Akim Aliu says GTHL rejected organization that would have assured spots for BIPOC players
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A former NHL player says the Greater Toronto Hockey League and directors of its AAA clubs stonewalled his bid for an expansion organization that would have assured roster spots for BIPOC players, had mandates for female representation and people of colour in managerial positions, and had the financial backing of major sponsors, as reported by TSN.
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Former National Hockey League player Akim Aliu says the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) and directors of its AAA clubs for nearly two years stonewalled his bid for an expansion organization that would have assured roster spots for BIPOC players, had mandates for female representation and people of colour in managerial positions, and had the financial backing of major sponsors, as reported by TSN.
Aliu and his partners first outlined their plans for a proposed GTHL organization, which would have featured teams from house league to AAA and be called the Toronto Dream, in an April 2021 meeting with the GTHL and the Ontario Hockey Federation, the body responsible for approving new AAA hockey organizations in the province.
Following that meeting, Aliu said the GTHL’s top officials repeatedly delayed deciding on his group’s proposal for months before denying its request for an organization with AAA teams.
“It’s extremely painful,” Aliu said in a series of interviews in recent weeks with TSN. “I believe this is the type of work it will take to grow the game.”
Aliu said GTHL executive director Scott Oakman and president Don West eventually told him that the officials with the GTHL’s 12 AAA teams discussed taking action against the board if it approved Aliu’s application.
Aliu said Oakman and West told him that AAA organization officials opposed Aliu’s plans because they worried about losing prospective players to expansion teams and were concerned that if Aliu’s organization offered free or discounted player fees, other clubs would be pressured to follow suit, eating into their revenue.
