Ian Kennedy discusses the Kalamazoo Wings Rainbow Ice game, 22-year-old Jo Dabney's Erie Otters jersey design, the Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award and more.
Kalamazoo Wings Sell Love Amidst Hate
The ECHL’s Kalamazoo Wings changed their logo to include the Pride flag rainbow and painted a rainbow across their home ice for their second annual Rainbow Ice game. Their home crowd reacted with overwhelming support, immediately selling out the game. More than 5,000 fans filled the rainbow-painted rink.
Although the night’s success was undeniable, Kalamazoo also set its organization apart from many by directly confronting a handful of hateful commenters.
Most notably, Louie Rowe, who spent time this season with the ECHL’s Fort Wayne Komets and SPHL’s Peoria Rivermen, replied to Kalamazoo’s online support of the LGBTQ+ community.
“I knew the Kwings were soft but I didn’t know they were gay, trans and soft,” Rowe said on Twitter.
The Wings replied by tweeting, “We’ll never stop celebrating the unique and diverse individuals that make the hockey community amazing.”
Peoria quickly released Rowe for his transphobic and homophobic language and views, which only escalated following his release.
“Our organization does not condone that language, nor do we support that point of view or behavior,” Rivermen co-owner Bart Rogers told Peoria’s Journal Star. “Those things do not represent the beliefs of our team, our partners nor our fans, nor the great sport we play. It does not represent the values of our organization.”
In the end, the Wings celebrated to a sold-out crowd, and Rowe is out of professional hockey. As the Kalamazoo Wings stated, “We are on the side of the LGBTQ community and your threats won’t stop us.”
Dabney’s Designs Continue To Promote Diversity In Hockey
Jo Dabney is the 22-year-old designer responsible for last year’s “Black Rosie” jerseys for the PHF’s Metropolitan Riveters. The jerseys were a hit with fans, racialized communities, and advocates for representation in the game.
Dabney is back again this season, this time designing a gorgeous jersey, which saw its debut on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and will be used throughout Black History Month by the OHL’s Erie Otters. While many designs focus on the past, as Dabney told CBC’s Shireen Ahmed, her design for the Otters is intended to look at present “Black Excellence” while also representing history.
“Most designs and events that focus on Black lives and culture are centered around Black history, the past, but I wanted to center on Black Excellence, the present, the future,” Dabney told CBC.
“A lot of the elements for the design are inspired by the history of the Erie Otters team, but the core idea was to stray from the recreation of traditional African patterns and create something new.”
Black sportscaster Trey Matthews also made a notable contribution historically to the game, becoming the second African-American ever to call a CHL game.
All proceeds from the sale of the jerseys will support Erie’s Black Wall Street.
Germany Returns To Top Tier At U-18 Worlds
After being relegated last year, Germany won the women’s U-18 World Championship Division 1A tournament.
Germany went 3-0-1-1, with their only loss coming in a shootout on the tournament’s final day to France.
Hungarian captain Regina Metzler, who plays for Ontario Hockey Academy and represented Hungary at the recent senior World Championship, led the tournament in scoring with four goals and six points in five games. Germany’s Anastasia Gruss was the top scorer for the Germans, with five points in five games to help her nation advance.
Germany will advance to the top tier U-18 tournament in 2024, while Japan was relegated from the top tier to Division 1A for next year.
Nominations Open for Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award
The NHL announced Wednesday that nominations are open for the sixth-annual Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award.
There will be two award winners in 2023, with a U.S. winner and a Canadian winner after Canada’s version is presented by Hyundai.
The award goes to an individual who “has positively impacted their community, culture or society” through hockey. It honors former NHL foward Willie O’Ree, who became the first Black NHL player on Jan. 18, 1958, and has been an ambassador for Hockey is For Everyone for more than 20 years.
Anyone at least 13 years old living in the United States or Canada can nominate someone from the same country for the award until Feb. 5 at 11:59 p.m. ET. To nominate, visit NHL.com/OReeAward.