Tag Archives: Anson Carter

The Black Girl Hockey Club road show continues with N.Y. Rangers visit

03 Sunday Feb 2019

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

NEW YORK – The Black Girl Hockey Club took Manhattan over the weekend.

The group of women of color and their supporters attended the New York Rangers-Tampa Bay Lightning game at Madison Square Garden Saturday night, visited the National Hockey League’s Manhattan office, and met Commissioner Gary Bettman Friday.

The group also did a walk-through of the American Legacy Black Hockey History Tour –  a 525 square-foot mobile museum that will tour six U.S. cities as part of the league’s and the National Hockey League Players’ Association’s celebration of Black History Month.

“It’s really just fun to see women who look like me, especially women who are older than me, who like hockey. I’ve not seen that,” said Fatou Bah, an events/marketing/social media entrepreneur and die-hard Washington Capitals fan, who attended the weekend’s festivities.

BGHC was founded by Renee Hess, a Riverside, California, woman who sought to gather a critical mass of women of color who, like her, are interested in hockey but might be hesitant to attend games in arenas where minority fans are truly a minority.

The group held its first meet-up in Washington in December a drew more than 40 women and their children from across the country for a game between the Capitals and Buffalo Sabres.

Some Black Girl Hockey Club members take to the ice at Madison Square Garden after the New York Rangers-Tampa Bay Lightning game (Photo/Courtesy Fatou Bah).

The Rangers invited the group to New York and put on the hospitality with a tour of Madison Square Garden, an ice-level view of the team’s pre-game warm-up, and a meet-and-greet with right wing  Pavel Buchnevich and center Vladislav Namestnikov post-game.

The women also spoke with Anson Carter, the hockey analyst for New York’s MSG Network, NBC Sports Network, and veteran of 674 NHL games.

Black Girl Hockey Club members Fatou Bah, left, and Erica L. Ayala check out black hockey artifacts aboard an American Legacy traveling museum parked outside Madison Square Garden last week as part of the NHL’s Black History Month celebration ((Photo/Jared Silber/MSG Photos).

“We’re trying to diversify our fan base, right? And it’s not just with men, it’s women, too.” Carter said. “To see the Black Girl Hockey Club coming and the momentum that they’re getting, it’s getting parents to see other black women that are down with hockey, too. It’s all about the parents, as far as I’m concerned. If you can get the parents convinced and hooked, then the kids are going to play.”

Stephane Clare arrived from Brooklyn for Saturday’s game in the Full Lundqvist – adorned in a blue Rangers jersey with All-Star goaltender Henrik Lundqvist’s name and number 30 on the back. She was excited to join the BGHC meet-up and have company inside MSG.

Black Girl Hockey Club member Stephane Clare takes a tour of a mobile museum dedicated to black hockey history parked outside Madison Square Garden Saturday (Photo/Jared Silber/MSG Photos).

“Usually I’m the only one at the game – it’s a little better when I go to Islanders games in Brooklyn – but, yeah, at MSG I’m very much in the minority. The more people that get involved with (hockey), off all races and genders, hockey should be much bigger than it is. It’s a great game.”

NHL Network’s Kevin Weekes, rear right, photo bombs Color of Hockey’s William Douglas, Black Girl Hockey Club members and New York Rangers center Vladislav Namestnikov after Saturday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Madison Square Garden (Photo/Rebecca Taylor/MSG Photos).

BGHC’s next stop? Nashville next weekend for a February 10 matinee between the Predators and St. Louis Blues.

The Smashville weekend coincides with the National Women’s Hockey League  All-Star Game, where BGHC members will see Buffalo Beauts defender Blake Bolden and the rest of the league’s best players in action.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman with Black Girl Hockey Club member Fatou Bah at the league’s New York office Friday (Photo/Courtesy Fatou Bah).

BGHC mebers will also be in the house at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center February 16 to watch the New York Islanders take on the Edmonton Oilers.

Follow the Color of Hockey on Facebook and Twitter @ColorOfHockey. And download the Color of Hockey podcast from iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud and Google Play.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hockey diversity advocates express dismay, disappointment over Vanbiesbrouck hiring

29 Tuesday May 2018

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

Several supporters of diversity and inclusion in hockey are expressing dismay and disappointment over USA Hockey’s decision to make retired NHL goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck its assistant executive director for hockey operations.

