Montreal-area minor-league hockey player called N-word by opponent

A Montreal-area teenager says he was called a racial slur after the final whistle blew at a recent hockey game.

Sixteen-year-old Aiden Chase says a player on the opposing team insulted him and made the comment shortly after Aiden’s team won the game.

“When I passed by him the comment he made, it was (expletive) you and a derogatory term towards Black people,” recounted the teen.

“I was first in shock and I was also really upset at the situation.”

Aiden alleges it happened at a Midget A match while his team – the Riverains de l’Île Perrot – went to celebrate their 3-1 win against the Braves de Valleyfield.

That’s when Aiden says one of the other players from the other team came off the bench to see his goalie. He allegedly made the comment while passing Aiden.

“And that’s when I turned around to confront him… and after I confronted him, the ref split us up and then I told my coach what happened. And that’s when all my teammates found out as well what happened. And that’s when all my team, they went towards the other team and that’s when like a big brawl between the two teams happened.”

Aiden’s father Dwight Chase says he couldn’t quite make out what was happening as he watched from the stands.

“Just very confusing,” he said. “All of a sudden, you just see Aiden spin around. You don’t know really what’s going on. Then you figure that something is pretty intense because of the way everybody is reacting on the ice. Everybody’s rushing towards the centre, all of a sudden. It was very nerve wracking.

“And it’s almost several minutes later that you come to understand that the kid hurled the N-word at my son. And this kind of precipitated the whole situation.”

Chase says the entire situation was extremely sad and upsetting

“All these emotions are swirling,” he said. “The parents in the stands are all upset. The other team’s parents are very upset. You can’t understand, you know, you can’t make heads or tails of it. But then you’re just trying to make sure, my number one priority was to make sure that Aiden was safe and got off the ice safely.”

The Chase family. (Credit: Facebook/Dwight Chase)

Five-game suspension imposed

The incident was recorded in the game report. A mandatory five-game suspension is expected to ensue, with a hearing before a disciplinary committee.

“There’s been no disciplinary action that we are aware of to date,” said Chase. “So we are still awaiting all of that. And until then, they said that there will be no comment.

“So we haven’t heard from the family. There’s been no apologies, nothing extended from the league or the player.”

Aiden says this isn’t the first time something like this has happened with the same team.

CityNews reached out to the Fédération Québecoise de Hockey sur Glace Région du Lac St Louis, the association representing both teams.

They say they are “very concerned about the situation.”

“These are not gestures and values ​​that we wish to transmit to our young people,” the association wrote in an email. “Hockey is an inclusive sport that advocates, among other things, the values ​​of camaraderie and respect, where everyone can flourish and be their best selves in a healthy way.”

‘Racism has no place’

“It’s very important to me, because hockey has been the sport I’ve been playing all my life,” said Aiden. “My love for the sport is too strong for that. Just someone’s comments affect my love for, my passion for, and my desire to play.

“Racism has no place anywhere in the world, it’s not something that should be common or be practised by anyone.”

Chase says no athlete should ever have to deal with insults or harassment.

“Every kid should be entitled to play the sport they love in safety, should be able to play the game and focus on the game and get out there and compete and not worry about their safety or being harassed or mistreated by other players,” he said. “So there’s no space for it in the sport.”

Montreal-area hockey player Aiden Chase, 16. (Credit: Aiden Chase/provided)

Aiden says it was important for him to share his story.

“I’m just focused on spreading awareness, these kinds of things,” he said. “They can happen and speaking out about my situation and my experiences just to show other people in my situation that there is something you can do about it.”

—With files from Felisha Adam