Evander Kane leaves Hockey Diversity Alliance after shocking reason
Edmonton Oilers Forward Evander Kane has announced his departure from the Hockey Diversity Alliance
Kane Releases statement quitting the organization
In a statement released on Twitter, Kane said that he has chosen to leave the HDA, citing what he views as "individual agendas" as creating a culture of influence from within the group.
The Hockey Diversity Alliance was started in 2020 by Kane and fellow former NHLer Akim Aliu, both of whom had cited personal experiences of racism in Ice Hockey as part of their mission statement in regards to founding the initiative. The organization boasted multiple Black Current and Former NHLers.
The goal of the organization strived to enact a culture of inclusivity in Hockey and in development, hoping to create a grassroots movement that allowed for greater black and brown representation in the sport. The NHL had only 3% of it's players in the 2022-23 Season be black, with white players making up over 90% of the NHL.
Kane spoke on uniting against racism in a 2020 interview on ESPN's 'First Take' in the wake of the Murder of George Floyd, calling on white athletes in sports using their platforms to enact social change to highlight the issue of race in society.
Kane also said that he would like for top professional athletes who are white to be able to create dialogue necessary to create a discussion on perceived racial inequality.
Kane's HDA co-founder Akim Aliu has also used his platform to speak on race in society, citing race discrimination, as well as abuse in Hockey.
Famously, Aliu made headlines in 2019 after accusing then-Calgary Flames Head Coach Bill Peters of usually derogatory and racist comments towards the Forward, claiming that Peters had engaged in the use of a racial slur while he was the Head Coach of the AHL Rockford IceHogs in the 2009-10 Season. Peters resigned days later after Aliu went public with his allegations.
Aliu also confirmed in an interview with 'People' that he had been the victim of an attempted hazing while a member of the OHL while a member of the Windsor Spitfires. The Spitifres were later fined for hazing incidents, including the attempted hazing of Aliu.
Questions over Kane's split from HDA
It was not made clear what led to the dispute between Kane and the HDA, which Kane's statement does not allude to a specific issue that caused him to leave. The HDA has recently been critical of the NHL's plan to create it's own initiative designed to promote inclusion in the league. The HDA questioned the NHL as to why it chose to create it's own "players inclusion coalition" to promote social change instead of partnering with the HDA and using their platform instead.
The HDA had also noted the NHL's criticism of the end of specialty warmup jerseys, including for Pride Jerseys to support LGBT+ causes. The HDA has expanded to support the LGBT+ community, with Aliu having shown support for progressive politics on Twitter, a contrast from Evander Kane, who has liked Tweets from Canada's Conservative Party and from Florida Governor and Republican Presidential Nominee Ron DeSantis. It's not clear if personal politics played a role in Kane's split.
Kane's statement also mentions that he will continue to support improvements to inclusion in Hockey, hoping to improve visible black representation further, echoing the HDA's commitment to building a vocal coalition from the ground up, starting with youth Hockey, and beyond the ice as well.
The Hockey Diversity Alliance has not put out a statement regarding Kane's departure at this time, and it's not clear what will be of the organization following Kane's departure. Although the two have split, Kane has still reiterated his goal is focusing on the future of Black Hockey.
As Seen on Hockey Feed - Kane leaves Hockey Diversity Alliance, blames 'individual agenda' and 'combative approach'
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