Oshawa university forum looking at hate in hockey at Hockey Hall of Fame event in Toronto

With the sexual assault case of five former members of Canada’s world junior hockey team before the courts and hazing rituals still happening in the game, the timing for Game Misconduct: Hate in Hockey at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto next week is appropriate.

The forum, presented by Ontario Tech University’s Centre on Hate Bias and Extremism, will feature former NHL player, coach and author Ted Nolan, a member of the Garden River reserve near Sault Ste. Marie who has been outspoken about experiencing racism in the game, and Akim Aliu, a Nigerian-born former NHL’er who co-founded the Hockey Diversity Alliance.

The Oshawa-based Centre on Hate Bias and Extremism has invited speakers from academe and the hockey world to speak about the dynamics of hate and hostility that permeate the world of hockey, offline and online, at the Hall of Fame on May 10, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

“We hope to highlight the ways that we can collectively and proactively counter and respond to hate in hockey to ensure a safer space for people to play and enjoy hockey,” the Centre declared in a news release.

Former NHL coach Ted Nolan

Other speakers include Hockey Canada CEO Katherine Henderson; Ontario Hockey League Director of Cultural Diversity and Inclusion Rico Phillips and his counterpart at the Greater Toronto Hockey League, Felipe Palleros; Dr. Courtney Szto, an Assistant Professor with Queen’s University’s School of Kinesiology and Health Studies and Dr. Krisopher Wells, an Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair for the Public Understanding of Sexual and Gender Minority Youth at MacEwan University; Jeremy Boston of the Orange Jersey Project; and Dr. Derek Silva from Kings College.

Ontario Tech University’s Centre on Hate, Bias and Extremism studies trends and explores the ways in which hate, bias and extremism challenge values of inclusion and equity.

The Centre’s Director is Dr. Barbara Perry, global authority on hate crime and the founding Co-Chair of the International Network for Hate Studies.

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