Friday, July 24, 2020
Akim Aliu
Akim Aliu
recently posted his thoughts and opinions about hockey, and about
life, in a web site called The Players Tribune.
Athletes write their views on just about any topic. Aliu chose to
write about his experiences in the hockey world.
I
am certain that no other hockey player, perhaps no other professinal
athlete, has grown up quite the same way as Aliu. His father is
Nigerian, and undoubtedly a fine athlete. He received a combined
athletic and academic scholarship to attend university, in Kiev, in
the Ukraine. While there, he met a Ukrainian woman, fell in love, and
married. On a trip back to Nigeria, she gave birth to Akim.
Akim
has one brother. The four of them lived in an apartment in Kiev,
roughly 500 square feet in size. His grandfather was a former fighter
pilot, tough as nails, who flew for the Soviet Union. As time passed,
the grandfather accepted son-in-law, and the family. He went so far
as to sell his apartment to help finance the family's journey to
Canada, to Toronto.
Aliu
arrived with his family. “I was a young black boy who only spoke
Russian. The transition was difficult for the whole family.” Almost
defies the imagination. But he moved on, adapted, adjusted, did what
was necessary to survive. “I found a pair of skates at a yard sale
down the street for nine dollars. In Canada, skating is the language
that everyone can speak.”
Following
in the great Canadian traditions, he gathered together sufficient
hockey equipment to join a team, play in a league. He even played in
the great PeeWee hockey tournament in Quebec city. But while playing
there, he experienced racism from a player on a Quebec team. “ How
many times,” a lad shouted, “are we going to let this black kid
score?” But he used another word, the really nasty one, to describe
Aliu's skin colour.
To
his credit, his game improved to the extent that he found himself in
Windsor, trying out for the Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League,
when he was 16 years old. It was there that he faced more racism, and
the unsavoury hockey traditions of hazing. All players are subject to
certain practices meant to demean and hurt rookies on sports
teams-always mentally, sometimes physically. Rookies were required to
strip, and enter the wasroom at the back of the bus. All at once.
Great big kids, all hot and sweaty. I am trying to fathom who the
genius was who came up with that one. Aliu objected, which was not
acceptable to that crew.
At
one of the practices, a highly touted superstar on the team, and a
veteran, took it upon himself to bully Aliu. He smashed his stick
into Akim's face, knocking out several teeth. Aliu later described
Steve Downie as a “racist sociopath”. But he also realized that
the hockey world is permeated with racists, bullies and misogynists.
I might add that those types exist everywhere. (They keep poking out
their noses in discussions about the current Covid 19 pandemic.)
Aliu
has really travelled the roads. I saw him play in Fort Myers, where
he played briefly with the Everblades. He did suit up for a few games
with Calgary, in the National Hockey League. He has played for 26
teams in ten leagues in his career. That must be some sort of record.
Even “Suitcase” Smith did not reach those numbers.
I
sympathize withAliu's situation. To his credit, he has provided some
concrete suggestions to help better the game, at all levels. He knows
that change must come at the grassroots level, especially in the
selection of coaches and management. He also knows that diversity
must be promoted, whenever possible.
His
final quote? “Hockey is not for everyone. But it damn sure should
be!”
# posted by James Hurst @ 8:03 AM 