Anson Carter, who played in the National Hockey League for 11 seasons and now analyzes NHL and U.S. college hockey for NBC Sports Network, didn’t mince words about USA Hockey’s selection of Vanbiesbrouck, who called Detroit Red Wings defenseman Trevor Daley the N-word when he played Canadian major junior hockey 15 years ago.

Former NHLer Anson Carter questions USA Hockey’s hiring of John Vanbiesbrouck.

“I understand people make mistakes and eventually they should be forgiven. However, I find it very hard to believe that USA Hockey couldn’t find anyone else that was a suitable candidate without that kind of baggage who was eligible to hold such an important position,” said Carter, who  also hosts “The MSG Hockey Show” in New York.

“Hockey is moving forward not going backwards.”

John Paris Jr., the first black head coach to win a professional ice hockey championship, wrote on the sports website Boxscore  that “John Vanbiesbrouck should not be branded a die-hard racist” for uttering a racial slur at Daley in 2003.

Daley was captain of the Sault. Ste. Marie Greyhounds and Vanbiesbrouck was coach and general manager of the Ontario Hockey League team at the time.

“However, his nomination by USA Hockey as an assistant director of hockey operations has created some confusion which has multiple ethnic groups questioning the why,” Paris wrote. “Could this be privilege or a poorly handled situation?”

Lexi LaFleur Brown, wife of forward J.T. Brown, who played for the Anaheim Ducks and Tampa Bay Lightning last season, tweeted “I buy @usahockey membership every year to play. I hope one day our kids will play.”

“But right now I am extremely disappointed,” she wrote in the May 25 tweet. “Does this new hire promote growth and the best experience? Shouldn’t growth include taking steps to assure no one is ever called a racial slur again?”

USA Hockey officials formally introduced Vanbiesbrouck as its new assistant executive director for hockey operations on Friday. He succeeds Jim Johannson, who passed away in January at the age of 53.

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Trevor Daley.

Vanbiesbrouck addressed the Daley incident in a teleconference with reporters on Friday, saying “I was absolutely, 100 percent wrong” for using the slur against a then-19-year-old Daley.

“There’s not a lot of days that go by that I don’t feel remorse for that,” he added. “I’m extremely sorry for it. It’s not who I am, it doesn’t define me as a person and I have no prejudices in me, and it will never happen again.”

Vanbiesbrouck and USA Hockey officials said they’re committed to making hockey more diverse and inclusive in the United States.

“I’m proud to say that USA Hockey has a long-standing way forward and a really great slogan… and that is hockey is for everybody and for everyone,” Vanbiesbrouck told reporters Friday. “And we’re going to continue to build on that work and further diversity and inclusion, and I look forward to being a big part of those efforts.”

Still, Vanbiesbrouck’s appointment has received heavy criticism on social media. The 20-season NHL veteran has also received support from people who believe in the power of forgiveness and point out that the incident occurred 15 years ago.

Since then, Vanbiesbrouck and Daley have climbed hockey’s ladder. Vanbiesbrouck was general manager of the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL before taking the USA Hockey job.

Daley has developed into a solid NHL defenseman, playing for the Dallas Stars, Chicago Blackhawks, Pittsburgh Penguins and Red Wings. He won two Stanley Cups with the Penguins before signing with the Red Wings last season.

Val James, the NHL’s first U.S.-born black player, thinks it’s fine for John Vanbiesbrouck to hold a high-level position with USA Hockey – if he’s personally apologized to Trevor Daley for calling him the N-word in 2003.

Val James, who became the NHL’s first American-born black player when he joined the Buffalo Sabres in 1981-82 believes that Vanbiesbrouck needs to personally apologize to Daley and his family for the slur – if he hasn’t already –  as he assumes the USA Hockey post.

“I think John should personally apologize to Trevor for calling him that demeaning word,” James told me. “John now being in that position should wipe the slate clean.”

Vanbiesbrouck said he’s “a big fan” of Daley’s but added that their “paths have not crossed” over the years.

“I’m not in a lot of the big buildings where he’s been at the pro level,” Vanbiesbrouck told me. “I’ve been mostly in minor hockey buildings…he’s been far removed from that.”

Follow the Color of Hockey on Facebook and Twitter @ColorOfHockey. And download the Color of Hockey podcast from iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud and Google Play

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carter went from ‘ha-ha’ to ‘hey, now’ on Chance the Rapper’s SNL hockey skit

08 Thursday Feb 2018

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

PYEONGCHANG – Anson Carter’s response was “Ha, ha, that’s funny” when he first saw Chance the Rapper play a clueless New York Knicks basketball sideline reporter trying to analyze a NewYork Rangers hockey game in an NBC “Saturday Night Live” skit.

