Chicago Blackhawks Morning Links: Duclair Continues to Help Fight Racism in Hockey

CHICAGO, IL - MARCH 08: Anthony Duclair
CHICAGO, IL - MARCH 08: Anthony Duclair

Last week, Chicago Blackhawks forward Anthony Duclair came to the aid of a 12-year-old goalie who was a victim of racial slurs in Nova Scotia

Reported on April 12th by CBC and also published by Evan Moore of the Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Blackhawks forward Anthony Duclair has found himself yet again fighting racism in the sport he loves.

This past season, Duclair was disappointed after an event in Chicago when Blackhawks fans taunted Washington Capitals forward Devante Smith-Pelly while he was in the penalty box.  The Blackhawks organization acted swiftly in ejecting the fans and banning them from future Blackhawks games.

But this time it wasn’t a grown man being taunted, it was a 12-year-old boy.  Mark Connors of Nova Scotia has apparently been the victim of racial slurs frequently since he started playing hockey six years ago.  The article goes on to talk about Mark’s father reporting the issues to the league and holding kids accountable for their actions.

Duclair saw the story about Mark Connors and reached out on Twitter in his defense.

With the Blackhawks in a transition year and Duclair a restricted free agent, it’s hard to tell if he will be here for the long-term.  But there needs to be more guys like him in the world.

Having a day called “Hockey is for Everyone” is one thing, but coming to the defense of a victim who is being directly impacted by this kind of bullying is another.  This is no place for that kind of behavior in hockey, or anywhere else for that matter.

Rockford IceHogs/Indy Fuel update

The Indy Fuel played their final game of the season Thursday after being swept in the first round of the ECHL playoffs by the Toldedo Walleye.  The Fuel finish with a regular season record of 36-30-5-1.

Hope everyone has a great weekend and go ‘Hawks!

-Blackhawk Up

Next: Blackhawks Not Far From Some Playoff Teams

Morning links

  • IceHogs charge into playoffs behind coach Jeremy Colliton – Daily Herald
  • Billy Gardener in debted to Wolves after breakup with Hawks – Chicago Sun Times
  • Artem Anisimov season review – The Athletic
  • Duclair reaches out to victim of racial slur – CBC
  • Texas truck driver sees game in every NHL arena – Global News