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I was angered by it, of course, but I wasn’t broken by it. George McPhee, the Caps GM at the time, said that Aliu made a good impression — “a polite kid … confident.” Aliu was pushed a bit in meetings with a few teams but the interview process really yielded nothing out of the ordinary. Akim Aliu, whose story of racism in hockey in late 2019 brought the topic back to the forefront, and San Jose forward Evander Kane will head up the group. His last time through the AHL, he was brought in as a stopgap while veteran minor-leaguers have been injured or promoted, filling in but not really with jobs to win. “After the incident in Windsor people in the game looked at me differently. All rights reserved. It goes with the territory. That’s not definitive proof none have transpired, but it does look as if Akim Aliu did the game and its players a real service. He wound up making it to the Show for a handful of games with Calgary back in 2012 and ’13. He said everything he could about the hazing in Windsor all those years ago and, to his mind, he didn’t get a particularly sympathetic reading. He most recently played for HC Litvínov in the Czech Extraliga. “I strongly believe the publicity around the hazing incident in Windsor turned my career sideways and to this day I’ve never been able to reclaim my reputation. When Aliu returned to the lineup, he was booed by Downie’s diehard fans in Windsor and shunned by some of his teammates. The Nigerian-born Aliu played last season with the Orlando Solar Bears in the East Coast Hockey League. He was the son of a Nigerian father and a Russian mother. “He looked really dynamic as a D in the video I saw — he could always really skate and he was carrying the puck, jumping into the rush. In 2005, Akim Aliu was a sixth-overall pick in the OHL draft beginning his first year with the Windsor Spitfires, when a bunch of older players forced four rookies to strip and locked them all in the cramped bathroom at the back of the team bus on the drive back from a pre-season road trip. Why Connor Hellebuyck is used to everyone thinking he's crazy. If Downie had deliberately knocked out an opponent’s teeth he would have been looking at a lot more than five games. Aliu poses in his Toronto Marlies minor hockey uniform; with his older brother, Edward (left), in Russia. We brought him in during training camp [in the fall of 2018] because the talent is there. But not all of them. Standing up for himself and his teammates was a mark of his character and not evidence of the lack of it. Akim Aliu will talk, however. The league suspended Downie five games and Aliu for a single game. And, please, don’t bother calling again. I continue to work on my game and stay dedicated. The Aliu story triggered tweets from former Carolina Hurricanes defenceman Michal Jordan, alleging abusive behaviour by Peters when he was coach of … Riolo sold the team weeks later. Three seasons ago, he switched from forward to the blue line, his position back when he was an atom and peewee star in Toronto, in the hopes of rebooting his career. Some stops don’t even show up on his CV, like the trip to Carolina’s training camp this fall on a tryout that lasted only a week or so. It’s also understandable why Aliu believes the Windsor hazing cast a long shadow over his career. Says Mantha: “All Akim wanted to do was play in the NHL. There’s no telling whether Aliu’s stock dropped because of the fallout from the Windsor hazing, and if so, how far it fell. Mantha was suspended and later fired. The Hawks released a statement in which they denied previously knowing about Aliu’s allegations. Terms of Service. Akim Aliu entered the popular imagination for most people in 2005 when he was a highly-touted 16-year-old rookie for the Ontario Hockey League’s Windsor … I’ve always been in great shape, never a drinker or smoker. And when the Blackhawks decided that they didn’t see a fit, well, GMs and scouts have memories and Aliu became that guy who didn’t make it in Chicago. When he started playing minor hockey, his parents bought him a pair of second-hand skates and a hockey bag of well-used equipment for $50 and teams found ways to wave fees and carpool him to games. Aliu shared the full story with TSN on Tuesday. Akim Aliu detailed the racism he faced in the NHL in a piece for the Players Tribune. This is the story of, perhaps, the most famous hockey hazing incident of the past few decades, how the victim is still looking to fulfill a dream that he believes was stalled by his decision to stand up for himself, and what lessons can be learned from the fallout for all involved. Next, select your favourite teams and leagues and we’ll show you their latest news and scores in the My Favourites section of the home page. The league and the owners of the Spitfires went into spin control. We've sent an email with instructions to create a new password. A cameraman for a local television station grabbing some footage at Spitfires practice happened to catch a wild fight between Aliu and a veteran, Steve Downie, a first-round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers. And why do their victims so often submit and stay silent? Hazing exists because of the belief that what happens in the dressing room stays in the dressing room. Hazing exists only because of secrecy. So far, eight students have been expelled and the school’s two top officials have resigned. We review it with all league players annually — that hazing isn’t tolerated. Subsequently, Downie was traded to Peterborough, then Aliu to Sudbury. Aliu played in the KHL and the Swedish league, as well, but always with an eye to returning to North America for another shot at the NHL. Born in Lagos, he’d spent years of his youth in Kiev before moving to Toronto, where he grew up in hard-scrabble circumstances, his family living on welfare for a time. “We’re aware of a tweet from former player Akim Aliu,” Treliving said. “Because of [the Windsor incident] we expanded our hazing policy. “Much love and respect for all, Akim Aliu.”