Sharks captain expresses support for Evander Kane, calls for change
San Jose Sharks captain writes in message, "I think most of us have turned a blind eye when it comes to racism. It cannot continue."
Sharks captain Logan Couture expressed his support for teammate Evander Kane on Saturday, saying the sport of hockey and society at large needs to do much more to combat racism.
“First of all, I applaud Evander for speaking the truth,” Couture wrote in a message posted to his Twitter account. “Racism exists in society, it also exists in hockey, That’s a fact.
“Growing up in this game is a privilege. At times I think most of us have turned a blind eye when it comes to racism. It cannot continue.”
Appearing on ESPN on Friday, Kane expressed his horror at the way George Floyd was killed earlier this week in Minneapolis, dying after he was pinned to the ground by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd’s neck.
Kane called on more high profile white athletes to speak out about the incident and about racism in society, saying in part that they need to have, “the same amount of outrage that I have inside, and using that to voice their opinion, to voice their frustration. Because that’s the only way it’s going to change.”
Couture, 31, grew up in southern Ontario in Canada and just finished his 11th season with the Sharks and his first as captain.
Kane was acquired by the Sharks in 2018 and is one of a handful of minorities that have played for the team in the last decade, including Jamal Mayers, Scott Gomez and Joel Ward.
“I’ve had the opportunity to to play with some incredible teammates. Black, white, all colors,” Couture write. “Getting to listen to them about things they have gone though in hockey/life is eye opening. As a society and as hockey players we are only scraping the surface in fixing what desperately needs fixing.”
My thoughts. Sorry if this offends anyone. All love
pic.twitter.com/9BbktIrxqd
— Logan Couture (@Logancouture) May 30, 2020
In an riveting article he posted on The Players’ Tribune on May 19, former NHL player Akim Aliu detailed the taunting and abuse he endured as a junior hockey player in Windsor, Ontario in 2005.
In the article, titled, “Hockey Is Not for Everyone,” Aliu wrote about how when he was 16, he refused to “strip naked and get in a bathroom in the back of the team bus with three other rookies” as part of a hazing ritual.
As retribution, Aliu wrote that a Windsor teammate, Steve Downie, who was two years older, “tapped me on the shoulder during a practice. I turned, and he shoved his fiberglass stick through my mouth. I lost seven teeth in half a second. Blood gushing down my chest into my pants.”
Aliu also detailed his 2009 incident in the AHL with the Rockford IceHogs, coached by Bill Peters. Aliu wrote that Peters used the n-word, “over and over in front of me and my teammates just because he didn’t like my choice of music.”
Days after Aliu’s article was published, Kane appeared in a video produced by TSN to discuss how racism can permeate hockey culture.
Kane appeared with Myles Douglas, an African-American who grew up in North Carolina before he moved to Toronto, where he now a forward with the North York Rangers AAA U18 team. Douglas said this past season, he was the target of racist remark in about half of the games he played.
“Not surprised,” Kane said after hearing Douglas’ story. “It’s something that people don’t want to admit happens today, they want to turn a blind eye, they want to pull the curtain to cover it up.”
Kane mentioned how when the Sharks played in Colorado against the Avalanche in the second round of the 2019 playoffs, a fan yelled slurs toward him. Kane said he told an official and “nothing was done.”
“I understand it. I’ve been on the receiving end of it,” Kane said, “and I know a lot of players that look like me and (Douglas) have been.”
Kane also said Friday his Sharks teammates have been supportive for what he stands for, adding, though, that, “I think hockey, unfortunately, has a different culture than some of the other sports in terms of speaking out and using your voice and speaking your mind.”
Couture concluded his message by saying, “Thanks for Akim and Evander speaking so loudly about the issue. We all need to learn, we need to love each other regardless of skin color.”