i'm seeing team discourse on the tl. don't make me tap the sign

(Image IDs: Edited versions of the "you are not immune to propaganda meme", featuring an image of Garfield and text that reads "Your favorite NHL team is not immune to hockey culture and neither is mine" on the first one and "Your favorite player is not immune to being problematic and neither is mine" on the second one. End ID)

Hey Hockey fans! I wanna do a bit of research for an infopost I'm considering making. So here's a genuine question because I've been thinking about it for a while: When a player, especially one you've admired for a while, is revealed to be someone problematic (bigoted, abusive, or just a questionable history in general), how do you approach that (Especially when it comes to fanart, fanfic and just... generally posting about them?). Approaches can range from anything from ceasing about posting them (outside of occasional reblogs) or continuing to post them but adding a disclaimer. Additionally, what advice would you give to new hockey fans regarding such players? Hell, I'm actually interested in some advice as well, considering my own habit of posting problematic players (something I admittedly feel slightly conflicted about, especially as a young hockey fan who's still learning about the sport and it's culture).

Tagging for reach: @catboygretzky @hard4softthings @saucerfulofsins @sergeifyodorov @tapejob

While the reversal of the pride tape ban is something to celebrate, we should not applaud the league for coming to it's senses and reversing a ban that shouldn't have even existed at all. Keep in mind the NHL is still openly hostile to minorities. Keep in mind the NHL doesn't care about it's own fans or players. The NHL is still not your friend. If the NHL actually supported the LGBTQ+ community, this ban wouldn't have existed in the first place. Also, keep in mind that special jerseys are (as far as I know) still forbidden. The NHL still needs actual change to happen, but this is a very good start. Still, do not stop calling them out. That said though, we should also applaud the person who made this happen: everyone say thank you Travis Dermott.

"i miss drunk kane" yeah uh considering the shit that he'd fucking get into whenever alcohol was involved, I'd rather NOT people miss that era, actually!

it's not that arizona is a bad hockey market (it's not the greatest, but it's not exactly bad either). it's not that hockey doesn't work in the desert (the golden knights exist). it's not that the coyotes don't have fans (they do). it's not that the fans don't like the coyotes (their attendance sucks, that's for sure, but that's not the main reason they're relocating). it's not that the coyotes are just a bad nhl team (they are but that's not why they're relocating at all!) it's that alex meruelo is a terrible owner that should never set foot in the nhl again, and that this probably could've been prevented if gary bettman hadn't fuck things up and actually stepped in sooner and actually HELPED THEM. Also, this is more than just a relocation. These are people who might end up losing jobs, these are players and staff who are probably stressed right now. This doesn't affect a city or a team, it affects the people involved too. (And on a slightly harsher note, if you think this is something to celebrate or something to meme about, please go fuck yourself).

Ableism in Hockey

[PT: Ableism in Hockey. End PT] Trigger warning: Ableist comments and language, uncensored slur. We already talk about the homophobia, misogyny, racism, abuse and bullying that's almost engrained in hockey culture. However, I don't see many people talk about the ableism that's way too common within hockey. Firstly, what is ableism?

Ableism is a form of discrimination, particularly towards people with physical, mental, intellectual and other forms of disabilities. Ableism towards those with mental illness is called sanism. Some examples of ableism include inaccessiblity, using ableist slurs (such as the r-slur), believing that disabled people are broken and need to be "fixed" or "cured", believing that people with certain mental health conditions are "evil" (ex. the evil alter stereotype towards folks with Dissociative Identity Disorder or believing that everyone with Narcissistic Personality Disorder is abusive). Ableism within hockey fandoms.

Some of you are already familiar with the "blind/deaf ref" joke. Almost everyone has made such jokes at some point (or at least laughed at one). Well, earlier today I was watching an Instagram reel featuring a league of blind hockey players. The comments, while most of them surprisingly supportive, also showed that such jokes aren't exactly harmless...

Worst part, I only saw two people take issue with these comments. TWO. Ironically enough, one of them was a referee who just so happened to actually be blind! While it's easy to assume they didn't know better (and they probably didn't, considering this joke is unfortunately way too common), it kind of serves as a reminder about how we view disabled hockey fans, players, coaches and, yes, even refs (especially those that are blind or deaf). And it's not just blind or deaf individuals being made fun of. It's also very easy to go into hockey spaces and see disability or neurodivergent-based buzzwords thrown around, such as "delusional" (or, and this is the only time I'll say this willingly, "delulu"), without the people saying it even realizing the harmful affects it could have on those who do genuinely experience delusions or psychosis (such as those with schizophrenia).

Ableism within the sport itself.

Within hockey, some youth organizations still use the m-word (shown below so people know what I'm referring to), despite it being considered an offensive term (and even a slur to some) towards people with dwarfism. In 2020, Hockey Canada dropped the term, but some organizations still use it, including USA Hockey.