Former NHLer Anson Carter will be part of NBC’s Olympic TV crew.

But his reaction quickly shifted to “Hey, now, wait a minute” upon further review.

“I loved it, I thought it was funny, you need to laugh at yourself,” Carter, a retired National Hockey League forward/turned hockey analyst for NBC Sports Network and host of “The MSG Hockey Show.” “But at the same time, there are enough black people out there who know the game of hockey that you’re like ‘Can we actually move past that point?”

“I liked it because it brought attention to the sport, but you can’t keep using those same old stereotypes because there are actually knowledgeable black fans out there that you’re saying ‘You guys have no clue on what’s going on,’ he added. “I think that was the easy way out making fun of hockey, of all sports. There’s a lot more black fans out there than we get credit for. From that standpoint, I didn’t like it, but you’ve got to laugh at yourself.”

Carter is busy these days preparing to impart hockey knowledge on television viewers as part of the NBC team that will cover the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, Feb. 9-25. He’ll serve as an in-studio host from NBC Sports Group’s International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Connecticut.

He says he’s mindful that the Winter Games might be the first time that a casual viewer might see a black person talking about ice hockey on TV.

“Sometimes you’re changing the channel, and you might not watch the whole game, but you might want to see what’s happening between periods, and you see a black face on TV talking about the game, giving some insightful analysis on what’s going on,” Carter said.

“I always keep in mind, too, that I have to make sure that I’m prepared at all times,” he added. “I want to make sure I’m bringing my ‘A’ game to the table because it is all about diversity. You can’t talk about being diverse on the ice, but then off the ice you don’t have that diversity as well when you have people capable of doing the job.”

Embed from Getty Images

Carter did the job when he was a player. He tallied 202 goals and 219 assists in 674 games over 11 seasons with the Capitals, Boston Bruins,Edmonton Oilers, VancouverCanucks, New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, Columbus Blue Jackets and CarolinaHurricanes.

And he did it while wearingdreads.

These days, he’s is part of a growing group of black hockey analysts/broadcasters.  Kevin Weekes, a former NHL goaltender, mans the analyst’s desk at the NHL Network. David Amberco-hosts the late Saturday game on “Hockey Night in Canada,” the “Monday NightFootball” of the Great White North.

Tarik El Bashir  provides analysis during Washington Capitals broadcasts on NBCSports Washington, where he’s sometimes joined by Carter. Everett Fitzhugh is the voice of the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL.

Last month, Fitzhugh was part of a television team chosen to call the CCM-ECHL All-StarGame that aired on NHL Network.

All these guys, to paraphrase Chance the Rapper, are doing that hockey.

Follow the Color of Hockey on Facebook and Twitter @ColorOfHockey. Download the Color of Hockey podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud and Google Play.

‘Saturday Night Live’ skit pokes fun at a black reporter covering hockey. Really?

19 Sunday Nov 2017

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , ,

There’s an old saying that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Well, NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” served up a heaping helping of flattery on last night’s show.

It featured a skit built on the old “black folks don’t know hockey” premise with Chance the Rapper playing an unhappily cold black New York Knicks sideline reporter filling in for the regular New York Rangers rink side reporter on MSG Networks and not knowing a lick about the sport.

The bit reminded of Tony X, a black man who became a social media sensation in 2016 when he stumbled upon a hockey game on television and delivered his own play-by-play of a sport that he never really watched before.

Even Tony thought the SNL skit had a little him in it.

The skit got rave reviews on social media.

Let’s laugh, by all means, but let’s not forget – or fall into stereotypes.

There there are several great and knowledgeable black hockey broadcasters in the booth and at ice level. There’s MSG’s own Anson Carter, not a hockey newbie having scored 202 goals in a 10-season National Hockey League career: NHL Network’s Kevin Weekes, a former goaltender who appeared in 348 NHL Games; David Amber, co-host of “Hockey Night in Canada’s” Saturday late game; Tarik el Bashir who appears on Washington Capitals broadcasts on NBC Sports Washington;  and Trevor Thompson, who works Detroit Red Wings games for Fox Sports Detroit.

And, oh yeah, even black rappers know a thing or two about ice hockey.

