During a recent interview with NHL.com, Xavier Woods commented on the importance of Black History Month, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X, and more. You can check out some highlights from the interview below:
On the importance of Black History month: “Black History Month is a time to educate people who forget that black people are just part of world history. I have some friends who hear Black History Month and they harp on the fact, ‘OK, we’re focusing on black history and whatever aspect it is, whether it’s in civil rights, whether it’s in sports, whether it’s in entertainment — but a lot of times we don’t talk about those things for the other 11 months of the year.’ It’s always interesting that in February these things are examined and spoken about, but for the rest of the time, it’s kind of by the wayside. We, as a people and as a human race, can do a better job of remembering that every ethnicity’s history is part of our world history. That’s a long-winded way to say I think Black History Month should be Black History Year.”
On the black historical figures who had a big influence on him: “In general, obviously Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. At one point in my wrestling career, I was researching the way Malcolm X spoke because I very much enjoyed his cadence and the way he put inflection on the words. Obviously, my parents and grandparents [influenced me]. All of the stuff they went through, hearing about those things and the hardships and understanding that they went through this stuff so I wouldn’t have to go through it like they did. All respect to them for being my biggest influence.”
On his hockey fandom: “I am, yes. I got to be a hockey fan from watching the playoffs last season. A friend turned on the TV and I saw two teams (hitting) each other and I asked, ‘Oh, is this the finals and is this game almost over,’ because they were both playing as if they were both losing and there was 10 seconds left. And they said ‘No, we’ve got 20 minutes left and its only Game 2.’ And I was, like, ‘Wait, why are they playing so hard?’ They’re like, ‘That’s hockey.’ And I was, like, ‘This is incredible.’ And so I watched the rest of the playoffs and I’ve been playing a lot of NHL 20, and that’s helped me understand the game a little bit. It’s very humbling going from a few months ago just playing the video game to being at the All-Star Weekend.”
