PITTSBURGH, PA - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NAHH says Nah to the Racist NHL Chicago Blackhawks Founder, Name, Logo
The Native American Hockey Historians association, NAHH, adds to the protest for ending the racist and offensive NHL Chicago Blackhawks hockey team name and logo. NAHH President, George Jones says: “The NHL Chicago Blackhawks name and logo are insulting “slurs” that demean and defame Native Americans just because of their race.
In addition, NAHH adds a Nah! for the National Hockey League (NHL) in honoring the late Frederic McLaughlin (1877-1944) on December 4, 2024, in Pittsburgh PA with an induction into the US Hockey Hall of Fame. He’s compared to racist Conn Smythe.
McLaughlin is the Blackhawks founder who created the racist and offensive NHL Chicago Blackhawks name and logo in 1926. A NHL news release makes absolutely no mention of this Blackhawks name and logo controversy and says McLaughlin was merely a wealthy Coffer Baron. They did not tell the truth that he was a Racist NHL Team Owner from a rich family who looked down upon Native Americans and other Non-White persons.
We are the association of Native American Hockey Historians (NAHH). Hockey is an original Indigenous sport as is Lacrosse. Out of the more than 8,000 NHL players in the past 100 years, only 8 (0.1%) are Native American. About 3% of the American population are Native Americans. There is only one active NHL Native American currently playing. All this indicates a strong pattern of NHL Systemic Racism in the primarily Elitist and Whites only NHL Hockey Culture. This is often referred to as AIR - Anti Indigenous Racism.
The NAHH President is the nephew of Native American Hockey Player, Taffy Abel (Ojibwe 1900-1964). Taffy was inducted into the US Hockey Hall of Fame in 1973 … early NHL owners saw Taffy as a White person. Jones says: “Taffy’s real-life story is the Native American ‘poor Indian makes good’ version of Horatio Alger’s fictional stories.”
Taffy started playing hockey at an early age and was the first Native American in the Winter Olympics in 1924 and was also the patriotic USA Flag Bearer in the Olympics. He was the first Native American in the NHL in 1926 and broke the NHL Color Barrier in 1926. Through misinformation and disinformation, the NHL likes to erase these Taffy Abel facts.
Taffy played for the Chicago Blackhawks from 1929 to 1935 and they still owe him money. Jones says: “Nice way to treat a noble Native American Hockey Player who helped the NHL Chicago Hockey Team win their first Stanley Cup in 1934 during the depression.”
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and the NHL have never honored Native American Taffy Abel for all his trailblazing firsts while they did honor in 2022 the first NHL African American Hockey Player from 1958. A case of “NHL Bettman’s Biased Honoring”.
Bettman went so far in 2022 to help get this 1958 African American NHL Player a prestigious US Congressional Gold Medal .... which took deceiving Congress and throwing Native American Taffy Abel and the Native American race under the bus. Bettman wanted this 1958 NHL Player to be his “Jackie Robinson of Hockey” so as to attract more Black NHL fans and their money and also to help sportswash the NHL Racist Past.
While omitting Taffy Abel from any honors on his Olympic Centennial in 2024, Bettman's NHL and USA Hockey instead elected to dredge up and honor Frederic McLaughlin in 2024 who created the racist Chicago Blackhawks name and logo in 1926 which Native Americans and others find insensitive and highly defamatory against the Native American race. African Americans also find some names and logos to be defamatory to their race.
Jones says: “The racist NFL Washington Redskins name and logo were changed and so should the NHL Chicago Blackhawks name and logo be changed.” The NHL’s Gary Bettman and Chicago’s Danny Wirtz are standing in the way of this. “Such shows a real lack of DEI in the NHL. We hope NHL Sponsors and Advertisers will take note.”
A direct descendant of Blackhawk is also opposed to the name and logo. As are others including the prestigious National Congress of the American Indian (NCAI) and (NARF)
Even Frederic’s granddaughter, Castle McLaughlin, opposed the racist Chicago Blackhawks name and logo. She is a Native American anthropologist and former curator at Harvard University’s Peabody Museum. An article says: "She and her McLaughlin family are far removed from their ownership of the Blackhawks, but she’s quoted as squarely opposed to the Blackhawks name and logo."
In October 2024 US President Joe Biden apologized for the government's poor past treatment of Native Americans and so also should the NHL and Chicago Blackhawks apologize to the family of Native Americans such as patriotic Taffy Abel. Jones says: “First, start the healing by getting rid of the racist NHL Chicago Blackhawks name and logo.”
Jones says: “It’s hypocritical and racist for the NHL’s Gary Bettman, USA Hockey and Chicago Blackhawks Danny Wirtz to honor Frederic McLaughlin and not to honor patriotic Native American Taffy Abel on his Centennial. Taffy was the 1924 Olympic USA Flag Bearer and the NHL BIPOC Player who broke the NHL Color Barrier.”
This protest is about taking a symbolic Colin Kaepernick knee for improved Native American Racial Justice in hockey and in society. There is a rich history of minority athlete protests. This Native American Social Justice protest is the first major one for Native American athletes and we see it growing in scope and impact with the American public along with NHL Sponsors and Advertises when they start taking action.
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Further information at: www.TaffyAbel.com
For an interview request contact:
George Jones
President, Native American Hockey Historians (NAHH)
Cell & Txt: 630-346-5787