Ableism by the players is also something we should address. In 2022, the Boston Bruins signed Mitchell Miller, a player who's infamous for bullying a black disabled teen (CW: Uncensored r-slur, brief detail of physical violence and unsanitary actions). He was eventually released two days later after backlash from fans (though the contract didn't end until February), however it was not a good look for Boston. (Man, ableism and racism. Talk about a double whammy). Earlier this year, a video surfaced of Carson Briere and a few other individuals pushing an unoccupied wheelchair down the stairs; the wheelchair was severely damaged and had to be replaced. Not long after the video surfaced, Mercyhurst Hockey cut him from the team. Both of the above mentioned have since signed with a team in Slovakia.

And this isn't even getting into the likelihood of ableist slurs being used on the ice. Lastly, many hockey arenas are still inaccessible, with many disabled fans unable to enter access in some, getting accessible seating is a hassle and many unable to buy tickets due to high prices (something that lots of disabled folks have issues with in many events.). Crowds and noise at venues can also be overwhelming to those on the autism spectrum (Like me!) and unfortunately not many hockey arenas have sensory rooms (However there IS some improvement being made on this end!) And unfortunately, watching from TV might not even be an option for some folks, as digital ads have also raised concerns about potentially causing seizures in photosensitive folks.

Disabled folks are considered an afterthought when it comes to fun events such as sports.

That may seem like an exaggeration, but unfortunately it's not. Disabled folks are always viewed as an afterthought in the world, and whenever basic accessible features are requested, they're told to "grow up snowflake" or that the "world doesn't revolve around you". And sports is no different. As the above show, disabled folks aren't taken seriously, especially when it's so easy to see blind and deaf folks become the butt of jokes when making fun of refs, mockery of addiction (alcohol addiction, gambling addiction, drug abuse, etc). And the worst part: Almost nobody is talking about it. Not until not anyway. We discuss the misogyny, the queerphobia and the racism. But we never talk about the ableism within hockey culture. Well, now's the time.

ngl as much as i love a good hockey fight, is it bad that i'm genuinely concerned that rempe, a young rookie, has already gotten into more than one fight this year? this is the kind of shit that causes concussions (and cte) and honestly i would prefer we not glorify that actually.

Last post on this, but if you don't wanna give the NHL your money at all, but still wanna watch some hockey, here's some tips: 1. The best way I can say this *WITHOUT* getting banned (or arrested) is: Surf the waves of the internet! Become a pirate! ...You get where I'm going with this (Translation: watch games from some very legal streaming sites). 2. Don't wanna support the NHL at all? Watch minor league hockey or leagues like the AHL or ECHL instead! 3. Watch hockey highlights on YouTube! 4. WATCH WOMEN'S HOCKEY. 5. Not in a hockey mood at all? Consider watching other sports! 6. Make your own hockey memorabilia! 7. RPF writers, now's your time to shine! *nudge nudge wink wink* 8. Support small hockey artists! Remember that the NHL isnt the only hockey league. Hockey is more than the NHL.

while we're still talking about rempe, here's a hot take: I don't think rookies should be getting into fights at all in their first year.

Okay yeah. This... makes some sense.

Excuse me what 😀

Absolutely disgusting. The fact that all but one laughed at it says everything you need to know about these "fans". Keep in mind that Hockey Twitter (like the rest of the site) is already a big enough cesspool as is.

(For those wondering why this is fucked up, Remington is a company that makes firearms. Laine is in the player assistance program for mental health reasons. ...Basically "Remington Retirement" is a metaphor for suicide).

I'd also like to add that the person who didn't laugh left the podcast team (as she should!) and that Laine himself has called these people out (as he should!).

I've seen a few Blue Jackets fans donate to OhioHealth (via the CBJ Foundation) in reply to these comments and I encourage you guys to do the same.

i know it's not going to do much, but fuck it. I want fans, both queer and nonqueer, to wear pride merch. Hell, I want fans to actually make their own pride-based hockey memorabilia. I want fans to carry in signs protesting the changes. Even if the league bans them, I want them to do it anyway. I want fans to shout chants supporting players/coaches/gms/whatever that are queer, nonwhite, disabled, neurodivergent, and otherwise a minority. I don't know if there is a way to contact the NHL, but if there is, I want fans to send phone calls and emails to the league expressing their displeasure with how it's being run. I want fans to PROTEST. If the NHL isn't gonna welcome minorities, we'll make them do so.

Not going to lie, the more this season goes, the more I feel so fucking bad for Bedard. He's having such a *horrible* first season. First Chicago gets *another* lawsuit, then Taylor Hall gets injured, then some edgelord starts up bs rumors about his mother and Perry (who gets cut from the team for misconduct unrelated to said rumors). And now he has a broken jaw. After a hit gone horribly wrong. And right when he was *just* named an All Star too. God. This poor kid..

Correction: David Reinbacher has received 'thousands' of hate messages from Montreal "fans" since the draft. Remember when I said gatekeeping is bad? This is the exception. People who do this crap aren't hockey fans. They don't deserve a place in hockey fandoms. Fuck you if you do this. (source - TW: nazism and xenophobia mentions)

hockey fans want players to show personality and not be emotionless but also god forbid those same players get frustrated/angry/upset.