The Hockey Stop

Darren Pang is one of the most respected hockey analysts in the NHL. But his Freudian slip on TSN (thanks to the GetReal Hockey blog for catching this) when talking about the benching of Montreal Canadians defenseman P.K. Subban, who happens to be black, is sure to open up the question of race in professional hockey that has always simmered under the surface.

Basically, Pang said that Subban, whose freewheeling offensive style is apparently not to the liking of Habs coach Jacques Martin, should model himself after another young defenseman -- St. Louis Blues player Alex Pietrangelo, who happens to be white. Pang meant to say that Pietrangelo plays the "right way." But what he said instead was that he plays the "white way." Thus the Freudian slip.

Now, Pang is not a racist and later apologized for the unfortunate remark. But, as hockey becomes more diverse and reaches beyond Saskatchewan farm boys, the racial question is unavoidable.

As much as Don Cherry and others would like every player to have the personality and playing style of Joe Thornton, that just isn't going to happen. And nor should it. The many European players from Russia, Sweden and other countries bring their own unique style to the game. And there are an increasing number of African-American, African-Canadian, Asian, Hispanic, Native American, Jewish and other non-WASP players in the league. And that is a great thing for the NHL because not only does it make it more diverse on the ice, but in the stands as well.

An example of the potential to bridge the racial divide in hockey is evident in the Atlanta Thrashers. The city of Atlanta has a large, educated and affluent black community, but many African-Americans traditionally have not embraced hockey because it is seen as a white sport played by mostly rural Canadians. But the Thrashers have a ton of black players -- Dustin Byfuglen, Evander Kane, Akim Aliu, Johnny Oduya, Sebastian Owuya and Nigel Dawes. That represents about 20% of the black players in the NHL. Hopefully that will translate to more fans in the seats at Phillips Arena. The fact that the Thrashers are surprising almost everyone by winning a lot of games so far this year should help as well.

While Pang didn't intend to, his comment will hopefully open up a much needed discussion on race in hockey. The trend towards diversity is a healthy one for hockey, and hopefully there will be a time when the benching of a player is only about his play on the ice, and not the color of his skin.

Here is the video: