Interesting Story about a racial slur in Cloquet Tourney

YouthHockeyHub · Post by **YouthHockeyHub** » Mon Jan 28, 2013 10:39 am

http://www.superiortelegram.com/event/a ... her_ID/36/

2 barred from youth hockey tournament after alleged slur

Two players from a Twin Cities-area youth hockey team were barred from further participation in a tournament in Cloquet this weekend after being overheard using a racial slur before a game Friday night.

Two players from a Twin Cities-area youth hockey team were barred from further participation in a tournament in Cloquet this weekend after being overheard using a racial slur before a game Friday night.

Their opponent in the game, a team from Duluth, has an African-American player.

The two players suspended are from the Centennial Youth Hockey Association, which is based in Circle Pines and includes several northern Twin Cities suburbs. They played Duluth East on Friday night in the Bantam B Barn Burner tournament for boys ages 14-15.

“We will not tolerate that kind of behavior,” said Mick Maslowski, president of the Cloquet Hockey Association, which runs the tournament.

Chris LeLeux, who is coaching the Centennial team this weekend, concurred, saying the team accepted the decision of the tournament officials, and that the association will weigh internally whether any further discipline is needed. The remainder of the Centennial team was allowed to continue playing in the weekend-long event.

LeLeux said the incident happened before the game, as the teams were in warm-ups, and said he and other Centennial officials were unaware of what had happened until after the game when a Duluth coach notified him.

The game itself was clean, LeLeux said. Maslowski also said that tournament officials had determined that the slurs were not used during the course of the game.

After learning of what had happened, LeLeux said, he asked Duluth coaches if his team could go to the Duluth locker room to apologize — and they did.

Roshanda Smiley, the mother of the Duluth East player, said she learned about the incident from her son after the evening game at Pine Valley Arena.

She expressed frustration at a lack of communication from tournament officials on Friday night; concerned about the welfare of her family and to make sure the incident was documented, she called the Cloquet Police Department. Smiley said officers took a report, and she commended their response to the situation.

Maslowski said tournament officials gathered information after learning of the incident on Friday night and then met Saturday morning to discuss disciplinary action.

“From our standpoint, we won’t tolerate that in our building, so we took these measures,” Maslowski said.

Duluth East won Friday night’s game in overtime, Smiley said, and she and her son were looking forward to the remainder of the tournament.

“He’s going to keep on playing and keep on skating,” she said. “I think the best way to deal with anything that’s negative is to remain positive.”

Smiley said she would like to see some diversity education in youth hockey. Noting how proactive the sport has been about teaching kids about safe play, she said some of that same attention given to diversity education could be beneficial.

Centennial’s LeLeux said the two players involved did something “colossally stupid” and that they — and the rest of the team —have learned a lesson.

“Even the boys not involved, they definitely have an understanding” of what happened, and the magnitude of such language, he said.

Minnesota Hockey, which oversees youth programs in the state, specifically addresses such incidents in its rules and regulations, which state that “racial or ethnic slurs and/or harassing conduct of any kind will not be tolerated.”

bestpopcorn · Post by **bestpopcorn** » Mon Jan 28, 2013 12:06 pm

Just once I would like to read that even though Johnny Superstar has served his 3 game suspension for (insert most recent news item here) his parents decided that it would be best for him to stay HOME for some good old fashioned "diversity training".

My experience over the years has instead been one of special board meetings with Johnny's parents looking for a way to shave time off of said suspension.

Your kids should understand that the league rules are the least of their worries.

old goalie85 · Post by **old goalie85** » Mon Jan 28, 2013 12:11 pm

I agree !!! My kids would be Much more worried about what dad would do to them than the coach/tourny director/board member whoever !!

Snarkie · Post by **Snarkie** » Mon Jan 28, 2013 12:47 pm

Same situation happened to a wonderful player and amazing young man on our team a few weeks back. The opposing association did seem to address the issue but, not at all with the severity it truly warranted IMHO. I do hope the opposing assocation considers having the young man that made the offensive remarks sit out when we play them again. It really would be the right thing to do.

elliott70 · Post by **elliott70** » Mon Jan 28, 2013 1:41 pm

delete

double posted

elliott70 · Post by **elliott70** » Mon Jan 28, 2013 1:41 pm

Problems of this nature should be reported to Scott Gray at Minnesota Hockey, director of SAFESPORT.

snowpuck · Post by **snowpuck** » Tue Jan 29, 2013 10:42 am

I see the last post the author deleted.. GOOD! Sad but if people do not believe racism is alive and well get your head out of the sand.. Not just against African American people but all other races not white.. This begins in the home and while I commend the coaches and the tourney people for suspending these players I do believe the parents need to be the difference makers here. To say they learned a lesson, HA I highly doubt it.. Lets face it the majority of hockey players are white and that is a fact. Teach your children well. They are not only hockey players but the face of the future.. ok enough ranting!

