Photo:Larry MacDougal/AP
Larry MacDougal/AP
Akim Aliu loves the game of hockey, but the sport hasn’t always given him that love back.
After dealing with significant racism throughout his hockey career, former National Hockey League player Aliu, 33, is opening up about the impact that had on his life in the new documentary,Black Ice.In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Aliu says he has always felt like an outsider in the sport.
“I think for a lot of years — and it’s kind of sad to say — for a lot of black players, just because of how few there was of us, we almost tried to be white just to fit into the culture of hockey and what what hockey stood for, for decades,” Aliu admits.
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Born in Nigeria, Aliu grew up in Ukraine before immigrating to Canada with his family when he was 8 years old. At the time, they didn’t have much money to pay for the very expensive sport of hockey, and kids would make “fun of my equipment,” like his secondhand skates and helmet, and made him feel like he didn’t belong.
“I was just trying to fit in, I was just trying to do the sport that all my friends were doing, and everybody in Canada was playing,” he says. “But it seemed like the harder I tried, the more I didn’t fit in.”
Aliu dealt with racism in the sport for years, but decided to speak out for the first time in 2019 when he publicly alleged thatBill Peters, his coach 10 years earlier when he played for the AHL’s Rockford Ice Hogs, directed racial slurs toward him. At the time, Peters was head coach of the NHL’s Calgary Flames and resigned as others came forward to corroborate Aliu’s claims.
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Although Aliu’s bravery set off a wave in the hockey world of others opening up about their own racist encounters, some questioned why he waited so many years to come forward. Aliu says the answer has everything to do with the lack of empowerment for Black hockey players within the sport.
“For the most part, in like 12 years playing professionally, I only played with one other person of color,” Aliu recalls. “So, not really a lot of people to rely on and to lean on when you’re going through these issues.”
And this was far from the first racially-motivated incident Aliu had dealt with on or off the ice. In 2005, Aliu refused to participate in a hazing activity with his then-teammates on the Windsor Spitfires.
When a video came out of Aliu in a physical fight with another player — who had hit Aliu first, off camera — Aliu decided to share the hazing that he witnessed, a move that he says his reputation has never recovered from.
In another incident, in 2011, the then-Colorado Eagles equipment manager posed next to Aliu at a Halloween party while dressed in blackface.
“It was a really difficult path,” he tells PEOPLE. “But hockey also provided a lot for me, and kind of gave me the platform that I stand on today. But I don’t think kids should go through what I went through.”
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“We got to a point to say, ‘Hey, we were lucky enough to make it to the highest level, but there’s so many kids that slip through the cracks and weren’t able to have that opportunity. So what can we do now besides talk?’ ” he says.
Noting that “actions speak louder than words,” Aliu says that led to the birth of the HDA. It now provides resources to underserved communities in the Greater Toronto Area for kids to be able to play hockey at no cost. It also focuses on educating the kids on “the history of hockey, subconscious bias and allyship.”
“We all know that there’s small, little experiences in your life that kind of change your theory of your life and challenge your interest,” Aliu explains. “So we’re hoping to be that vehicle that provides opportunities to these kids.”
Lionsgate
Through the HDA and the new documentaryBlack Ice,Aliu says he hopes to offer the younger generation a sense of mentorship and relatability he lacked growing up.
“I want these kids to know that black people did contribute in a real way to this game,” Aliu shares. “And I think, in a lot of ways, that gives you a sense of ownership of the game. It allows you to be comfortable in your own skin knowing that you belong.”
“I think for the most part, that’s what these kids need: confidence and a sense of belonging."
Black Iceis in theaters on July 14.
source: people.com
