Vodka Yonic features a rotating cast of female writers from around the world sharing stories that are alternately humorous, sobering, intellectual, erotic, religious or painfully personal. You never know what you'll find here each week, but we hope this potent mix of stories encourages conversation.
I love hockey. I mean I really love hockey. Nearly 10 years ago, my now-husband took me on a date to my first Nashville Predators game, which ended with an exciting shoot-out. This is back when shoot-outs were still rare. Even though the Preds lost, the fluid, passionate game was hypnotizing. I was hooked, and I didn't even know what icing was. (OK, fine, I still don't know what icing is.)
As my fanaticism grew over the years, the NHL proved itself to be a classy institution worthy of my adoration — it didn't seem to have as many of the obvious problems that plagued other professional sports organizations. Star players showed public support for the U.S. Women's Hockey Team at the 2010 Olympics. The LGBT-friendly You Can Play project, founded in 2012, was enthusiastically supported by every franchise. The following year, the Vancouver Canucks celebrated a transgender teen who named himself after Cory Schneider, one of their goalies at the time, by bringing him and Schneider out on the ice before a game. The thousands of people packed in the arena cheered him on for having the courage to live so openly and honestly. This was before Caitlyn Jenner, Laverne Cox and Laura Jane Grace were recognized names.
I've always been proud to be a hockey fan and an enthusiastic supporter of the Nashville Predators, a franchise that has done its fair share of goodness within the community. I have the fingernail decals to prove it. But this year it's different. This year, hockey is causing me to have a difficult internal conversation about what it means to be a fan and how far I'm willing to stretch my own morals for something that is, ultimately, entertainment.
In March, Mike Ribeiro, a skillful center who'd been with the Predators for just one season, and his wife Tamara were sued for sexual assault by a former nanny who'd been with the family since she was 12 years old. The woman, who was 18 at the time of the alleged incident, filed a civil suit claiming, among other things, that one night after Ribeiro had been out with teammates (shortly after he signed with the Washington Capitals), she woke up to him grabbing her breasts, masturbating and violating her with his fingers. She also claims he later tried to blame the incident on his drinking problem.
It's no secret that Ribeiro has a troubled past — he's talked opening about his alcoholism, and his personal battles have been a driving factor for why he bounced around from team to team before landing in Nashville. It's not completely unbelievable that, in a haze of drunkenness, Ribeiro could've done something really terrible. But even before the civil suit was settled, Ribeiro signed a two-year $7 million contract with the Predators. The team's general manager, David Poile, didn't even wait to see what happened with the lawsuit. The ink was dry by the time the matter had been privately settled with a court mediator.
A more recent accusation involves Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane. A woman claims that on Aug. 2, Kane overpowered and raped her when she and a friend went to his Buffalo, N.Y., home after meeting the three-time Stanley Cup winner at a bar. Sources have reported that the woman went to the hospital after the alleged incident and agreed to a rape kit — a lengthy, invasive procedure wherein authorities gather any and all possible evidence from the victim's body.
I couldn't help but notice the difference in the way the Blackhawks have reacted to the news and what the Predators decided to do. While the hockey world awaits the forensic results in Kane's case (don't hold your breath, it could take months), Kane's career appears to be on hold. The Blackhawks are staying quiet and wisely not assuming that Kane is guilty. They're also not cruel enough to presume the woman is lying.
The woman who accused Ribeiro of rape — the media has been referring to the alleged incident as "sexual assault," but what she says he did is, by definition, rape — wasn't shown that same kindness. Poile worked under the assumption that if there are no criminal charges, there is no crime.
But we can't expect a rape victim to respond to his or her own trauma with a discerning audience in mind. We can't assume there will always be hard evidence or obvious guilt (or innocence) to keep our minds at ease. Who knows why Ribeiro's nanny didn't call the cops? Perhaps she was scared, or worried that the family could be torn apart if she told anyone. Maybe she thought it was her own fault. But it's her choice, and we can't dismiss her just because her choice didn't meet our standards.
Poile obviously doesn't believe that Ribeiro attacked that woman, or if he does, he doesn't care. I can't tell which would be worse — both possibilities are upsetting. So Ribeiro will be back on the ice this October. Kane might be, too — if criminal charges aren't filed and if the moral clause of his contract isn't breached, the Blackhawks might not legally have much control over the matter.
But I'm still undecided on whether or not I'll be there to cheer any of them on. The excitement is gone.
Email arts@nashvillescene.com
