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Anson Carter shares profound thoughts on racism in hockey

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Anson Carter discusses the importance of speaking up about racial inequality in hockey and sports and vocalizing issues, as well as gathering the strength to speak out.

As Blake Bolden said, Anson Carter created a “mic drop” moment during the latest “Our Line Starts” podcast (also with Jamal Mayers and Liam McHugh).

Carter spoke of a white friend who owns a New York hotel telling him that she’s become “exhausted” about having conversations about race relations. For her, a few days of such conversations left her mentally drained.

“I said, ‘Try having these conversations for 46 years,’” Carter said. “It’s like running a marathon. Training for a marathon, the first time you go out there, you’re exhausted. But, once you start building up that endurance every single day, it becomes a little bit easier. And that is what this is all about.”

Carter continued with a profound point. Many of us have the luxury to “stick to sports” and divest of these conversations when the marathon proves too grueling. Anson Carter does not.

” .. I don’t have that same ability to take the skin off my shoulders like shoulder pads and hang it up and say ‘OK, onto the next thing, I’ll go live my life now,’” Carter said. “This is my reality. And, when you think about it that way, people start to get exactly what everyone’s talking about.”

Wow. You can witness Carter’s “mic drop” moment in the video above this post’s headline, but the full episode is worth your time (and at the bottom of this post).

Anson Carter also appeared on “Lunch Talk Live”

Anson Carter brought some optimism about the future to his “Lunch Talk Live” appearance with Mike Tirico.

He notes that, during his playing days, it felt like “no one was listening.” Tirico and Carter also spoke about “In Union, There’s Strength,” the video Carter put together responding to George Floyd’s death.

“Just because we’re social distancing, doesn’t mean the hockey community is socially distant,” Carter said.

Full episode of Our Line Starts

2:40-5:35 Anson’s inspiration for producing his powerful video
5:35-8:50 Jamal, Blake, and Anson discuss their new role with the NHL
8:50-12:55 How can NHL players make a difference beyond offering support on social media?
12:55-17:10 Ways to foster a more inclusive environment at the youth level
17:10-20:45 Examples of how diversity can lead to positive change in the sport
20:50-24:30 Importance of making people feel comfortable to speak up
24:30-End Anson’s passionate closing remarks

https://art19.com/shows/our-line-starts/episodes/a421f414-1187-48b1-8a46-c1b062e11dde

Where else you can listen:

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1482681517

Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/nbc-sports/our-line-starts

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7cDMHBg6NJkQDGe4KHu4iO?si=9BmcLtutTFmhRrNNcMqfgQ

NBC Sports on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nbcsports


James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.