JSR · Post by **JSR** » Tue Jan 29, 2013 12:04 pm

snowpuck wrote:I see the last post the author deleted.. GOOD! Sad but if people do not believe racism is alive and well get your head out of the sand.. Not just against African American people but all other races not white.. This begins in the home and while I commend the coaches and the tourney people for suspending these players I do believe the parents need to be the difference makers here. To say they learned a lesson, HA I highly doubt it.. Lets face it the majority of hockey players are white and that is a fact. Teach your children well. They are not only hockey players but the face of the future.. ok enough ranting!

Agree with everything you said except one thing, that being if you do not think there is racism against white people too you need to get your head out of the sand, or the very least you probably have never experienced life outside the boarders of Minnesota. Racism is unfortunatley everywhere and exists against all people unfortunately, just depends on the "neighborhood" you are in so to speak

snowpuck · Post by **snowpuck** » Tue Jan 29, 2013 1:15 pm

JSR

Joined: 23 Apr 2009
Posts: 912

Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 12:04 pm Post subject:
snowpuck wrote:
I see the last post the author deleted.. GOOD! Sad but if people do not believe racism is alive and well get your head out of the sand.. Not just against African American people but all other races not white.. This begins in the home and while I commend the coaches and the tourney people for suspending these players I do believe the parents need to be the difference makers here. To say they learned a lesson, HA I highly doubt it.. Lets face it the majority of hockey players are white and that is a fact. Teach your children well. They are not only hockey players but the face of the future.. ok enough ranting!

Agree with everything you said except one thing, that being if you do not think there is racism against white people too you need to get your head out of the sand, or the very least you probably have never experienced life outside the boarders of Minnesota. Racism is unfortunatley everywhere and exists against all people unfortunately, just depends on the "neighborhood" you are in so to speak.

You could not be further from the assumptions about me... I was referring ONLY to hockey... Could have even been a different ethnic group that these boys hurled the racial slurs towards. I am just hoping these two young men did indeed learn and there will be two less bigoted adults out there because at the end of the day we really are all the same;)

observer · Post by **observer** » Tue Jan 29, 2013 1:16 pm

“We will not tolerate that kind of behavior,” said Mick Maslowski, president of the Cloquet Hockey Association, which runs the tournament.

Good, because Cloquet players and fans were some of the worst behaved, including racial and gender insensitivity, as any I've ever experienced. Sounds like they’ve learned some lessons through experience.

elliott70 · Post by **elliott70** » Tue Jan 29, 2013 2:01 pm

observer wrote:
“We will not tolerate that kind of behavior,” said Mick Maslowski, president of the Cloquet Hockey Association, which runs the tournament.
Good, because Cloquet players and fans were some of the worst behaved, including racial and gender insensitivity, as any I've ever experienced. Sounds like they’ve learned some lessons through experience.

They weren't cloquet kids.
Centennial.

The two other incidents (that I know of) involving this type of behavior were not Cloquet kids either.

Cloquet should be applauded from the way I read it.

My_Kid_Loves_Hockey · Post by **My_Kid_Loves_Hockey** » Tue Jan 29, 2013 2:02 pm

This happens more than you think, my son just this year was called a name based on his skin color in our last game of the Edina BAA tourny. I being a coach said something to the ref to pay attention to it, he went to the other teams bench said something to the coach and that was it.........

We all know kids get into it verbally but when it becomes racially driven......well I'm pretty sure it's learned close to home.

elliott70 · Post by **elliott70** » Tue Jan 29, 2013 2:16 pm

Minnesota Hockey has zero tolerance regarding this type of behavior.
As of a few weeks ago, SAFESPORT, has been established to deal with this type of behavior. (Any negative actions - especially off-ice and those things that the refs cannot handle because they did not see (hear) it.

Contact MH if you feel something needs to be done about an incident that has involved you or your child.

edgeless2 · Post by **edgeless2** » Wed Jan 30, 2013 11:37 pm

Wow!!!! Speechless. I hope this isn't for real.

Post by **karl(east)** » Wed Jan 30, 2013 11:45 pm

edgeless2 wrote:Wow!!!! Speechless. I hope this isn't for real.

Well, if it was, it isn't anymore.

"Speechless" about nails it.