. 1 killed, another wounded in Omaha mall shooting that sends shoppers running, Column: Former top cop Eddie Johnson defends officer in Adam Toledo’s death, Vallejo officer on leave after video shows him pulling a gun, detaining a man filming him, Malcolm Subban pitches his 2nd shutout of the season in the Chicago Blackhawks’ 4-0 bounce-back win over the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks are banking on Henrik Borgström rediscovering his ‘special’ game: ‘A lot of times you feel he has eyes in the back (of his head)’, 3 takeaways from the Chicago Blackhawks’ 4-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings, including a 5-forward power play and the Red Wings’ ‘block’ party. For all the rest, well, a lot of things have to go right. Column: Chicago Cubs belt 6 home runs in a 13-4 rout of the Atlanta Braves. “I really believe in standing up for something that’s wrong in the moment. As Brooks implied, a player’s best chance is his first chance. In a new piece in the Players’ Tribune, former NHL player Akim Aliu opens up about the devastating racial and physical abuse he endured as he tried to … Hawks goalie Corey Crawford was also a member of that IceHogs team. Aliu didn’t speak English at first, which made him the target of bullying, even though he soon grew a head taller than kids in his class. Return to the ice with fewer teeth and a mouthful of blood? That so many organizations wanted to look at him tells you that he brings something interesting to the table … that they thought there was a way to find a fit. As the awful story has unfolded, other athletes have come forward to talk about hazing incidents in their own pasts; their accounts are disturbing but, for all the details, they don’t start to explain the underpinnings of this toxic culture in sports. I don’t know. He says he’s in the best shape of his life. He wants to move past the assault in Windsor and focus on what’s next. Branch says that, to his recollection, both suspensions stemmed from the fight and not the hazing.) He wanted every word to be true and measured. KFC recipe revealed? Akim said it was not Steve D but another veteran [and] he would [not] name names as he did not want a player sitting in the stands. The arena became his safe place and comfort zone. Since then, though, he has bounced around. Enter your email address to get a new one. © 2000-2021 Rogers Media. Now he's got his sights set on winning the Jets' first-ever Stanley Cup. He was picked by Chicago in the second round of the 2007 draft. He was an immense physical talent in his teens and early 20s and still is. This, however, wasn’t the consensus opinion. Just this once, though. (It seems curious that Aliu was sat down at all. Ad Choices Aliu spoke up at arguably the most difficult time to do so. Aliu is up over 360 pro games. “And obviously, we’re playing, so I haven’t had the chance to sit down with Bill or our people internally to talk about this and get to the bottom of it. One note read: [Coach and GM Moe] Mantha asked if Steve Downie spat on the floor and asked [Akim] to clean it up. He's pictured here during a practice on Feb. 22, 2013. The Hawks had no comment on Aliu’s assertion that Peters sent McDonough and Bowman a letter requesting that Aliu be demoted. In fact, some portrayed him as a rebel or troublemaker. Peters is in his second full season as the Flames coach. But if you show Akim trust, he’ll die for you.”, Added an executive with one of the organizations Aliu played for in recent years: “Some kids get some bad breaks, some bad timing. Aliu faces off against John Tavares while a member of the Sudbury Wolves in 2009. I have no ill will whatsoever towards anyone with the team, players or staff, because of what happened to me. Akim Aliu, the No. “After the incident in Windsor, and in my later years in junior hockey, I would not tolerate the hazing of any younger player. Another: [Owner] Steve Riolo asked about any racial slurs. Why Jack Hughes could be the best USNTDP product ever. He aired out the whole hazing incident — or at least most of it, anyway. Jared Bednar [then the Peoria head coach, now in Colorado] loved him… You can get a rap against you for a lot of reasons, sometimes unfairly. Real ID and expired license backlog — but mostly COVID-19 — create long lines at driver services facilities. He played seven games in his NHL career, all … And they have to sign a league document that requires them to observe and abide by our policy.”