Captain Couture adds echo to plea from Kane
Sharks captain Logan Couture expressed his support for teammate Evander Kane on Saturday, saying the sport of hockey and society at large needs to do much more to combat racism. “First of all, I applaud Evander for speaking the truth,” Couture wrote in a message posted to his Twitter account. “Racism exists in society, it also exists in hockey, That’s a fact. “Growing up in this game is a privilege. At times I think most of us have turned a blind eye when it comes to racism. It cannot continue.” Appearing on ESPN on Friday, Kane expressed his horror at the way George Floyd was killed earlier this week in Minneapolis, dying after he was pinned to the ground by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd’s neck. Kane called on more high-profile white athletes to speak out about the incident and about racism in society, saying in part that they need to have, “the same amount of outrage that I have inside, and using that to voice their opinion, to voice their frustration. Because that’s the only way it’s going to change.” Couture, 31, grew up in southern Ontario in Canada and just finished his 11th season with the Sharks and his first as captain. Kane was acquired by the Sharks in 2018 and is one of a handful of minorities that have played for the team in the last decade, including Jamal Mayers, Scott Gomez and Joel Ward. “I’ve had the opportunity to to play with some incredible teammates. Black, white, all colors,” Couture