The NHL’s Hockey is For Everyone Campaign

The NHL (National Hockey League) stands as the top professional hockey league with fans worldwide. They’re comprised of 31 teams and are one of the 4 major sports leagues in North America. In 2017, they implemented a new campaign called Hockey is For Everyone, and marked it to be celebrated during the month of February, coinciding with Black History Month. This new campaign was implemented to promote diversity and inclusion among those of every race, color, religion, age, sexual orientation, ethnicities, genders, abilities, and socio-economic status (NHL Public Relations). Diversity and inclusion is hard to find in the NHL because even though several aspects of hockey’s history, and innovation to the game, can be traced back to communities of colour, approximately 5% of players in the NHL today are players of colour (Boyd, J., 2020). This under representation, is one of the many overlying contributors to the racism that has been a part of hockey since its creation and has continued to the present day. The NHL implemented the Hockey is For Everyone campaign in 2017, and now 7 years later, it doesn’t seem like much has changed in the league, which leaves me to wonder, what impact has it made. In this research blog post, I will be taking a deeper dive into the Hockey is For Everyone Campaign, by looking at its impact and challenges, as well as potential ways it could improve. Further, I will be comparing it to what other leagues, teams, and players have done in the other major sports leagues in North America.

Hockey is For Everyone – Image from NHL.com

The purpose of the hockey is for everyone campaign is to the spread the message that, anyone can participate in the sport of hockey. The campaign was implemented by the NHL itself, but also the National Hockey League Players Association, and the 31 teams apart of the league. As part of the initiative they implemented: 1 “Hockey is for everyone” hashtag for fans to join the conversation, 5 disabled grass roots hockey disciplines being played across North America, 6 colours in Pride Tape rainbow representating their support of the LGTBQ+ community, 8 hockey is for everyone ambassadors, 9+ women who will take part in the all-female NHL network, 17 hockey organizations that have partnered to support the Declaration of Principles, 18 Hockey is For Everyone grassroots programs across North America, 28 teams that participated in the 2017 USA Hockey Sled Classic, 31 current NHL players who are Hockey is for everyone ambassadors, 60 years since Willie O’Ree broke barriers by becoming the first black player to compete in an NHL game, 80+ Hockey is For Everyone events taking place throughout the month of February, and 120,000+ boys and girls who have participated in Hockey is For everyone Hockey program (NHL Public Relations). As demonstrated through their implementations, the campaign to make the NHL and the sport itself, more inclusive for all backgrounds by focusing on community outreach programs, diversity and inclusion training, and public awareness campaigns.

Timeline

The Hockey is For Everyone Campaign opened in February 2017, with the focus on inclusion, which received some backlash because it erases a much-needed focus on racism (Kabetu, V., et al., 2020). In the same year, the NHL and NHLPA released a Declaration of Principles for their stakeholders to follow. These principles included teamwork, respecting everyone in and around the game of hockey, and acceptance of all who share the love of the game (Kabetu, V., et al., 2020). The NHL and stakeholders were criticized for these principles because they were not followed by strong action. Subsequently, Kim Davis, a black woman, was hired to be the executive vice president, and work on social impact, growth initiatives, and legislative affairs. She came in with a new mission, which was to change the conversation about hockey and diversity and hockey within diverse communities (Kabetu, V., et al., 2020). Two years later, in 2019, the NHL moved away from the generalized idea of inclusion for all, to highlighting racial diversity in the sport. They created a travelling mobile museum devoted to the history of minorities in hockey for NHL fans, and anyone else in select cities to see. In 2020, upon the murder of George Floyd and global protest fighting against systemic racial injustices, Akim Aliu and Evander Kane, two Black NHL players, created the Hockey Diversity Alliance.

Evander Kane (left) and Akim Aliu (right) – Photo from TSN

Their goals was to promote diversity and eradicate racism in hockey, and they wanted to partner with the NHL to work on anti-racism initiatives, and the NHL declined (Kabetu, V., et al., 2020). This timeline suggests that even with the creation of the campaign, the NHL has never fully made an effort, they continue to make small changes, and only after being called out. It seems like the NHL is doing a lot through the campaign, but in reality, they are simply targeting inclusion, and forgetting to focus on anti-racism.

