IF I WERE KING: THE GAME EMBRACES CONCEPT OF REDEMPTION The NHL Commissioner is the poster child for hypocrisy.

IF I WERE THE KING OF HOCKEY, and I’m not, the game would be more forgiving when it comes to immature off-ice behavior. The entire game, from the National Hockey League to learn-to-skate, the game has gone way too far regarding the things people do, say, and print.

There was a meeting a few years back, hosted by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, that was attended by the power players of hockey on this continent. It’s one of the few forums that included commissioners from the Canadian Hockey League, United States Hockey League, and British Columbia Hockey League amongst other developmental partners.

The meeting, held here in sunny Florida, covered a wide-range of topics and the idea of redemption was to take center stage. Yea right.

Let’s be clear, we have a justice system to charge, convict, and punish perpetrators of criminal conduct. As it should be. I completely agree that the game should have the right to exclude those that get caught up with felonious criminal conduct.

What about the other stuff?

Drugs, alcohol, and immature stupidity are also now offenses that the game has taken different approaches to.  One league will come down hard on players caught outside the lines of acceptability while another overlooks just about any and everything coaches get caught doing, or even not doing.

Then there are the social media indiscretions and the brutal courts of public opinion. Let’s be honest here, pressure from folks with absolutely zero connection to the game has been able to sway the decisions of leagues on many occasions.

Enough already. I’m done with cancel culture, me too, and whatever other political baloney is being tossed into the decision-making process. 

It is hilarious that Commissioner Bettman had to facilitate, while also be at the center, of such a conversation.

There’s one name that would be omitted from that conversation if not for the persistence of a few to keep it relative.

Mitchell Miller.

What that young man has been forced to endure should be ground zero for the conversation. The NHL, Phoenix Coyotes, punks from the dressing room of the Boston Bruins, the University of North Dakota, and Hockey Diversity Alliance should all be ashamed of themselves.

In 2016, Miller and a classmate were found delinquent in an Ohio juvenile court on charges of assault and a violation of the Ohio Safe Schools Act. The pair were accused and found guilty of deceiving a developmentally disabled African American classmate, Isaiah Meyer-Crothers, into eating a piece of candy that they had wiped in a urinal, repeated bullying of Meyer-Crothers, and repeatedly calling him the N-word.

Miller satisfied the requirements of the juvenile court and moved forward with his life. This included an extensive career in the USHL and the representation of the United States in International competition. It was not until he was drafted by the Coyotes when Meyer-Crothers' mother elected to spark an outrage.

I’ve said it before and will say it again. Reverse the races of Miller and his middle-school victim and the outrage would be ten-times worse for making a big deal out of such immature behavior. No, our insane society forced the action of the NHL and others.

So, now the NHL wants to talk about redemption?

Was Bettman not FULLY aware of the allegations against players that have now been charged with sexual assault in connection with an incident involving members of Canada’s 2018 world junior hockey team?

Again, public outcry has forced another action. I’m fairly certain the young woman in that case, if given the choice, would have happily crunched the pissy lollipop instead of having to endure the drunken gang rape.

Redemption, or was Bettman and the game simply trying to justify the hypocrisy?

Instead, it appears the game is more concerned about transgender biological males getting opportunities to play girls hockey and forcing players into pride propaganda.

The game deserves better. If not on it's own, certainly the United States' new administration should be taking a closer look.