SNL also had a musical skit with Chance the Rapper and cast members Kenan Thompson and Chris Redd crooning “Come Back Barack,” a homage to former President Barack Obama.

I thought the Second City comedy troupe’s “We’re Going to Miss You Barack” skit  from its “Black Side of the Moon” show last year was better.

Follow the Color of Hockey on Facebook and Twitter @ColorOfHockey. And download the Color of Hockey podcast from iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud and Google Play.

Hockey hair, even players of color go with the flow

08 Tuesday Mar 2016

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

Hair.

It’s as much a part of hockey as sticks, pucks, and goalie pads. We marvel at Florida Panthers forward Jaromir Jagr’s business-in-the-front-party-in the back mullet, a style so timeless, so awesome, so hockey, that Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban paid homage to it at the NHL All-Star Weekend in January.

Washington Capitals forward Mike Marson had it all - an Afro, mutton chops, and a Fu Manchu.

Washington Capitals forward Mike Marson had it all – an Afro, mutton chops, and a Fu Manchu.

New York Rangers forward Ron Duguay was all about Sassoon jeans, Studio 54, and curly locks in the disco days of the 1970s. And those of us of a certain age can recall catcalling St. Louis Blues sniper Garry Unger as his long red mane flew when he skated up ice in the early 1970s.

Hair is so synonymous with hockey that there’s a term for it: Flow. Hockey players are perfectionists, dedicating countless hours making sure that a move, a shot, a save is just right. They’re apparently just as fussy about their flow.

So much so that an enterprising anonymous filmmaker has been producing High School All Hockey Hair Team videos since 2011.

The 2015 YouTube video went viral with more than 2.5 million views. And this year’s

Anson Carter stuffed dreadlocks into his helmet during his NHL career.

Anson Carter stuffed dreadlocks into his helmet during his NHL career.

edition is quickly racking up the clicks and views. Flow is such a serious business that

hockey equipment manufacturer Warrior sponsored the video in 2015, giving the filmmaker $15,000 if the video surpassed 100,000 views.

There aren’t many players of color in this year’s video, but that doesn’t mean minority

hockey players haven’t let it flow.

Mike Marson became the NHL’s second black player when he joined the Washington Capitals in 1974. But he was the first to sport a killer Afro, mutton chops, and a Fu Manchu.

Goalie Eldon "Pokey" Reddick - need we say more?

Goalie Eldon “Pokey” Reddick – need we say more?

Edmonton Oilers goaltending great Grant Fuhr  rocked an Afro early in his playing days that would’ve made the Ohio Players proud.

And who could forget goalie Eldon “Pokey” Reddick?

He appeared to be as active with the hair activator as he was in net for the Winnipeg Jets,  Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

High-scoring forward Anson Carter and enforcer Georges Laraque packed dreadlocks under their helmets during their NHL careers. Hockey tough guy Chris Simon wore  his dark hair at Rapunzel-length during most of his NHL career to show  Ojibwa First Nation pride.

Like their teammates, they just went with the flow.

 

 

Blackhawks’ Jamal Mayers retires from NHL

14 Saturday Dec 2013

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

Winger Jamal Mayers announced his National Hockey League retirement Friday after getting his named etched on the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Jamal Mayers ends his NHL career on top, winning the Cup with Chicago last season.

Jamal Mayers ends his NHL career on top, winning the Cup with Chicago last season.

“It really has been an amazing experience to have had the chance to play 14 seasons in the NHL, and finish it all off last season as a part of the Chicago Blackhawks winning the Stanley Cup,” Mayers told the Associated Press.

In a telephone interview with ESPN Friday, Mayers said “If you had asked me two years ago, ‘Would I announce my retirement,’ I would have said ‘No.'”

“The only reason this was necessary was to give thanks to everyone who got me there and helped me stay there,” Mayers told ESPN. “To my family and friends, it’s just saying thanks. That’s what it means to me.”

A former Western Michigan University standout, Mayers registered 90 goals, 129 assists and 1,200 penalty minutes in 915 regular season games with the St. Louis Blues, Toronto Maple Leafs, San Jose Sharks, Calgary Flames and Blackhawks.

The 39-year-old Toronto native was drafted 89th overall by the Blues in the 1993 NHL draft. He was part of an inaugural class of young Toronto-area players to participate in the Skillz hockey program. That class included former NHLers Anson Carter and Kevin Weekes.