Finally.

Finally somebody said it. Finally somebody defended the innocent actions of Evander Kane, and finally somebody said those words we all knew we’d finally hear a hockey player say, one day. It’s just too bad it had to be Kane, himself, who said them.

“I think a good portion of (the criticism of me) is because I’m black and I’m not afraid to say that,” the left winger told The Hockey News. (*The story is set to come out on March 4, said The Sporting News.)

He then clarified his statements with a solid one-line just after.

“I don’t feel like a victim and I don’t want to be perceived as one.”

Now, the defenders of the realm will be quick to throw up their arms and roll back their eyes. Oh, please, they’ll say. Not everything is a racial issue. Just because he’s black doesn’t mean that’s why he’s been criticized.

They’ll be quick to point out that he’s been flagged for a number of off-ice indiscretions and misconducts. They’ll tell you he’s overreacting. They’ll say it’s another case of a young player with a big mouth. After all, it’s easier to say that than it is to admit the truth, and the truth is not something normally uncovered by sports journalists.

It’s odd, though, that people now seem to be more afraid of being politically correct than they are of being racist.

The fact is, hockey is and has always been a whites-only sport. Okay, maybe not whites-only. More, like 95-per cent-white-and-the-rest-just-whatever. Hockey is inherently a white sport, and a white Canadian one, at that. Hockey Night in Canada and its post-20-minute patriotic bulldog praise good ol’ Canadian boys and the way they play the sport we love.

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