Weekly Warmup: June 9

The NHL conversations about anti-racism stemming from the death of George Floyd continue to flow and evolve. Monday morning, seven active and retired professional hockey players of color announced a new coalition called "The Hockey Diversity Alliance" to fight racism and intolerance in the sport.

Monday afternoon, NHL Network analyst and former NHL goalie Kevin Weekes hosted an Instagram interview with Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews to discuss, in part, "the racial inequities faced in the black community."

This edition of Weekly Warmup calls attention to NHL voices speaking out on race.

Turning 'Emotion into Action'
Kim Davis, the NHL's senior executive vice president of social impact, growth initiatives and legislative affairs, said Monday more than 120 NHL players have used social media platforms to express their thoughts about racism and pledge solidarity with teammates and all people of color. "The emotional moment of the words and the tweets and the videos are nice, and it makes people feel good," Davis told NHL.com columnist Nick Cotsonika Friday. "What I care about are the actions that follow ... that's what I'm going to be focused on and what I'm going to be measuring... it's about turning emotion into action."

Davis has been hearing from all levels of NHL owners, general managers, team executives, players and other "stakeholders," many of whom have not spoken to her previously or spoke out publicly about racism before now. Some players admitted social media is not their strong suit and wanted to discuss other ways to support. Davis says "all of this outreach has been initiated by the players, who have a lot of ideas about how to create stronger player-to-player opportunities." For more from Davis and "a long way to go with uncomfortable conversations," here is can't-miss listening: Davis appeared on the 31 Thoughts podcast with Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman last week.

Inspired By the Activist
As an NFL quarterback, Colin Kaepernick led the San Francisco 49ers to a Super Bowl in 2013. His activism is now his calling card, originating from Kaepernick's intentional kneeling during pre-game national anthems to protest "the oppression of black people and people of color." The seven players founding the aforementioned Hockey Diversity Alliance (HDA) said they sought Kaepernick's advice to form the new group.

Former NHL player Akim Aliu and current San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane are co-leaders of the alliance. They will head a HDA executive committee that includes Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba, Buffalo Sabres forward Wayne Simmonds, Detroit Red Wings defenseman Trevor Daley, Philadelphia Flyers forward Chris Stewart and retired NHL player Joel Ward.

Aliu authored a recent Player's Tribune storythat attraction widespread media attention; Kane is credited as the first NHLer to come forward with public remarks after the George Floyd killing when he appeared on ESPN's "First Take" show last week: "We need so many more athletes that don't look like me speaking out about this with the same amount of outrage I have inside and using that to voice their opinion, to voice their frustration, because that's the only way things are going to change. We've been outraged for hundreds of years, and nothing's changed. It's time for guys like Tom Brady and Sidney Crosby and those type of figures to speak up about what is right and what, in this case, is unbelievably wrong. That's the only way we're going to create that unified anger to create that necessary change, especially when you talk about systematic racism."

Inspiring a 'New Generation'
The Hockey Diversity Alliance issued an official press release on Twitter: "Our mission is to eradicate racism and intolerance in hockey ... Although we will be independent of the NHL, we are hopeful that we will work productively with the league to accomplish these important changes. We believe in the importance of accountability in developing inclusivity and diversity for all involved in our sport, including fans and the league office ... In creating our alliance, we are confident we can inspire a new generation of hockey players and fans. We are hopeful that anyone who puts on skates or sits in the stands will do so without worrying about race, gender, socioeconomic background and will be able to express their culture, identity, value and personality without fear of retribution."

Early and Vocal
While

Monday, both were vocal early in the aftermath of George Floyd's death. Weekes has appeared on several media outlets in the U.S. and Canada, including the ESPN on Ice podcast with Emily Kaplan and Greg Wyshynski. The NHL Network lead analyst has been upfront about his experiences as a black man and player.

"I don't wish being followed by police because of the color of your skin on anybody. I don't wish phantom [driving] tickets and a phantom legal system or your parents being harassed at an airport on anybody," Weekes said. "I don't wish having a banana thrown at me in my place of work, like it was in Montreal during the playoffs in 2002. Or

when it happened to Wayne Simmonds

[in 2011]."

Toews impressed the hockey world and any number of Chicagoans with one of the earliest posts from NHL players about George Floyd: "A lot of people may claim these riots and acts of destruction are a terrible response. I'll be the first to admit that as a white male that was also my first reaction. But who am I to tell someone that their pain is not real? Especially when it is at a boiling point and impossible to hold in anymore ... I'm not condoning or approving the looting, but are we really going to sit here and say that peaceful protesting is the only answer? ... I can't pretend for a second that I know what it feels like to walk in a black man's shoes. Seeing the video of George Floyd's death and the violent reaction across the country moved me to tears. It has pushed me to think, how much pain are black people and other minorities really feeling? What have Native American people dealt with in both Canada and US? What is it really like to grow up in their world? Where am I ignorant about the privileges that I may have that others don't?"

Progression of Player Statements
ESPN's Wyshynski reported on a "staggering" progression of player statements to illustrate the momentum of NHL reactions: "After Kane's public comments, his teammate and Sharks captain Logan Couture felt the need to write 'sorry if this offends anyone' when he was the first player to dip his toe in the water. By Wednesday, seemingly everyone was in the pool: Washington Capitals goalie goalie Braden Holtby

discussing the pain of D.C.'s black community

in having to traverse the Woodrow Wilson Bridge each day; Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins acknowledging the 'cry for help' from the black community, proclaiming that he won't be quiet anymore and

donating $25,000 to the Boston branch of the NAACP

; Toews asking white people to open our eyes and hearts [because] that's the only choice we have"; New Jersey Devils defenseman P.K. Subban convincing NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman to

match his $50,000 donation

to the GoFundMe for Gianna Floyd, George Floyd's 6-year-old daughter; and, after Kane mentioned him by name, Sidney Crosby releasing

a statement through the Penguins that mentioned Floyd

and participating in a powerful video put out by former NHL player Anson Carter." In addition, Crosby urged fans to "listen and educate" themselves about racism while fellow superstar Connor McDavid of Edmonton encouraged "to get out of our comfort zones.

'Another Level of Change'
For her part, Kim Davis says the NHL was already in the process of creating an Executive Inclusion Council to hear recommendations for three inclusion committees representing players, fans and youth. Davis also recommends two books for any of us, who, like Toews, feels the need to be more informed: "White Fragility" by University of Washington race scholar Robin DiAngelo and "When Affirmative Action was White: An Untold History of Racial Inequality in Twentieth-Century America" by Columbia University provost Ira Katznelson.

"In our sport, it's been the practice for our players not to speak up on almost any issue but for sure social justice kinds of issues," said Davis on Friday. "I've had people comment all week that for our league to use 'race' and 'black lives' in the same sentence is unprecedented, so this is a huge moment for us. I think it's going to take us to another level of change."