NHL Diversity

After the NHL Diversity & Inclusion report revealed that 84% of league employees are white (link), the league announced an initiative to address its diversity problem and bring the game to a wider audience in outdoor locations.

“For the winter classic series, we are currently looking for locations where we can play on black ice,” said Kim Davis, NHL’s senior executive vice president of social impact, growth initiatives and legislative affairs. “Black ice is the most slippery surface that will also make our game appear less white. We will also surround the ice surface with rainbow colored boards and yellow snow.”

Recently several NHL players had recused themselves from wearing Pride-themed jerseys, which unnerved some fans and forced the league into increasing its diversity efforts calling the project “Black Unicorn.”

Outspoken hockey analyst PK Subban stated, “this is a long time coming, playing on black ice. For all of my career when most other players blended in with the surroundings, I was always an easy target to get hit.”

Rumored locations for the Black Unicorn game include Chicago’s North Belmont Ave, Seattle’s Cal Anderson Park, Toronto’s Church-Wellesley Village, Montreal’s Gay Village and Boston’s South End.