coaches comment. if the white coach is a racist, then so is dusty.
remember when shaq made fun of yao ming...talking in a fake chinese accent? everyone laughed and said, "that's just shaq being shaq". fuzzy zoeller makes a joke about tiger woods planning to have collard greens in the dinner at the masters and they never let him forget it.
that is a double standard and it is a crock of sh*t.
you ask "what is the solution?". well, i'd say you either hammer dusty in the press for making a racist comment or you "let it slide" when white coaches make similar comments.
what will happen...neither. why...because this country is so "politically correct" that an 80 year old grandmother gets randomly searched at an airport while a 21 year old muslim male does not because we are too afraid of being labelled racists.
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> I haven't heard "cracker" for a while <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Man, i still hear it at least once a month...
I don't watch hockey, shit bores me to death, but, i love acting like i am a fan when certain friends pop up...
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> Am I the only one that thinks that everyone seems to have become just a tad oversensitive to anything relating to race? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
No, you are not the only one..Fine line though, between a lighthearted ribbing, and outright racism.. Tough to call at times. Thank God i have others to consult... Goofy crackers..
Man, i still hear it at least once a month...
I don't watch hockey, shit bores me to death, but, i love acting like i am a fan when certain friends pop up...
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> Am I the only one that thinks that everyone seems to have become just a tad oversensitive to anything relating to race? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
No, you are not the only one..Fine line though, between a lighthearted ribbing, and outright racism.. Tough to call at times. Thank God i have others to consult... Goofy crackers..
Blue,
I would say you summed it up perfectly. The double standard in this country is amazing.
Dusty can say what ever he wants and not too many will stand up and call him a racist in fear of being called a racist.
If you reversed what Dusty said and inserted any white manager into the comments it would be another Trent Lott episode.
The thought police are always quick to convict any slip up by a white guy and find it hard to charge a black guy with any wrong doing.
I've always thought Dusty Baker has done a great job coaching. Why he'd go down this road makes no sense.
[This message was edited by outandup on July 09, 2003 at 09:45 AM.]
I would say you summed it up perfectly. The double standard in this country is amazing.
Dusty can say what ever he wants and not too many will stand up and call him a racist in fear of being called a racist.
If you reversed what Dusty said and inserted any white manager into the comments it would be another Trent Lott episode.
The thought police are always quick to convict any slip up by a white guy and find it hard to charge a black guy with any wrong doing.
I've always thought Dusty Baker has done a great job coaching. Why he'd go down this road makes no sense.
[This message was edited by outandup on July 09, 2003 at 09:45 AM.]
outandup - You are right on. I moved to Memphis about 10 years ago and you won't believe all of the racism that still exists. Both ways! The black people hate the white people just as much if not more down here. However nobody calls it racism if a black people hates a white person. They look at it as a right to hate the white man because of what SOME of are ancestors did 150 years ago. It's crazy!
By the way, the Hockey coach would be gone before the day was over. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton would be holding a million man march to get this coach fired.
I have heard several stories about Jesse Jackson and I really believe the black race would be better without him. The guy is a total jackass always begging restaurants and hotels to give him and his 100 member posse comp everything, then if he doesn't get it he rasies all kinds of hell.
He might be the first reverend that doesn't make it to heaven.
KMAN
By the way, the Hockey coach would be gone before the day was over. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton would be holding a million man march to get this coach fired.
I have heard several stories about Jesse Jackson and I really believe the black race would be better without him. The guy is a total jackass always begging restaurants and hotels to give him and his 100 member posse comp everything, then if he doesn't get it he rasies all kinds of hell.
He might be the first reverend that doesn't make it to heaven.
KMAN
