'Here we go again': 2 Black ex-players want stronger action on racism from Hockey P.E.I.

Two Black men who played hockey on Prince Edward Island want the organization that governs hockey in the province to be more serious about tackling racism on the ice. 

Last week, Mark Connors, a U-18 hockey player from Halifax, said he was called the N-word several times during a recent tournament on the Island, and that he was told "this is a white man's sport." 

Josh McKinnon from Brackley Beach, who played for the Summerside Western Capitals for about four years in his youth, said it's "frustrating" to see these incidents still happening in 2021, well over a decade after his start with the Capitals.

"It's sickening what he's going through, looking back on stuff you go through yourself," he said.

"There's no word in the English language that can hurt a Caucasian person as much as what Mark was called."

McKinnon said Hockey P.E.I. doesn't deal with cases of racism strongly enough. He blames that on a lack of education.

"When it comes to racism, Hockey P.E.I. seems to drop the ball. They even said in an article for CBC that this is a hole in their training," he said.

"Three weeks for an investigation is just too long," he said. "You can get handed out a five-game suspension for using a homophobic slur, within the day, with very little investigation [based on] just what the ref says and what the coach or the other player says." 

McKinnon said all forms of discrimination need to be addressed. 

According to the National Hockey League, the first organized professional hockey league in North America was the Coloured Hockey League in 1895. All players were Black, and the league lasted till 1930.

"That right there kind of sums it up, as some people don't even know the history," McKinnon said.

He said it doesn't matter who invented hockey or who the first players were. Instead, he said, it's a "privilege" for everyone to play the sport competitively.

Another former hockey player on P.E.I., Marco Thorne, said he was saddened — and not surprised — by the latest incident of racism.

"A lot of people have disbelief. I kind of thought, here we go again," he said.