Kim Davis, the NHL’s executive vice president of social impact, growth, and legislative affairs, has seen a change in hockey since her childhood in Chicago. She notes that the sport was not inclusive to Black girls like her in the past. However, her hiring in 2017 as the head of diversity and inclusion initiatives has helped the NHL work towards being more inclusive. The NHL’s All-Star celebration in South Florida is drawing attention to their efforts towards increasing diversity.
The NHL’s efforts towards increasing diversity have faced criticism and resistance. However, the league is committed to being held accountable and proving its commitment to change. As part of Black History Month, the NHL debuted a mobile museum that highlights minority and underrepresented contributors to the sport. The goal of the museum is to help eliminate barriers to entry into the sport, just like it did not appear to be an option for Jeff Scott, the NHL’s vice president for community development and growth. The league released an internal demographic study that found the NHL’s workforce is 83.6% white and 62% male. More than 90% of players, coaches, and officials are also white. The NHL hopes to show representation of access and opportunities through the museum and make the sport more inclusive.
Kim Davis stated that the NHL plans to update the demographic study every two years to track its progress. The league wants to be transparent about its demographics and is holding itself accountable for change. By the next report, Davis hopes that both fans and employees will feel more welcomed by the league. The NHL is being intentional about making hockey accessible to those who may not have seen it as such before. One of the ways they are doing this is through the “Pathway to Hockey” summit, which encourages newcomers to learn about hockey and consider careers in the NHL by sharing stories of those who work for the league.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis criticized the NHL’s original advertisement of the “Pathway to Hockey” summit, calling it discriminatory for specifying that participants must identify as female, Black, Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino, Indigenous, LGBTQIA+ and/or disabled. DeSantis and his press secretary called for the NHL to remove the discriminatory restrictions. The NHL revised the post and held the summit in Fort Lauderdale as planned, attracting more than 120 attendees, with an average age of 25. Kim Davis said that the league likely wouldn’t have been able to attract such a diverse pool of people five years ago.
Jeff Scott, the NHL’s Vice President for Community Development and Growth, emphasized the importance of visibility in the league’s efforts to increase diversity. According to Scott, if a group is not visible, it can sometimes feel nonexistent. The NHL is focused on both the future and growth of the sport, as well as maintaining its current fan base.
