SYDNEY, N.S. — It began as a regular game between two Cape Breton minor hockey teams but ended with controversy and unanswered questions.
Logan Prosper, an Indigenous hockey player from Whycocomagh, says he was the target of racial slurs during a midget ‘A’ game between the Cape Breton West Islanders and Northside Vikings in Cheticamp on Sunday.
The 16-year-old forward, who plays for the Islanders, alleges opposing players began using racial slurs towards him midway through the second period of the game, and later continued in the third period.
“One guy said, ‘You’re a turd, all Natives in helmets look like turds,’ and said it a few times to me,” said Prosper. “My teammates heard it as well and they were as shocked as I was.”
Following the incident, Prosper said he told the referee about the incident, but because the official didn’t hear it, no penalty was assessed.
During the second period intermission, Phillip Prosper, Logan’s father, was made aware of the situation by the Islanders’ trainer.
“I went down to see him, and he was really upset and told me what happened,” said Phillip Prosper, who was in the stands watching the game.
“It was difficult to watch, but at the time I didn’t know what was going on because I couldn’t hear what was being said on the ice during the game.”
Prosper encouraged his son to continue to play the game and to beat the opposing team on the scoreboard.
“I didn’t know what to do at that moment,” said Prosper. “The way Logan handled the situation was phenomenal.”
Logan Prosper said in the third period fans from the opposing team also began hurling racial slurs towards him, which was something he didn’t expect.
“I couldn’t believe what I was hearing,” said Prosper. “They were saying ‘Don’t worry about him, he's just one of them,’ I had mixed emotions, I was discouraged, I never felt emotions like that before.”
In an email, the Northside and District Minor Hockey Association said they were made aware of the situation, but did not offer comment as the incident has been sent to Hockey Nova Scotia’s risk management department.
Hockey Nova Scotia confirmed they're investigating the incident and, in a statement, say they take “matters like this very seriously.”
“Racism and harassment have no place in hockey, no place in sport, and no place in our society,” reads the statement.
On Monday, Phillip Prosper posted details of the incident on his Facebook page and has received numerous messages from friends and even people he doesn’t know.
“By the time I got to work I had hundreds of likes and shares on the post,” said Prosper. “All I wanted in the beginning was for somebody to see it and try to put some action or plan together to stop this from happening.”
Former NHLer Cody McCormick, an Indigenous player from London, Ont., reached out to the Prosper family and spoke with Logan via phone on Tuesday about the situation.
“Someone called me 'a dirty Native' and to 'go back to my reservation.'” — Logan Prosper, an Indigenous hockey player from Whycocomagh
This isn’t the first time Logan Prosper has had to deal with racist attitudes on the ice.
On Dec. 10, 2016, Prosper says he was the target of racial slurs during a bantam house game between the Baddeck Bobcats and Strait Richmond Pirates in Baddeck.
“Someone called me 'a dirty Native' and to 'go back to my reservation,'” said Prosper.
Following the 2016 incident, the Prosper family said they filed a complaint with Hockey Nova Scotia, but nothing was ever done about it.
Phillip Prosper said the family will be meeting with Hockey Nova Scotia officials on Thursday about the recent incident.
Prosper said he doesn’t want anyone suspended or removed from the game but hopes incidents like these don’t happen again.
“I’m sure it’s impossible for Hockey Nova Scotia to guarantee it won’t happen again, but the more you can educate people, the more you can get it out there, the less chance it will happen again,” he said.
Despite the frustration, Logan Prosper has no plans to stop playing the sport he loves.
“I still want to play hockey because if I quit than the people who were saying stuff to me win because that’s what they want,” said Prosper.
“I want Hockey Nova Scotia to use this as a learning experience — we’re all the same — this is a learning experience, not only for me and Hockey Nova Scotia, but everybody.”
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LOGAN PROSPER:
- Hometown: Whycocomagh
- Age: 16
- Position: Forward
- Team: Cape Breton West Islanders
- League: Cape Breton Midget ‘A’ Hockey League
Twitter: @CBPost_Jeremy
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