Diversity needed to grow the game, say Black TMU hockey players ahead of university championship

As 25-year-old Elijah Roberts prepares for what will likely be his final weekend of university hockey, he looks back on a big change he's noticed in the game since he started playing as a kid.

"You'd be on a team and you were the only Black player," he said in an interview ahead of the U Sports men's hockey national championship in Toronto.

But teams were already more diverse by the time Roberts's brother, who is seven years younger, started playing, Roberts said. When Roberts came to Toronto Metropolitan University from the Ontario Hockey League in 2021, he said the team had multiple players and one coach who identified as Black.

"Which was for me, other than [during] summer hockey, the first time I've ever really had that," Roberts said. "It just kind of shows, like, how inclusive our school is."

TMU now has three Black-identifying players, including Roberts, and they're hoping to do their city proud as the school hosts the national tournament this weekend at the Mattamy Athletic Centre, at the historic former site of Maple Leaf Gardens and current home to the TMU Bold and PWHL Toronto club. 

"It's great to have a diverse team and everyone was welcoming," said TMU forward Kyle Bollers. "It's very cool to have. You don't see that often."

The school takes to the ice against the University of Calgary Dinos in the tournament's first game Thursday evening at 7 p.m. Eight schools from across the country will compete this weekend to become champions of Canadian university hockey.

TMU head coach Johnny Duco, who notes former Black and female coaches have gone on from TMU to the pros, said diversity is a pillar of the school's hockey program.

"Something we've taken a lot of pride in is providing a safe space for anybody in hockey," he said.

This year's tournament comes as hockey, particularly the sport's governing body in Canada, is under scrutiny for accusations of abuse, discrimination and a toxic, exclusive culture. 

In 2022, Hockey Canada started reporting on instances of on-ice discrimination across all levels and age groups. In the first year of reporting, the organization identified over 900 instances of race-based discrimination in sanctioned hockey games. The next year, that number rose to nearly 1,900 instances, though Hockey Canada says improved reporting may be chiefly responsible for the increase.

U Sports has its own code of conduct and harassment policy to deal with discrimination, said CEO Pierre Arsenault, but also follows Hockey Canada's lead on rules and discipline regarding discrimination. The organization made discriminatory behaviour in games, such as taunts or intimidation, a "gross misconduct penalty," for instance.

But Arsenault says discipline is the last resort for dealing with discrimination.

"What we're really working toward is the idea of education and awareness and as much prevention as possible."