Flyers legend Reggie Leach faced racism on the ice

Flyers legend Reggie Leach grew up in Riverton, Manitoba, where he didn't see much racism at all.

That all changed when he started playing junior hockey in Flin Flon for the Bombers. Insults and slurs were being cast from the stands, and his coach said it was probably for the best for him to ignore it. Or even better, score a couple of goals and it would silence them.

Leach is an Indigenous pioneer who played in 934 NHL games, scoring 381 goals, while also winning the Stanley Cup in 1975 with the Philadelphia Flyers. He says that ignoring the problem did nothing to stop it, and it just kept building up for many years.

«We just let it go by. Right now, a lot of this racism that's involved with the National Hockey League, I think if players like myself back in the '70s and '80s, we should have spoken up sooner to the league and maybe they wouldn't have been so mad in the National Hockey League with the racism that's going on.»

The 71-year old is tired of ignoring the problem at hand.

«I think that we have to educate everybody about what's going on, making everybody responsible for whatever happened. I think we have to get the literature out there, let the people know what happened and go from there,» Leach said.

«Working together as one, not individually because that's not going to work. What the Ice Dogs are doing here, I think it's a great thing because not too many other clubs are doing it. But I think this will catch on with other people and other teams. You're not going to see change overnight, but you're going to get the information out, what happened and the truth.»

Jamie Leach, Reggie's son, played less than 100 games in the NHL, winning two Stanley Cups in that process with Pittsburgh. He thinks it is quite the honor to be a part of the Truth and Reconciliation game.

«We want to get some education out there. We want people to know what's happening. Let's start the talk, let's start the education, let's start the curriculum and let's just keep it going. (Dad's) really passionate about it and I am myself. And personally I want to become more aware of what's happening to make sure we don't do it again.»

Ice Dogs captain Cameron Ware believes the game is an enormous initiative for the Indigenous community.

«It's obviously something that's been taken a little bit lightly the last few years and there have been a couple of incidents that just can't be (tolerated). As one of the first Junior A hockey teams to have a game like this is huge,» Ware said. «I'm honoured to be a part of it, but it's more than just us. It's for the people of First Nations communities and as long as this keeps going, as it should, I'm happy to be a part of it.»

tbnewswatch.com

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