(I know this will be a long blog. I know that I could lose some friends over this. But I don't care at the moment. Maybe tomorrow, I will. But not now.) Ever heard of the CHL? I hope so. Whether you have or not, I'll get back to that in a minute.
The American professional sports world consists primarily of four sports - the National Football League, Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, and the National Hockey League... and in some parts of the US, a lot of people would argue that the sports world is five strong with NASCAR. In each of the sports, blacks were not allowed to play during the league's inception. Jackie Robinson, who became the first black MLB player in 1947, is the only one who is widely recognized as a pioneer in sports. Not much recognition goes out to Fritz Pollard or Bobby Marshall, who became the first black players in the NFL in 1920. And not much recognition goes out to Chuck Cooper, Nat Clifton, or Earl Lloyd, who became the first NBA players to be drafted, sign a contract, and play in a game, respectively, in the 1950-1951 season. Does it matter that these men are not as recognized as Jackie Robinson? On some level, it does. They experienced the same racism and circumstances as Jackie Robinson did. But maybe it doesn't, because those three sports have been accepted as the unofficial American sports and American pasttimes. That's up for debate.
But what about hockey?
Hockey is the Canadian pasttime. The NHL has a number of American teams, but most of the players are either Canadian or European. The NHL lockout did a lot of damage to the fame that the league was already lacking. The NHL players aren't commercial successes like the big players in the other leagues. So hockey is not as popular as the big three. That makes it easier, but not necessarily more acceptable, to make assumptions about who should and shouldn't be playing. But does that mean that we should pay less attention to the black players in the NHL?
DOES THAT MEAN WE SHOULD PAY LESS ATTENTION TO WILLIE O'REE?!?!
Willie O'Ree was the first black player in the NHL in 1958. That's right. He was the first black person to get paid to strap on some skates and hit a puck while occasionally literally fighting white people during the game. Imagine how tough that would be. In the NFL, fighting is against the rules. But cheap shots and fighting happens. In baseball, fighting is against the rules, but cheap shots happen. In hockey, back in those days, they played without the facemasks and helmets they wear today. With less padding and protective equipment, those guys were EXPECTED to fight! This man not only had to deal with racism and circumstances outside of the hockey arena, but he had to worry even more about his physical well-being during the game. His career was not an exceptional one, but he was the first. He's currently the director of the NHL diversity program. But he doesn't get enough props. And why not? I would argue that it's because of the Cedric the Entertainer perspective, where he says during Kings of Comedy something along the lines of, "I know there are black people that play hockey, but not REAL black people."
What...
The...
F*CK?!?!
Yeah... real f*cking funny, Ced.
Let's take it back even further. Willie O'Ree wasn't the first black man on the ice. There is a very long history of black hockey players, and the NHL, or even hockey anywhere in the world, wouldn't be the same if it wasn't for the CHL. The CHL, or the Coloured Hockey League, was founded in 1894, and had up to twelve teams and had over 400 black players from all over Canada. Even though the league lasted only 30+ years, it is credited for a number of innovations that are STILL being popularly used by the NHL, such as the slapshot.
Still think that black people don't belong on the ice? Tell that to my dog, Jarome Iginla, a 4-time All-Star in the prime of his career who may well be on his way to the NHL Hall of Fame. Better yet, tell that to George Laraque, the protector of Sidney Crosby. Laraque is so tough, that if you told me that I had to fight him to save my life, I'd say I liked my chances better in a fight with Suge Knight and his crew with one hand tied behind my back and see if Knight was available instead.
People, this is the point. Black History Month is a lot wider than the things that are popular among black people right now. It's about history. It's about breaking barriers. It's about thinking so far outside the box, that no one should be criticized for doing something that someone else thinks s/he should not be doing. The barrier breakers, the ones who turned their backs to the crowd... THOSE are the real barrier breakers. THOSE are the REAL black people. This month is about Jackie Robinson. But it's also just as much about Mr. Iginla and the CHL, even if you don't think they should be on the ice.
So keep this in mind when I say that the next time someone says that a person is less black if he is from Iowa than Detroit, plays hockey instead of basketball, speaks the Queen's English instead of the Queen B's English, listens to classical music instead of hip-hop, or is a vegetarian that hates beef, I will slice them up like a package of Louis Rich turkey.
Now excuse me while I step off of my soapbox to see when the next Columbus Bluejackets game is.
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