Why won’t NHL players, hockey media speak out against Donald Trump’s Muslim ban? | The Comeback
Since the inauguration of Donald Trump, and throughout the 2016 elections we have seen athletes from all major sports leagues make political statements that have polarized fans. NHL players have been quite absent from the political discussion, which Dave Lozo argues is odd as the NHL has a large number of non-US born players.
The NHL, which has nearly three-quarters of its players born in countries that are not the United States, hasn’t made a peep publicly about this ban. That’s odd, considering the global nature of the league and the fact it wishes to play games in other countries.
I’m not sure why anyone expects hockey players to make political statements. It’s not really in their DNA. They are famously boring to interview, and almost never say anything interesting but rather use generic recycled statements. In hockey’s defense, the NHL has tried to bring social issues to the forefront, collaboration with the You Can Play Project is a good example. In addition, several players spoke about about gay rights during the Olympics in Russia.
Should we really be disappointed when players don’t voice their political views and alienate half of their fan base?
Red Wings feeling bullish about playoff chances | The Detroit News
The Red Wings have an upcoming stretch of games against the NHL’s top teams, including Columbus, Washington and Minnesota. Although making the playoffs at this point is a long shot, they seem quite optimistic about their chances.
“There are so many points left in the season,” said forward Steve Ott, who was activated Monday off the injured list. “When you have 30 games to go, the standings will switch so much until probably the last game of the year, like it has every single year.
The Wings haven’t won 3 games in a row since the beginning of the season and have been plagued by injuries and bad starts. These are things they will need to fix if they’re going to have a chance to pile on the points and keep the streak alive.
*BONUS*
A Letter To The Joe | Zack Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets
Great read from a kid who’ll be in the house tonight.
I’m not really a kid anymore, but for one night, I plan on being one in the building that gave me something to dream about.
So I wanted to make sure I said “thank you,” Joe Louis Arena. Thank you for the memories and for housing the tradition, for representing a historic franchise and for helping a wide-eyed kid from suburban Detroit fall in love with hockey.
And if you can put in a word for me…I’d *really* like one of the chairs.
