The #FireJessAllen thing is exaggerated by pro-Cherry supporters and NOT comparable at all.

Don: “you people come here...”
- Attacks all immigrants

Jess: “growing up, they tended to be white boys...”
- Doesn’t assume all players are white, just most in her experience

It should be pretty obvious that not all hockey players are white, boys, bullies, or rich.

But, take a look at today’s NHL. The proportion of visible minority players to white players is still extremely small.

Racism is still VERY alive in hockey today. Just a few months ago @evanderkane_9 had a white hockey fan tell him on his Instagram to “stick to basketball” while another (you guessed it) white fan yelled it at him when he was in the penalty box during last year’s playoffs.

Also this year, @PKSubban1 reached out to a young black hockey player to support him because he was having racial slurs thrown at him on his minor team.

And a few years ago @Simmonds17 had a banana thrown towards him while on the ice during a preseason game.

Not all players are boys too, but look at the proportion of men’s leagues compared to women’s leagues. Look at the viable and strong NHL/AHL/CHL systems compared to pro leagues for women. Look at the proportion of sports journalism between the two. It’s very VERY imbalanced.

Jess Allen may have been abrasive in her statement due to her own perception of hockey, but she’s not necessarily wrong. Not only did she NOT generalize (which is the key difference between her rant and Don’s), but she’s talking about problems currently alive in hockey.

I strongly believe hockey is a game for everyone.

But, to move away from these negative impressions of hockey, we need to keep supporting people of colour and girls in hockey, just as “white boys” have been for the past century.

Equal treatment requires equitable action.