Akim Aliu: Couture's private apology, public support 'really touched me'
With players across the NHL voicing their support in the effort to combat racism, Akim Aliu singled out Logan Couture's personal apology as one of the most meaningful messages he's seen.
Aliu, who played hockey with Couture when they were 11 years old, said the San Jose Sharks captain reached out to him privately before publishing a statement.
"He shot me a text right before he sent the tweet out of support in what we're doing about just, 'Hey, I didn't understand. I didn't take the time to understand,'" Aliu said on Sportsnet's "In Conversation with Ron MacLean." "It's hard to relate to something that you don't know, and that's why I don't get upset at people."
Aliu continued: "Look at the minor hockey team that I played on ... I think we had five or six (future) NHLers. They never treated me with nothing but respect. But when I was going through issues, it's hard for them to relate to what I'm going through because they just don't understand it. And it's not a knock on them."
Aliu also addressed Couture's remarks regarding a hazing incident involving Steve Downie during Aliu's junior hockey career. After the Windsor Spitfires selected him sixth overall in the OHL draft in 2005, Aliu refused to participate in rookie hazing and eventually fought his teammate Downie.
"When Logan said that he appreciated me for the hazing situation and that I helped players not have to go through what I went through with Steve Downie, that really touched me because that's something no one's ever said to me," Aliu said. "So that really meant a lot to me."
Couture, who was also drafted to the OHL in 2005, recently applauded Aliu on Twitter for his courage during their junior hockey days and apologized for not speaking up sooner.
"Very true. I'm in that group, the message should have been sent sooner. (Aliu) standing up for what was right when he was 16 saved a lot of us from going through the hazing shit he did," Couture wrote in response to a tweet pointing out previous indifference to hazing and racism within the hockey community. "He deserves praise."
Aliu and six other active and retired black NHL players recently formed the Hockey Diversity Alliance, an independent group seeking to eliminate racism and intolerance in hockey,