5 P.E.I. minor hockey players suspended over racial slurs aimed at Black goalie from Halifax
CBC
A Hockey P.E.I. disciplinary committee has suspended five minor hockey players for 25 games for aiming racial slurs and taunts at a Black goalie from Nova Scotia during a tournament in Charlottetown.
"A lengthy suspension is required in order to reflect the seriousness of this type of conduct and to recognize the degrading nature of racial slurs," said the report by the governing body's discipline and ethics committee, which examined the case.
"A racial slur attacks the very core of what it means to be recognized as a person."
Because they are minors, Hockey P.E.I. is not identifying the players being penalizes as a result of the incident.
Mark Connors, a Black goalie from Nova Scotia, was subjected to repeated racist slurs and taunts at the Falcons Early Bird Tournament, which was held in Charlottetown from Nov. 18 to 21, 2021.
Connors, a goalie with the Halifax Hawks U18 AA team, said the N-word was directed at him during the first game he played.
"Some of the younger kids in the stands were calling me a racial slur. One guy said Halifax has a n----- for a goalie," said Connors after the tournament. "In the third period they kept on talking, saying n-----, n-----, n-----."
The Halifax player said some of his teammates and coaches heard the comments coming from the stands of Simmons Arena.
Hockey P.E.I. appointed a five-member committee to address the case, though two people recruited through a local BIPOC advocacy organization resigned before the process got fully underway.
In the report released Friday, the committee said that in addition to the suspension, the players "must complete an educational or learning experience to the satisfaction of the executive director of Hockey P.E.I."
It went on to say that the education would have to go beyond a "general training session or online webinar, where the player is merely present" and ensure that the players are fully engaged with the process.
After completing the training and suspensions, the players would be eligible to return to play.
The report notes that during the virtual hearing on the November incident, the players who were facing suspension and their parents denied Connors's allegations, saying there was no proof racist remarks were uttered.
They did admit to "chirping" the player to agitate him, and one player told investigator Darrell Scribner that Connors had skated over to the group at one point and called them "racist f---s."
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