The OMHA has reversed a decision to suspend a Peterborough house league coach who stood up for his team in the face of racism on the ice. Good move. Let's play on.
Coach Greg Walsh had originally been suspended a year after his team refused to return to the ice for the third period after an opposing player called one of Coach Walsh's players the n-word.
The player who used the slur apologized and has already served a three-game suspension.
Here's a link to a CBC report.
Minor Hockey Moments
Showing posts with label Peterborough hockey racism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Peterborough hockey racism. Show all posts
Monday, December 20, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Georges Laraque weighs in on hockey racism
Former NHL player Georges Laraque has weighed in on racism in hockey in the wake of the stupid one-year suspension given a Peterborough house league coach by the Ontario Minor Hockey Association.
The former Montreal Canadien writes, "It's unacceptable and shameful that the OMHA is choosing to hide behind their rules and regulations to punish Walsh, instead of giving him and his team the respect they deserve for standing up against racism. Every single one of us knows that he did the right thing."
As I said in a blog posting a few days ago, the OMHA has screwed up, totally misreading the tea leaves and misjudging public opinion in dealing with this incident.
Here's the link to Laraque's Facebook posting.
The former Montreal Canadien writes, "It's unacceptable and shameful that the OMHA is choosing to hide behind their rules and regulations to punish Walsh, instead of giving him and his team the respect they deserve for standing up against racism. Every single one of us knows that he did the right thing."
As I said in a blog posting a few days ago, the OMHA has screwed up, totally misreading the tea leaves and misjudging public opinion in dealing with this incident.
Here's the link to Laraque's Facebook posting.
Friday, December 17, 2010
OMHA misreads the racism tea leaves
Oops. While the OMHA is right from a rules point of view but wrong in the eyes of broader public opinion in suspending a Peterborough midget house league coach for refusing to continue playing a game after a racial slur.
No one condones slurs in minor hockey, but the coach can't make up policy as he goes along.
Still, a suspension for the rest of the year - compared to three games for the offending player on the other team - seems too harsh. The backlash from the non-hockey playing community will not be pleasant.
Here's the link to a Toronto Star article about the situation.
Here's the link to an excellent opinion piece published by the National Post.
And to the left, a book to buy.
No one condones slurs in minor hockey, but the coach can't make up policy as he goes along.
Still, a suspension for the rest of the year - compared to three games for the offending player on the other team - seems too harsh. The backlash from the non-hockey playing community will not be pleasant.
Here's the link to a Toronto Star article about the situation.
Here's the link to an excellent opinion piece published by the National Post.
And to the left, a book to buy.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Put racism on ice
There is no room for racism and slurs in minor hockey, but did we need Peterborough house league coach Greg Walsh to point it out?
While everyone appreciates the discussion Coach Walsh spurred when he and his players decided to quit a game after a racial slur hurled at one of his players, his action is troubling and a bad omen for minor hockey organizations.
While making a strong, effective statement about zero tolerance for racist, he also unwittingly showed kids how to thumb their noses at authority, rules and process - which is why Coach Walsh has been appropriately suspended.
Let's be clear. The minor hockey hierarchy is filled with smart people who have the bases covered. Let's also be clear that minor hockey organizations want to welcome all kids and all skill levels.
But teenagers, taught and emboldened by their parents and rogue coaches, will say things and do things in the heat of a game. F-bombs, gay jokes, animated and pointless advice to referees, and, yes, racial taunts are all part of the mix.
There are penalties and suspensions in the rule book to cover all scenarios.
Minor hockey can't have coaches inventing their own rules on the fly, including when to play or when not to play. The result would be chaos.
Without being there, it's hard to say how the situation could have been handled better.
Perhaps the best way would have been to follow the example of retired NHL referee Kerry Fraser when he mediated a situation between Theo Fleury and a player with the St. Louis Blues. The Blues player had taunted Fleury about cocaine and alcohol addictions. Fraser, as he recounts in his new book Final Call, provided on-ice counsel and arranged a face-to-face apology along the boards. Fleury appreciated it and the Blues player later called it a life, and attitude, changing moment.
Too bad the offending opposing player did not have the benefit of Fraser's wise advice.
Still, the player has now expressed regrets, as reported in the local Peterborough Examiner.
And for more on this topic, check out the letters published by the Toronto Star.
Maybe it's time we all bought a copy of the Willie O'Ree biography, the first black person to play in the NHL.
While everyone appreciates the discussion Coach Walsh spurred when he and his players decided to quit a game after a racial slur hurled at one of his players, his action is troubling and a bad omen for minor hockey organizations.
While making a strong, effective statement about zero tolerance for racist, he also unwittingly showed kids how to thumb their noses at authority, rules and process - which is why Coach Walsh has been appropriately suspended.
Let's be clear. The minor hockey hierarchy is filled with smart people who have the bases covered. Let's also be clear that minor hockey organizations want to welcome all kids and all skill levels.
But teenagers, taught and emboldened by their parents and rogue coaches, will say things and do things in the heat of a game. F-bombs, gay jokes, animated and pointless advice to referees, and, yes, racial taunts are all part of the mix.
There are penalties and suspensions in the rule book to cover all scenarios.
Minor hockey can't have coaches inventing their own rules on the fly, including when to play or when not to play. The result would be chaos.
Without being there, it's hard to say how the situation could have been handled better.
Perhaps the best way would have been to follow the example of retired NHL referee Kerry Fraser when he mediated a situation between Theo Fleury and a player with the St. Louis Blues. The Blues player had taunted Fleury about cocaine and alcohol addictions. Fraser, as he recounts in his new book Final Call, provided on-ice counsel and arranged a face-to-face apology along the boards. Fleury appreciated it and the Blues player later called it a life, and attitude, changing moment.
Too bad the offending opposing player did not have the benefit of Fraser's wise advice.
Still, the player has now expressed regrets, as reported in the local Peterborough Examiner.
And for more on this topic, check out the letters published by the Toronto Star.
Maybe it's time we all bought a copy of the Willie O'Ree biography, the first black person to play in the NHL.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)