As the Chicago Blackhawks face elimination tonight against the St. Louis Blues they look to steal a victory to keep this series alive, but they will be missing one of their star players due to suspension he received from game 4. The player that the Blackhawks will be missing is forward Andrew Shaw. Shaw was suspended one game by the NHL for the slur, fined $5,00 for directing an obscene gesture toward on-ice officials in the same game, and is required to undergo sensitivity training. Shaw said yesterday at a conference at O'Hare International Airport, "I want to apologize for my actions. I have no excuses for anything. I want to apologize to the gay and lesbian community. That's not the type of guy I am." He watched the video of the incident when he got home Tuesday and didn't like what he saw. He said, "It was hard to see. Emotions got the best of me and I didn't get any sleep last night. It was tough on me> You know, I'm upset with myself, obviously. I want to apologize to the organization, the NHL, my teammates, my family and my friends. I don't know; obviously I'm sorry. It's a tough time for me right now." The media asked him if he would ever use the slur again and he said, "I'll never use that word again, that's for sure. I do [understand]. I mean, I get it. It's a hurtful word. It's 2016 now. It's time that everyone is treated equally. It's a hurtful word, I know that. I'm serenade I want to apologize."Shaw has two goals and two assists in the series. His absence will leave a void on the Chicago forecheck and in front of the net during power plays."We're in a really tough spot," coach Joel Quenneville said about Shaw missing Game 5. "But I think that there's been some learning situations as we've progressed here [this season] and I think our group's had situations comparable in the past that we've had to learn from that make us better players and better people as well."Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews said he hopes the situation will be used as an educational tool going forward."I think it's a moment to bring more attention to this sort of thing, especially pro sports," Toews said. "At the end of the day, I think it is a teachable moment for us to realize that going forward it has to be something that is scrutinized much more, something we think about much more and something that we're much more critical of ourselves, when it comes to these matters." The good thing is that he learned his lesson and he will become better hockey player role model both on and off the ice.
https://www.nhl.com/news/shaw-apologizes-for-slur/c-280399342
https://www.nhl.com/video/c-43629703
Was glad to see the league suspended him for this blow up. No offense to Andrew put I am willing to bet he commonly used that slur while playing and is really only sorry in an "after the fact manner" because he was caught on video. Toews is 100% with his statement. Slurs like that are all to common among professional players and in 2016 athletes need to become more aware of the weight words can carry and hopefully prevent situations like this from happening ever again.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Michael. I think players need to be held accountable for their speech on the ice. There are so many kids who watch these games or go to these games, and to see him act like that definitely will paint a negative picture of the Blackhawk organization to some people. I'm glad that are having him go through sensitivity training though. It'll be good for him and the organization.
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