This is not to say that the Hockey is for Everyone campaign is a bad idea, the idea is there, but it can use a lot of work. The campaign should be incorporating the 3 anti-racism pillars, so that inclusion, does not take all the focus away. In our class with Dr. Szto, we learnt about the 3 pillars of anti-racism which are power, privilege, and access, and all three need to be tackled at the same time

Power

Power is about who gets to make the decisions, and who determines the budget. Unfortunately, as it stands right now, hardly anyone in the NHL that gets to makes decisions, or determines the budget is BIPOC. It has been recorded that 83.6% of the NHL’s workforce is white, and more than 90% of players and almost all coaches and officials are white, leaving 3% of black athlete’s representation on NHL rosters (Cummings, K., & Burroughs, B., 2024). The Hockey is for Everyone campaign should incorporate diversity initiatives in the NHL teams front offices, and coaching staffs. As the numbers show, there is a huge lack of representation for BIPOC players and employees in the NHL. Diversity initiatives will encourage NHL teams to hire people from all backgrounds and bring a new light and perspective to the coaching staff, and front office. This has been done in many other major sports leagues, one example of it is The Rooney Rule, in the NFL. The Rooney rule requires every team with a head coaching job opening to interview at least one or more diverse candidates before making a new hire (Madden, J. F., & Ruther, M., 2010). The NFL also has a Workplace Diversity Committee, which is a group of team owners and executives that support and make recommendations about league diversity efforts (NFL Football Operations). Diversity programs give will give BIPOC players and employees the chance they deserve, and allow them to introduce new diversity tactics to their respective teams, and league.

Privilege

The second pillar of anti-racism, privilege, focuses on which stories are told and what practices are normalized. Hockey is often referred to as a White Sport, even though, several aspects of hockey’s history and innovation to the game being traced back to community of colour. Black Canadians have been invested in hockey since the 1800s, and in 1895, created the CHL, Coloured Hockey League. 22 years before the NHL and marked as the earliest professional hockey league in North America (McKenzie, A. I., & Joseph, J., 2023). This league was created by four Black Canadian men who were determined to use sports as the initial driving force for the ultimate liberation and equality of Black Canadians (McKenzie, A. I., & Joseph, J., 2023). In one of the research papers I found, they use a direct quote saying “We called up a number of Canadian Historians and writers, and asked them if they ever heard of the [Colored Hockey] League, and they told us they’d never heard of it […] They didn’t believe Blacks had played hockey in the early 1900s” (McKenzie, A. I., & Joseph, J., 2023). Hockey’s history has been retold as a white man game, and completely erased the impact these black men have done for the sport. Now, fast forward roughly 128 years, hockey has remained a white man’s game, and become an extremely difficult and unaccompanied place for BIPOC athletes and employees. The privilege pillar can be implemented by the Hockey is for Everyone campaign by reminding people about the true origins of hockey. An example of this would be telling the wonderful stories about the CHL and its creation, and the impact it had on this game.

Access

The third and final pillar, is access, which focuses on who can participate, how much does it cost to participate, and what cultural knowledge does one need to know to participate. This pillar is a big issue due to the costs around playing hockey. Studies have shown that the average Canadian family spends between 500-1000$ per child on hockey equipment every season (Kabetu, V., et al., 2020). As the children move up to higher skill levels, such as AAA, it can cost around 15,000$ per year, and for families who are in the bottom 40% of income share, these average costs may just be too much (Kabetu, V., et al., 2020). The table in the study shows the median employment income for Canadians Ages 25-64 Years by Visible Minority Category. The non-visible minority, includes indigenous people, and stands alone at 44,620$. If the non-visible minority bracket did not include indigenous people, the number would be even higher. With an employment income median of almost 9,000$ less, this wealth gap makes it harder for visible minorities to start playing hockey (Kabetu, V., et al., 2020). The Hockey is For Everyone campaign can implement programs that get BIPOC individuals the gear they need to start playing hockey. A similar program is currently being done by Hockey Canada, called the First Shift program. The First Shift Program aims to address the high costs of the sport along with easing any intimidation new families may feel as it relates to safety, rules, equipment, and more. The core values of this program are, accessible, affordable, safe, and fun, and they have been working through community minor hockey associations at the local level (Kabetu, V., et al., 2020). The NHL could implement this throughout North America with more funding, and throughout more age groups.

