CHL collaborating with Dean Barnes & My Hockey Hero podcast to amplify stories and experiences from racialized players
The CHL is proud to be collaborating with Dean Barnes as part of the league’s continued efforts to promote diversity and inclusion in the sport of hockey.
One initiative that the CHL is supporting is Barnes’ My Hockey Hero podcast (available on all major podcast directories like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Google Podcasts), which sees Barnes connect with racialized hockey players from all levels of the game, including those who compete within the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) and its member leagues: the Western Hockey League (WHL), the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).
Specifically, the CHL is helping Barnes to connect with players of colour from across the league for interviews, and through his podcast, the league will be amplifying the stories of these players as a way to help expose more fans to the growing impact that people of colour are having on the game of hockey.
Last week, in the first of these episodes featuring CHL players, Barnes interviewed Owen Sound Attack defenceman Taos Jordan about several different topics including some of the players who inspired him (including CHL alumni P.K. Subban & Theo Peckham) and the custom jersey that Jordan designed for his Attack team, which they wore on Saturday, February 3 as part of their Black History Game this season. The jerseys were created to symbolize Jordan’s fight against racism and to empower future generations of Black hockey players to play the game Jordan loves.
On Wednesday, Barnes’ podcast episode with Erie Otters forward and projected 2025 NHL Draft first-round pick Malcolm Spence was the next one to be released. During that conversation, Spence reflected on the importance of mentoring and supporting young players through organizations like Hockey Equality and the significance that it has on promoting inclusivity in hockey.
“I am thrilled to have the opportunity through my podcast for listeners to learn more about the diversity that lives within the CHL,” said Barnes about his work alongside the CHL.“My hope is that these stories will help to promote and sustain inclusive spaces for fans, players, and all staff, who participate or observe the amazing experience that hockey provides to us all.”
In addition to the podcast, the CHL will be working with Barnes at the 2024 Memorial Cup presented by Dow in Saginaw, Michigan. At this event, Barnes will have a dedicated activation space within the Hockey Hall of Fame (HHOF) exhibit at the Dow Event Center to display his one-of-a-kind NHL and CHL Hockey Card collection throughout the tournament.
Dean’s card collection highlights players from diverse backgrounds. His activation at the 2024 Memorial Cup will expose fans to the stories of these players and help further normalize the inclusion of underrepresented groups in the CHL as well as the game of hockey.
On top of the activation space at the HHOF exhibit, Barnes is also expected to be part of a panel discussion at the 2024 Memorial Cup that will follow the screening of the award-winning documentary “Beyond Their Years”. The panel that Barnes will be a part of will discuss the themes of this film, which captures the story of Herb Carnegie (hockey) and Buck O’Neil (baseball), who were both excluded, because of their race, from competing at the highest professional level of their sport. The screening of this documentary film is part of a partnership that the CHL has with The Carnegie Initiative (The CI), which is an organization that strives to make hockey inclusive, supportive, and welcoming to all.
To view clips from various episodes and guests on the My Hockey Hero Podcast, be sure to check out the podcast on Instagram @myhockeyhero_. To see some of the unique hockey cards found in Barnes’ extensive collection, be sure to follow @diversityhockeycards on Instagram.