‘Representation counts’: Growing the game off the ice and in the booth

Credit: photo courtesy of NHL.com

This article was written by Karina Wilson, who is part of the Professional Hockey Writers Association x To Hockey With Love Mentorship Program. This program pairs aspiring writers with established members of the association across North America to create opportunities for marginalized people that do not traditionally get published on larger platforms covering hockey.

To Hockey With Love is a weekly newsletter covering a range of topics in hockey – from the scandals of the week to providing a critical analysis of the sport.

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Hockey is an exhilarating, fast-paced sport.

Not to go unnoticed are the people who provide the color, giving the action a voice.

Broadcast teams bring hockey to life. However, the lack of diversity on those broadcasts doesn’t go unnoticed.

Nevertheless, there are people laying the groundwork for the league’s 32 teams, 25 in the United States and seven in Canada.

Caley Chelios, broadcaster and hockey analyst for the Chicago Blackhawks, paved the way for herself and those who come after her. The daughter of Hall of Fame defenseman Chris Chelios made a name for herself separate from her well-known family name.

“For me growing up, I never heard any women in the booth,” Chelios said. “It never seemed like an opportunity that was there for women.”

Chelios gave homage to women who opened doors for her, such as AJ Mleczko and Kathryn Tappen.

She recalled seeing Mleczko cover the Stanley Cup Final in 2018 as a lead analyst. She said that led her to pursuing the roles she now holds, doing color commentary for WGN Radio and as a studio analyst for NBC Sports Chicago.

“If I would have heard her when I was 12 [or] 13 years old, maybe I would’ve been inspired to be in a booth then, instead of later in my career,” she said.

Chelios acknowledged analysts are typically former players. However, trailblazers like Seattle Kraken radio play-by-play announcer Everett Fitzhugh never touched the ice. Fitzhugh and J.T. Brown, the Kraken’s TV color analyst, were the first all-Black broadcast pair to call an NHL game.

But one isn’t enough, according to Kim Davis, the senior executive vice president of social impact, growth and legislative affairs for the NHL.

“We may have done it for the one, but we haven’t created a pipeline that is going to be sustainable as a part of our system over time,” Davis said. “I’m interested in systems change.”

When it comes to broadcasting, Chelios echoed Davis’ sentiment.

She said she hopes seeing representation encourages young women to believe in themselves.

“Women bring just as much as men can,” Chelios said. “When there are diverse panels, you’re going to attract people who may be aligned with those people more.”

Chelios advocated for herself when she worked for the Tampa Bay Lightning. She started with baby steps, providing color and commentary during prospect and development camps. Eventually, Dave Mishkin, the Lightning’s radio play-by-play broadcaster, offered to welcomed her into the booth for away games.

She said the experiences set the bar for where she wants to be with the Blackhawks.

There’s a lot of doubt among women in male-dominated industries, Chelios said.

“Your confidence will be challenged,” she said. “It’s very competitive.”

No dream is too big, and Chelios proved that. She said this is a very opportune time for women in sports.

But what about BIPOC individuals? There’s no place in hockey for them, right?

Wrong.

In the late 1800s, the Colored Hockey League was formed. Per Davis, it was responsible for many of the innovations that came to be in the NHL.

In 2017, the NHL launched its “Hockey Is For Everyone” campaign. According to Davis, the work goes back more than two decades. She said in 2017, the mission shifted to focus on growing the game.

Since Davis was hired in 2017, she said she’s seen tremendous changes throughout the league.

“If we don’t create an environment where people in these growth segments feel included — feel welcomed — then our business isn’t going to thrive,” Davis said. “That’s really what inclusion in the sport of hockey is about.”

On Feb. 2, the league hosted its inaugural Pathway to Hockey Summit in Sunrise, Fla.

Davis said the intention of the event was to provide environments, programs and activities that are welcoming to all.

“A specific focus on a particular demographic is intended to engage with those groups that historically haven’t even been aware that we exist, No. 1, and if they are aware that we exist, they have never felt like we were speaking to them,” she said.

She stressed that the league will continue to advocate for the intentional inclusion of everyone. Making hockey more culturally available is key to intentional inclusion.

“Going to the community and asking the community, ‘How do we engage with you?’ as opposed to having our ‘open for business’ sign up, assuming that people are going to feel like they are welcome,” Davis said.

In order for other communities and demographics to feel welcome, she said creating a sense of cultural availability is needed.

“You may not be delivering explicit messages of exclusion, but you aren’t delivering implicit messages of inclusion,” Davis said.

Consistency. That’s how to deliver.

Davis said if you want to change how a sport looks, you have to have people with positions of authority within the sport showing the outside world “they look like me and therefore there’s an opportunity for me in the sport.”

They too, can be that person.

Every year, league executives present their plans to the respective broadcast teams. Davis said she remembers when there were minimal women in the room and no people of color.

This past October, Davis said 20-25 percent of the room were women and 15-20 percent were people of color.

“That’s progress,” she said. “We’re seeing that progress.”

Chelios shared appreciation for Miguel Esparaza and Jorge Moreno, who make up Univision’s Spanish radio broadcast team for Chicago. She said the duo is breaking barriers.

“We need to certainly find ways to reach different minorities,” Chelios said. “Hopefully, that’ll grow interest not just in the broadcast booth, but in all kinds of different roles.”

As the years go on, efforts to prove that hockey is indeed for everyone on and off of the ice continue. Broadcast teams are the glue that hold production together. At the end of the day, sports are entertainment, therefore a voice to enliven the excitement is vital.

Sooner rather than later, diversification will be reflected in the booth.

“Hockey is for everybody,” Chelios said. “It’s not just about the game — it’s about growth.”

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‘Representation counts’: Growing the game off the ice and in the booth

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