Minor hockey team criticized for Indigenous dance video forfeits season

Parents of Fort McMurray minor hockey players whose team was criticized for an Indigenous locker-room dance captured in a viral video say they’re forfeiting the rest of the season due to safety concerns.

“We as parents are saddened for our children, as the rest of the season was compromised, and they couldn’t play the game they love due to fear from threats, anxiety and humiliation,” said a statement posted this week on Facebook.

“Since this incident occurred, we as parents are left to pick up the pieces, restore our children’s reputations and try to salvage the rest of the year in the face of such adversity.”

The video in January showed a boy beating his hockey stick against a trash-can lid as he and others jumped around and shouted to a song by Indigenous electronic group A Tribe Called Red.

Shortly after, the Fort McMurray Minor Hockey Association apologized and called the actions by members of the Midget A Junior Oil Barons disrespectful.

“It is wrong and will not be tolerated,” the association said in a statement at the time. “The display of ignorance is sad and gravely unfortunate.”

The parents say some kids shown in the video are Indigenous and the dance was meant to be motivational, not derogatory or racist.

Parent Shane Kearney said some people viewing the video may have assumed all the boys are white because many dyed their hair blond in support of a teammate’s mother who has cancer.

The parents say the team has been threatened verbally and on social media, so they decided it was too dangerous to finish the season.

“One of the comments made was ‘I hope that the next semi that collides with a bus is your guys’ hockey team,’” said Kearney.

Sixteen people died and 13 were injured last April when a semi-truck collided with a bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team in rural Saskatchewan.

“As a 15-16-year-old, how do you deal with something like that? As parents, how do you deal with somebody making a comment like that towards your child.”

Another parent, Roxanne Janes, said there have been social media posts identifying the team members and noting the times and locations of their games.

The forfeiture means the team had to pay a $2,100 penalty to the league. There are six games left in the season.

The hockey association did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.

The parents say they’ve had “radio silence” since they expressed concern over the hockey association’s statement criticizing their children.

“Those adults need to put out a public apology for how they mishandled this situation,” said Kearney.

Janes said she still loves the Fort McMurray’s minor hockey community.

“The adults that were involved in writing, releasing this statement that condemned all of our kids — those are who we need to hold accountable for these actions,” she said.

“But for Fort McMurray minor hockey — we are a family. We have amazing coaches, managers, players.”

— by Lauren Krugel in Calgary