Kalman: Here's Hoping Hockey Players Soon Start To Speak Out
By Matt Kalman, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- A vast majority of professional athletes give back to the communities they play in. They're rewarded with great wealth and they try their best to share it with the less fortunate.
In hockey, the number of athletes who contribute to society beyond what they do with a stick and a puck counts almost every player on every team, and every organization makes it a point to be active in their communities in a number of areas.
Case in point, the Bruins on Thursday will hold Military Appreciation Night. Seven American-born Bruins players have purchased $2,500 worth of tickets for military personnel and their families. Patrice Bergeron has donated his suite to Gold Star families.
Beyond a night like Thursday, there are many visits to hospitals, schools, food banks and such – some not even publicized – that many players do over the course of the season and even in the offseason.
Hockey players have big hearts. However, when it comes to talking about things not pertaining to hockey, they don't have big mouths. When something as controversial as the 2016 election produces the selection of Donald Trump, a man with no governing experience and controversial policies about immigration and domestic policy, as the new President of the United States, players clam up. They decline to answer questions more politely than Bill Belichick, but the result is similar.
To his credit, Bruins forward David Backes, who is from Minnesota and has represented the U.S. in several international tournaments throughout his career, formulated an opinion and tried to express a hopeful message Thursday when asked about the election results.
"It was a surprise to I think the majority of Americans, what the result was. But the American people have spoken," Backes said after the morning skate at Warrior Ice Arena. "I think I haven't had a lot of political commentary in my days but I think the rhetoric and the tone since the election has toned down and become more presidential and I think [we're] binding together and coming all together on the same team because in the end we all are Americans. And you know that's the important thing about going out and voting is that you have your voice heard and you get to speak in this democracy. And hopefully the country's on an upward trajectory as we have been I think lately and continue on that trend so that we can all prosper together."
Backes' words, even if he didn't dig too much into the specifics of this election, are admirable because his voice is practically alone in the NHL when it comes to speaking about the results from Tuesday. While many players and coaches from the NBA have been speaking out and a few players from the NFL and MLB have also weighed in, there's hardly been a peep from hockey players. And that's a shame. It's also hard to justify the silence when something so important has happened and 23 of 30 NHL teams make their home in the U.S.
NHL players and organizations prefer a culture where the team is always more important than the individual and non-hockey distractions are greatly frowned upon.
"I think it's just we're here for business. We have jobs to do and I think our bosses don't really want us to express those opinions and I think we'd rather just keep those outside of the rink," said one American-born Bruins player who did not ask to be anonymous but will be anyway because even his non-opinion could be considered a distraction in the NHL. "I guess that's it. We just want to make sure when we're here at the rink there's no distractions going on."
The NHL players' culture of silence on hot-button issues is dignified. In the grand scheme, what matters most is the on-ice product, wins and losses, goals and saves. But I wish NHL players, many of whom are very well-spoken and who mostly have big hearts, would put their eloquence and manners to better use, to make their communities even better and be even better role models. One would hope that just because hockey isn't as diverse as the other sports, that hockey players don't think that what may be scaring or offending other athletes isn't offensive. One would hope that hockey players don't believe those same issues couldn't someday affect hockey players. Hockey players might be surprised to see how helpful their words and opinions could be.
There's no reason why hockey players shouldn't be able to speak out against societal ills that they see and then take the ice and play with and for one another with ease the way teams in other sports do every night.
Perhaps we're not too far from that time.
"I think everything's changing these days so ... the culture shift is always going to adapt to what's going on in the real world," the same anonymous Bruins player said. "So I think eventually it will probably start. I don't want to be that guy. Just personal preference I guess. I think that's just something that eventually it will take over because you see in the other sports how outspoken everyone is and they're not afraid to share their opinions or their views. It's something that's not here in hockey."
Hockey players give so much of their time, money and personality to make those in need feel better and live better lives. They should start using their voices and their standing in the world to do even more by speaking out when they see injustices in their communities and the country they either claim are their own or visit as an adopted player or an opponent.
Matt Kalman covers the Bruins for CBSBoston.com and also contributes to NHL.com and several other media outlets. Follow him on Twitter @MattKalman.