. Aliu didn’t like it one bit and refused to play along. We apologize, but this video has failed to … Aliu, who was born in Nigeria and raised in Ukraine and Canada, later played seven NHL games over two seasons with the Flames. No one should be scared or shamed into silence. This is what he has to say. Aliu’s story of enduring racism and intolerance inside this predominantly white sport has already sent shock waves through hockey. I believe in standing up for what is right — and that we can’t keep the worst aspect of hockey culture a secret. Most recently with Carolina. After your first chance, every subsequent one makes the climb that much steeper. People who knew Aliu before he arrived in Windsor knew he was a kid who always stuck up for himself. I tried to do my part to break the cycle of cruelty towards young, vulnerable kids. No interest in advocacy, a role as a spokesman, none of it. Dan Carcillo speaks out on alleged hazing experience while in OHL, Q&A: Maple Leafs' Zach Hyman on confidence, hazing and esports. He continues to try out for NHL teams, though. Two IceHogs teammates, Simon Pepin and Peter MacArthur, confirmed Aliu’s story to TSN. Photo by Postmedia Archives All that potential in the Central Scouting report is seemingly still there to be tapped. When he scored two goals and an assist in his first two games, it seemed to augur an auspicious future. Akim Aliu’s story of his journey through amateur and minor league hockey is compelling, disturbing, inspiring and, above all, instructive. We will have no further comment until we have had an opportunity to look into the matter more thoroughly.”. “I mean, (Peters) was fine with me,” Crawford said. Akim Aliu is a Nigerian born Canadian-Ukrainian professional ice hockey player who is currently an unrestricted free agent. Smith and Bill Bowler, Windsor assistant coaches back in 2005, declined to speak to Sportsnet. And what had Aliu done to earn any suspension at all? Hazing landed back in the headlines in November, when Toronto police arrested seven young football players at St. Michael’s College who now face charges relating to an array of assault and sexual-assault offences. He intends this to stand as his last word on the subject. The other will not. I will never use what happened in a well-publicized hazing incident in Windsor as an excuse for the way things turned out for me. Despite his high placing in the OHL draft, he didn’t get an invitation to the Ontario team that played at Hockey Canada’s international under-17 challenge tournament that December. The way they see it, if anyone can speak as an expert about these incidents it’s Aliu, whose hazing laid bare the awful degree to which teenagers were capable of brutality, and eventually compelled the OHL to become more engaged and vigilant in protecting young athletes’ welfare. “I thought he was fine with all the players. Your existing password has not been changed. Despite notching three points in his first two NHL games, Aliu didn't stick in Calgary. His grades were off the charts: Bottom line: By professional assessment, Aliu was in the junior ranks’ elite in skating and puck skills, got full marks for his shot and toughness and he was six-foot-three and 215 pounds when he was 18. It’s never easy to talk about hazing but it’s never harder than when the wounds are fresh. “The game has taken something away — hazing, concussions and other injuries — but the game has also given me much more then I could ever hope for. A week after Akim Aliu publicly stated that a Colorado Eagles' equipment manager dressed in blackface as him at a 2011 party, Aliu accepted an apology from the … 56 overall pick for the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2007 NHL draft. “He’s an athlete but the question is whether he’s a player,” the scout said then. Then he wants the whole thing to be put to bed forever. Though his skating was high end — he later posted the fastest time by far in the one-lap skating drill at the CHL prospects game — Aliu didn’t get a sniff of Hockey Canada’s summer under-18 team. I feel I never got on track with my career in part because I spoke my mind. You may have created an account with another Rogers Media account that can be used to sign in here. Aliu’s tweet did not name Peters but referred to a “protege” of fired Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock. In case you missed it yesterday former NHLer Akim Aliu, the man who came forward with his story about facing racial discrimination from former NHL head coach Bill Peters, penned a very sincere account of … I appreciate and owe a debt to those coaches and team officials who helped to mould me into a player and give me a shot at my hockey dream. Not a good look for the former NHL MVP. Privacy Policy He was happy to help. {snip} In recent weeks, he publicly disclosed that Peters used the N-word to him a decade ago while they were with the Rockford IceHogs, another minor league team. Aliu’s closest friend on the team, Mickey Renaud, died suddenly of a heart disorder in 2008. One long-time NHL scout, who had followed Aliu for a couple years and seen him play a dozen or so times, vouched for the Very Goods and Excellents on Aliu’s NHL CSS report but wasn’t completely sold on him. Aliu’s unusually frank post — … (approx 1 - 2 per week). Hazing exists simply because of the fear of reporting it. More than 13 years after the fact, the principals aren’t inclined to talk about the Windsor hazing. Why do teenage athletes — and sometimes older ones — feel the need to humiliate their younger peers? Treliving made a statement to reporters moments after the Flames lost to the Penguins 2-1 in overtime Monday. Akim Aliu detailed the racism he faced in the NHL in a piece for the Players Tribune. Akim Aliu figures he was 12 or 13 years old the first time he heard a racial slur directed toward him at a hockey rink. The only one who was completely innocent in this was Akim and it was him who was hurt the most by it.”. According to Branch, teams have to consult with the league and get the head office’s approval for even the most innocuous of longstanding initiations: requiring rookies to pick up pucks after practice or help the staff load equipment onto the bus after road games. 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