HDA Creates ‘Tape Out Hate’ Campaign To Combat Hate In NHL

The social justice warriors were not able to eradicate racism from politics as they had hoped. The NHL is their next battlefield for trying to eliminate hate.

The Hockey Diversity Alliance, which includes a combination of current and former players such as Toronto Maple Leafs winger Wayne Simmonds and Colorado Avalanche winger Nazem Kadri, has launched a “Tape Out Hate” campaign that will sell rolls of hockey tape inscribed with the message “Racism has no place in hockey.” Additionally, members of the HDA created a two-minute video highlighting their racist experiences to serve as a “rallying cry” for their cause.

The biggest thing that we desire to do is start a dialogue. This is a rallying call. It’s clear that this is not something we can do on our own. We have to have our supporters, which is the white community backing us.” Akim Aliu, an ex-NHL player and founding member of HDA told ESPN. “We are here to share our experience and be one team, regardless of gender or race. “We want the game to be at its best.”

Here’s the video: 

Our partnership with ASE is an honor. @TheOfficialHDA. Watch their unfiltered experiences & how we are working together to make this game for us all. #TapeOutHate
@Simmonds17 @43_Kadri @Dreamer_Aliu78 @matt_dumba @aduclair10 pic.twitter.com/TRvvV37Bqc

— Budweiser Canada (@BudweiserCanada) January 8, 2022

The uncensored footage does not hide the disturbing incidents of verbal abuse experienced by these players.

However, much of what the campaign advocates highlights is a race-versus-race, communist approach to the world. Statements from the video such as, “It’s completely different when you’re a white player, people still don’t understand that,” “When you get more diversity in the game, it’s only going to make it better,” highlight that they think the only way that racism can be eradicated is if people “understand” their pain (whatever that means), and getting more black people in the game.

The problem is that all these solutions have failed to work in other areas of culture. Hockey tapes and slogans aren’t going to fix hate and racism. Because all people have the potential to hate each other, regardless of their skin color. Even white hockey players get quite a bit of abuse.

After the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Montreal Canadiens in five games to claim the 2021 Stanley Cup, Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev said that he, his teammates, and his teammate’s families received death threats after his teammate Nikita Kucherov insulted Canadiens fans after the title-clinching win (a classless move but not worthy of death threats). Where are the cries championing the Lightning’s cause? What marketing campaign supports hockey players facing danger? Because white hockey players who are suffering from injustice do not align with the social justice narrative and render them meaningless, there is no place.

To eradicate racism we need to change our hearts, which is something that the HDA cannot do.