Note the following in Nazem Kadri story published here today.
“ In the following game, Kadri scored a hat trick. As pleased as I was for Kadri the player, my concern for Kadri and the wider Muslim and Arab community was that the narrative would be that Kadri “fought back against racism” by playing his best game possible.
“But was it that, or was he simply a hockey player trying to defeat an opponent? How Kadri and his family process and manage this kind of abuse and stress is not something we are entitled to know. Navigating through racist abuse and violent threats is deeply personal and upsetting. I am all too familiar with it. And the burden of eradicating racism should not fall only on the shoulders of those experiencing it.
“But being able to push that weight off and play at a top level is astounding. It is also a burden that more than 90 per cent of NHL players do not have to manage. Like other racialized players, a vast minority in the NHL, Kadri is judged differently than others by media and fans.”