Quoted: Clinton Yates on Hockey’s Racism Issues

Joel Ward (r). Courtesy TheProvince.com

When Joel Wardscored the overtime winnerfor the Capitals to end the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins season, a wave of racist tweets surfaced. They ranged from casually offensive to viciously hateful. None were shocking. But they illustrated the latent sentiment that exists in many pockets of the fan base that hockey is a sport to be played and enjoyed by whites.

Being a black hockey fan can bea singular experience. You canfeel the racial divideat games. So when Ward lit the lamp last night, yes, personally, it felt good to see a black man score such an important goal for the franchise.

Its about time that the NHL tackled its race issues head-on. If the league wants to move forward as a brand, they need to recognize that they can do... [via Racialicious]