OAKLAND, CA and PHILADELPHIA, PA (BASN/BASN NEWSROOM): We won’t mince words here. We love hockey – and we were enjoying the action during the first rounds of the NHL playoffs; but…what has happened since – is quite fucked up.

 

@BartMandela: Subban is a n—– everyone knows that
@JoshBauer35: I don’t care how many goals Subban scores. He’s still a scυmbag.

 

@Meeel37: Not too bad for a n—– eh
@shayne_cordeiro: If there’s anything I learned this week its that don sterling is a good man f— pk Subban

 

It seems the public at large did not learn a thing from the Donald Sterling racial incident of a week ago; their collective brains did not comprehend the gravity of the issue.

 

What Mr. Sterling stated behind closed doors has not cost him his beloved Los Angeles Clippers Basketball Team, his girlfriend, his wife, and his prestigious board membership in the National Basketball Association – yet.

 

It was a racist statement. But the American sports fan or some individuals in Boston, Mass or elsewhere did not seem to get the message.

 

Thursday night the second round of the National Hockey League Eastern Conference playoffs started in the Famous Boston TD Gardens. The Montreal Canadiens played the Boston Bruins in their first game. The Canadians have owned the Boston Bruins over the years in the playoffs, so Boston fans are not fond of the red, white and blue-clad Les Habs.

 

This game went long into the night with two overtimes and it was one of the best games played this year. Canadiens’ Defensemen Pernell Karl Subban received a pass from deep inside the Bruin defensive zone to the key.

 

Subban raised his stick as far as he could and fired a rifle shot toward the Boston Bruin net. The puck flew through a maze of players and past Boston’s star goalie Tuukka Rask for the winning goal.

 

The Canadians gathered around P.K. and gave him the usual team congratulatory salute…

 

Then it got ugly in Boston Gardens. Fans started to voice their displeasure that their team had lost once again to the hated Canadians in the first game of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals and to make it worse, a Black man on the other team beat them.

 

A few plastic water bottles rain down on the Canadiens with one hitting Subban – while monkey chants like in the various European soccer leagues could be heard. It went even further later that night on the sports internet media Bruins fans posted a picture of a noose with a caption tied something to P.K. Subban.

 

 

It wasn’t about learning anything from the debacle in Los Angeles; the actions in Boston were an ignorant endorsement of it.

 

The National Hockey League has to address this issue just as the National Football League (Washington Football Club), and the NBA (Los Angeles Clippers), and Major League Baseball (Lack of Black Players on the field) have to deal with their racial dilemma…

 

On Friday morning, Bruins president Cam Neely had seen enough — or maybe he just saw that insane noose thing — and he issued a statement:

 

“The racist, classless views expressed by an ignorant group of individuals following Thursday’s game via digital media are in no way a reflection of anyone associated with the Bruins organization.”

 

It echoes the statement the Bruins were compelled to make after Joel Ward’s overtime goal eliminated them from the postseason in 2012, kick-starting a barrage of racial slurs from Boston fans on social media.

 

Oh, of course, your Sports Leader (ESPN) said very little more than a word about the incident, yet The Rat Turds of The Mouse Hole in Connecticut immediately informs the world when a player of darker hue makes a mistake or is jailed.
The National Hockey League is right now, putting out the best product in team sports today in terms of overall excitement when it goes into Playoff Mode – but any supposed leadership on the part of Commissioner Gary Bettman – is woefully lacking.

 

According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporations website (www.cbc.ca), a Montreal – based media concern, Influence Communications, has tabulated 17 million – that’s million – tweets where ‘Subban’ and the N-Word are intertwined prior to Game 2 between Boston and Montreal, where Subban scored another goal and was the target of anything wearing Bruin Black and Gold as Les Habs lost 5-3; but their team speed and goalie Carey Price got them the split Boston feared.

 

The fact that Subban is the Canadiens’ best player upsets many an outsider and insider in the League. No player in recent memory has stirred more consternation from everyone – simply because he is great – and say it, damn it – many have a problem with the color of his skin as well as the swag in which he carries himself…

 

This isn’t the first time this bullshit’s happened; so let’s not pretend this was a one – shot incident.

 

Current Bruin and all – time Calgary Flame Jarome Iginla has experienced it for years – and simply went on about his business. But in the Chicago-Calgary series against the Chicago Blackhawks a couple years ago, a Chicago player said something to Jarome near the end of the third period– and while Iggy has had his share of Gordie Howe Hat Tricks, this did not have the vibe of gamesmanship; Iginla was clearly pissed and threw down, while Dustin Byfuglien, another Black player, playing for Chicago, was watching the action.

 

I remember we were getting the Canadian feed (fortunately rather than the crap analysis coming from Versus at that time) and even the announcers picked up on what was happening.

