For a long time, the National Hockey League (NHL), was the last major American sports league to not be heavily under progressive influence. Unfortunately, that is changing too.
NHL.com published a story gushing about a game in the ECHL (a AA-tier professional league) in which the Cincinnati Cyclones defeated the Kalamazoo Wings, 2-1 on Wednesday. While this should have been a standard minor-league hockey game, the NHL found it important because it is believed for the first time ever that two teams coached by black men faced off in professional hockey in North America. The Cyclones are coached by Jason Payne and the Wings by Joel Martin.
There’s nothing wrong with this, and as a stand-alone fact, it actually is kind of cool. But with recent events within the league, it is rather concerning that this is being so highly celebrated.
The NHL recently discovered that the majority of the people that make up its workforce and team rosters are white and male (oh, the horror!), and commissioner Gary Bettman has promised that he will create policies to correct that in the future.
Related: #HockeySoWhite: Diversity Enforcement Comes for NHL
The attitude reflected at the highest levels of the league are evidently trickling down into the minor leagues.
"There's a movement across the board in terms of hockey is for everyone and we're becoming more diverse, unfortunately, that doesn't happen overnight, but it's progressing in the right direction" ECHL commissioner Ryan Crelin said. "These are two phenomenal guys who have been around our league for a long, long time and worked their way up to head coach. To see that is pretty cool."
To make things even more foreboding, Payne and Martin are both members of the NHL’s Coaches' Association's BIPOC, which specifically seeks to elevate NHL coaches who fit that demographic.
All of this is signs of the roots of the same leftist mentality that has poisoned the NFL, NBA, MLS, and countless other leagues in America and the world at large. As we’ve seen from other leagues, the results of this ideology are anything but pleasing, and if the NHL doesn’t correct their ways soon, then we’ve seen the last of the NHL being a reputable league.
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NHL player Phil Kessel set a league record playing in his 990th consecutive game. He also scored his 400th goal in the same game. https://t.co/lBVq6eEmqK
— MRCTV (@mrctv) October 26, 2022