I’M PISSED

I would imagine you’re as disgusted as I am by the behavior of the US men’s hockey team. Partying with Kash Patel, laughing at Trump’s “jokes” about the women’s team, and going to the White House and State of the Union address are horrible choices, but not surprising ones.

To be frank, I expected this. It’s why I was rooting for Team Canada. I didn’t want to have to watch NHL players cozy up to a man who is a fascist dictator and pedophile.

To be very clear, I am not implying that Team Canada doesn’t have major issues as well. We KNOW what kind of behavior has been excused and covered up by Hockey Canada. This is a problem that goes far deeper than nationalities. It’s a problem with hockey culture.

If I sound angry, it’s because I am.

I stood in the freezing cold on Monday night in front of a city hall building protesting a proposed ICE detention center. I did it with a very dear friend and his long-term partner, and watched him write emergency contact info in marker on his skin and clip on an air tag, just in case the protest got ugly and he was snatched up by ICE.

He was born in Mexico City, came to the US for a university degree, has lived here for DECADES and is a US citizen. But none of that matters right now. It isn’t safe for him. But he still has the courage to protest. To stand up for what’s right.

And I stood there beside him in below 20-degree weather with tears freezing on my face because I am so goddamn angry right now at where this country is right now.

So angry at a bunch of rich, privileged NHL players who don’t give a shit. Who made it abundantly clear that they do not respect women, even a little bit. They’re proud to shake hands and be trotted out by a so-called world leader who hates women and queer people and minorities.

So yeah, I’m angry. And my writing is going to get angrier. I’m going to get louder.

I’m going to keep writing characters like Zane Murphy and Ryan Hartinger, who protect women. Who speak up when wrong things take place, even when it means going against their teammates. Characters like Dustin Fowler who refuse to let people belittle the person he loves, even if they are team owners. Characters who make change happen in a quieter way, like Connor O’Shea. Who listened to his brother Kelly when he said that locker room culture needed to change and then made that change happen.

I’m going to keep writing the pro hockey league I want to see, and not the one that currently exists.

I had to sit down and decide if I was going to keep supporting the NHL at all. For now, I’ll continue to watch Penguins games and root for them. Ignorance is indeed bliss because there were no Penguins members who were a part of Team USA. Four played in the Olympics, but they are Canadian, Swedish, and Latvian.

I have no doubt there are MAGA members on the roster. I’m simply “lucky” that they haven’t been outspoken about it. If that changes, I will have to reassess.

I am going to keep speaking up about the problems in the league though. Contacting the NHL and expressing my disgust and disappointment. If you root for teams who have Team USA members, I urge you to contact both the NHL and the franchise and express your disappointment.

Some people I know are cancelling season tickets and pledging to no longer buy tickets or merch until there is some accountability.

I don’t know what the right choice is. All I know is that silence is complicity. And nothing will change if we don’t push for it.