 

The look exchanged by Byfuglien and Iginla after order was restored smacked more of “I know” than that of adversaries trying to beat each other in a sport. Byfuglien would later experience similar after Chicago defeated the Philadelphia Flyers for the Stanley Cup; as he was the only Blackhawk player soundly booed when he had his turn to pick up the cup on Flyer ice.

 

It might have been because Big Buff laid the smack-down on Flyer defenseman Chris Pronger, who has given as good as he has gotten and has not played for the Flyers since; but knowing Byfuglien was “the only chip in the cookie” out there, one would be foolish to not consider why only he would receive derisive chants.

 

Ask Kevin Weekes how his career was compromised by Vancouver Canuck management – and people like John Vanbiesbrouck, whose lame apology for calling then Sault St. Marie (Soo) Greyhound Trevor Daley (now with the Dallas Stars) a Nigger was implying he was raised that way.

 

Now that Iginla is a Boston Bruin, I wonder what’s going through his mind as he sees Subban on the end of all this?

 

Boston Bruin fans might remember P.K.’s brother Malcolm was drafted by the Bruins in 2012; so if one day Malcolm makes the big club, what’s gonna happen when the Bruins lose a close game or get routed – what are the tweets gonna say then? What is Malcolm (and his other brother Trevor, in the Vancouver Canucks organization) thinking as well?

 

Boston, you can be better because of history. Willie O’Ree was not only the first Black player on the ice he was also the first disabled player on the ice. The Bruins fans have a problem because Number 76 beat them Thursday night just as Goal Brother Joel Ward of the Washington Capitals beat them in 2012 ousting Boston from the playoffs.

 

Some fans have a problem because P.K. Subban is Black and he is a great player, just as they had a problem with Ward scoring the winning goal two years ago.

 

As Iginla grinds on to hopefully be on a Stanley – Cup winning team, it seems that some fans do not have a problem with that. Iginla is Black, but let’s keep it 100 – the NHL had to know this issue of “growing pains” was gonna spill over into something ugly because of its own shortsightedness.

 

Let’s clarify the definition of RACIST: the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races.

 

Question: Are we born racist?

 

No, it’s learned behavior – and Americans are doing very well in that department.

 

And Canada can take some credit for this as well. Our colleagues Darrill and George Fosty have revealed factual information about Black players, teams, and leagues in Canada for over 100 – plus years through their “Black Ice” documentary – and certain Canadians still can’t wrap their minds around such a concept of history.

 

Former NHL goalie and anal analyst Darren Pang revealed his true side while speaking of Subban’s ‘ability’ a couple years ago. Here’s  the YouTube

link:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXqG9PzGroE

 

Now the issue is not Pang’s saying that Subban should play “the White way” – as opposed to “the right way” where we scratch our heads is on the “on and off the ice” crack.

 

Even giving the benefit of the doubt it might be a Freudian slip, what the fuck does Subban and how he acts off the ice or on it indicating a ‘Black’ or ‘wrong’ way? Is Pang saying Subban’s a thug? Is P.K. prone to criminal behavior? Or is he simply resentful that this talented young Black man – isn’t a Type B Personality baking Humble Pies for him? This is why we don’t see it as a slip…

 

 

 

Subban can talk shit – and back it up as it is part of his cerebral approach to the game; and if he were white, he would be former player Matthew Barnaby, or a current player like Boston’s Brad Marchand (known to be an on – ice pot-stirrer himself) – with infinitely greater skill.

And no one would say a fucking thing.

If Subban were a baseball player, he could be Rickey Henderson! The flash and swag shown by this young Black man on the ice in how he plays belies his superior skill and let’s not forget – he was a Norris Trophy winner last season.

 

Social Psychologist Susan T. Fiske writes: “While we may be hardwired to harbor prejudices against those who seem different and unfamiliar to us, it’s possible to override our worst impulses and reduce these prejudices”.

 

The more things change the more we remain the same. We don’t expect you to apologize to P.K. and to the Black fans for your racist rants; the talent level exhibited by all the Goal Brothers cannot be denied any longer. The League is getting darker – whether some folks like it or not.

 

Thinking being from Flin Flon, Manitoba or Burnaby, British Columbia is not gonna be enough to guarantee an NHL roster spot– if you’re not good enough.

 

“Best Man Plays” – is now truly in effect in the NHL and the neighborhood – and color of those in it – is changing.

 

We believe Cam Neely is a good guy – and he sure was a damn good hockey player; but if Bettman doesn’t get off his ass and jam with this issue, the issue and problem will get bigger.

 

Simply put, Handle Your Business, NHL – or your business will handle you.

We now resume our playoff reporting.

 

To be continued…

 

Goal Gray 19 (Ingram, Subban), 1:09, first period; 

 

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