Comparison to other leagues

The NHL has been accused by many former and current players, commentators, and fans for their lack of solidarity during the BLM protests. In a study done on all 4 major sports leagues in North America (NBA/WNBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL) during the BLM protests, it was found that NHL had the shortest length statements, and it was also found that the league used positive words, but also negative words more often than anyone else (Kwak, D. H., et al. 2023). The short statements, are likely related to the NHL being the least racially diverse sport league in North America, with 5% of their players being BIPOC (Kwak, D. H., et al. 2023). In comparison, in 2020, the WNBA and NBA had an incredibly strong response to the BLM movement through their statements, and their players/coaches have been praised for their efforts to address systemic racism (Kwak, D. H., et al. 2023). The NBA is comprised of roughly 80% BIPOC athletes, and the WNBA, is comprised of over 70% BIPOC athletes (NBA Statistics, WNBA Statistics). Further, of the 30 NBA teams, 16 of the head coaches are black (Coaches Stat). The numbers show, that representation leads to more voices being heard, and more changes being made. The underrepresentation in the NHL, is why they are so much further behind than every other major sports league in North America.

Takeaway

The NHLs Hockey is for Everyone campaign, is a good idea but has a lot of flaws. These flaws are part of the reason why the NHL is so far behind compared to the rest of the major sports leagues in North America. The Hockey is for Everyone campaign, should focus on incorporating the 3 pillars of anti-racism, power, privilege, and access, through their programs. This will increase representation of BIPOC athletes and employees, shift hockey’s history from being a white man’s sport, and encourage more players from low income homes to come out and play. With these changes, the NHL can make a huge impact, and change their narrative from what it unfortunately is right now.

References

Boyd, J. L. (2020). How Canada’s Black Hockey League Shaped the Sport and the Path to our Arrival in the NHL Today. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. 102(21), 1918-1921. 10.2106/JBJS.20.01708.

Cummings, K., & Burroughs, B. (2024). “Soul on Ice”: Black Commodification, Race, and the National Hockey League. Sociology of Sport Journal, 41(1), 60-67. https://doi.org/10.1123/ssj.2022-0145

Kabetu, V., Snelgrove, R., Lopez, K. J., & Wigfield, D. (2020). Hockey is Not for Everyone, But it Could be. Case Studies in Sport Management. 10(1), 7-14. https://doi.org/10.1123/cssm.2020-0020

Kwak, D., H., Pradhan, S., & Chen, Z. (2023). “Speak Up!” Investigating U.S. professional sports teams’ #BlackLivesMatter statements. Front Sports Act Living. 5. 10.3389/fspor.2023.1192784

Madden, J. F., & Ruther, M. (2010). Has the NFL’s Rooney Rule Efforts “Leveled the Field” for African American Head Coach Candidates?. J Sports Econom. 12(8), 127-142. 10.1177/1527002510379641

McKenzie, A. I., & Joseph, J. (2023). Whitewashed and Blacked Out: Counter-Narratives as an Analytical Framework for Studies of Ice Hockey in Canada. Sociology of Sport Journal. 40(2), 144-152. https://doi.org/10.1123/ssj.2022-0065

NFL Football Operations. (2024). The Rooney Rule. NFL Football Operations. https://operations.nfl.com/inside-football-ops/inclusion/the-rooney-rule/#expandable-aside-87c20dbb-95ba-42fa-b0bd-193e29c80121

NHL Public Relations. [@PR_NHL]. (2018, February 1). Hockey Is for Everyone month begins: NHL, NHLPA campaign celebrates diversity, inclusion throughout February [Photograph]. Instagram. https://www.nhl.com/news/hockey-is-for-everyone-month-begins-295488554