WASHINGTON (AP) — Devante Smith-Pelly got up from his seat.The Washington Capitals forward had heard the unmistakably racist taunts
from fans from inside the penalty box. As a black hockey player
Anders Lee Jersey , he knew exactly what they meant by yelling, “Basketball, basketball, basketball!”“It’s just ignorant people being ignorant,” Smith-Pelly
said.That scene unfolded in Chicago in February, 60 years after Willie O’Ree
broke the NHL’s color barrier and paved the way for more minorities to play the
sport and reach its highest level. O’Ree is being inducted into the Hockey Hall
of Fame on Monday for his pioneering career, and yet incidents like the one
Smith-Pelly went through show how much more progress needs to be made, in a
league that’s 97 percent white and beyond.“It’s come a long way, but there’s
still a lot of things that still need to change,” Edmonton defenseman Darnell
Nurse said. “That just comes through minorities as a group working together to
try to eliminate those things from this game.”Those things just keep
happening.In 2011, Philadelphia forward Wayne Simmonds had a banana thrown at
him during a preseason game in London, Ontario.In 2012, then-Washington forward
Joel Ward was the subject of racist social media posts after he scored a
game-winning playoff goal.In 2014, then-Montreal defenseman P.K. Subban was the
subject of racist social media posts after he scored a game-winning playoff
goal.In April, Detroit prospect Givani Smith was subjected to threats and racial
taunts and messages after a junior game in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. His team
had a police escort the next time they went to the rink.“(O’Ree) had to go
through a lot, and the same thing has been happening now, which obviously means
there’s still a long way to go,” Smith-Pelly said. “If you had pulled a quote
from him back then and us now, they’re saying the same thing
Andrew Ladd Jersey , so obviously there’s still a long way to go in hockey and in the world if we’re being serious.”Through his work as an NHL diversity
ambassador over the past 20 years, O’Ree has tried to work toward more inclusion
and better minority representation. He is eager to tell kids at YMCAs, Boys
& Girls Clubs and schools that hockey is another sport they can play.USA
Hockey and Hockey Canada don’t keep participation statistics by race, though
there are fewer than two dozen black players currently on NHL rosters. The NHL
celebrates “Hockey is for Everyone” month each season and quickly condemns
racist behavior.“A lot of it’s basically on your parents and how people raise
their kids,” said San Jose forward Evander Kane, who acknowledged being the
subject of racist taunting as the only black player on his minor league teams in
Vancouver. “You can have all the awareness that you want, but at the end of the
day, it’s really up to the individual and how they act and how they want to
treat other people.”O’Ree, 83, still remembers how he was treated in the ’50s as
hockey’s Jackie Robinson. He did his best to drown out the noise by listening to
his brother Richard.“I heard the jeers and some of the racial remarks, but it
kind of went in one ear and out the other,” O’Ree said. “He told me, ‘Willie,
names will never hurt you unless you let them.’ He said, ‘If they can’t accept
you for the individual that you are, just forget about it and just go out and do
what you do best and don’t worry about anything else.'”Nurse said black players
still have to worry about racist jeers and remarks.“I had a lot growing up and
my brother had the big one too last year,” said Dallas forward Gemel Smith,
Givani’s brother. “How we were raised, nothing really bothers me. That stuff
doesn’t really get to me and things like that. My dad always taught us just to
try to close it out, block it out.”Like Smith-Pelly
Anthony Beauvillier Jersey , Simmonds is quick to say racism isn’t an issue unique to hockey or sports in general. His solution is a zero tolerance policy,
which is what happened to the four fans in Chicago who were thrown out and
banned from all home games by the Blackhawks.“I think what could be done to keep
these types of incidents from happening would probably be to ban those people
who are doing those lewd acts,” Simmonds said. “I think if you set a strong
example right from the start, you won’t have too many people acting like
clowns.”Commissioner Gary Bettman, who is going into the Hall of Fame with O’Ree
as part of the class of 2018, considers it important to make clear to fans and
players what’s expected and what’s not tolerated and said: “Even if it’s only
one incident, it’s one too many.” Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said creating
and cultivating an inclusive environment and building diversity are significant
league priorities.There has been incremental progress. In the aftermath of
Smith-Pelly’s incident, fans in Chicago raised $23,000 to donate to the Fort
Dupont Ice Rink in Washington, helping hundreds of children.“When you see the
reaction and the way that people rally around moments like that and try to make
a positive out of it, I think that’s definitely a step in the right direction,”
Nurse said.For some players like Seth Jones, the son of former NBA player Popeye
Jones, hockey has been a safe place. The Blue Jackets defenseman said he has so
far never been on the receiving end of race-based taunts or messages and said,
“I was just like everybody else playing hockey, which is what everyone
wants.”Most black players haven’t been that fortunate. And while Jones is
optimistic that people can change, Smith-Pelly wasn’t sure exactly how that will
happen.“It’s tough,” he said. “I don’t really know a plan to stop it. That’s how
people are.” NEW YORK (AP) Brock Nelson scored his third goal of the game 3:15
into overtime and the New York Islanders, boosted by rookie Mathew Barzal’s five
assists, beat the Detroit Red Wings 7-6 on Friday night.The Islanders trailed
5-2 with 6:33 left in regulation when Detroit’s Tyler Bertuzzi was assessed a
major game misconduct for slashing Cal Clutterbuck.New York took full advantage
as Nelson
Authentic Brock Nelson Jersey , Anders Lee, Nick Leddy and Josh Bailey scored power-play goals in the span of 3:37 for a 6-5 lead. The four power-play goals
in the third period set a franchise record.Bailey’s goal gave New York its first
lead of the game with 1:49 left in regulation. But Mike Green’s sixth of the
season with 29 seconds remaining forced overtime. Nelson then completed his
second career hat trick with his 14th goal, sending Detroit to its third
straight loss.Jaroslav Halak made six saves on seven shots in the third period
to pick up the win. He replaced starter Thomas Greiss, who allowed five goals on
32 shots.Jordan Eberle also scored for New York. Anthony Mantha, Martin Frk,
Henrik Zetterberg, Darren Helm and Niklas Kronwall scored for Detroit.STARS 4,
PENGUINS 3, SODALLAS (AP) – Tyler Seguin scored the deciding shootout goal and
Dallas goalie Kari Lehtonen stopped all three Pittsburgh shooters in the
tiebreaker.Lehtonen won his fifth straight game, and stretched Dallas’ winning
streak to five games.Shooting second, Seguin sent a shot off of Matt Murray’s
right side and into the net.The Penguins tied it with 1:13 left in regulation on
defenseman Justin Schultz’s goal from above the left faceoff circle. Pittsburgh
took a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals by Riley Sheahan and Carl Hagelin.
The Stars’ comeback began when Seguin scored his sixth goal in five games at
17:57 of the first period. John Klingberg and Dan Hamhuis scored early in the
third period to give Dallas a 3-2 lead.CAPITALS 4, BLUE JACKETS 2WASHINGTON (AP)
– Fourth-line center Jay Beagle put Washington ahead for good with his 50th
career goal, and the Capitals continued their dominance against Columbus.Evgeny
Kuznetsov and Lars Eller each had a goal and an assist as Washington swept a
home-and-home with Columbus and won its sixth straight against the Blue Jackets
dating to last season.John Carlson also scored and Braden Holtby made 35
saves.Pierre Luc-Dubois and Artemi Panarin scored for the Blue Jackets. They
have lost five straight.DUCKS 3, OILERS 2ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) – Ryan Kesler
scored early in the third period, and Anaheim held on for the win.Corey Perry
also scored and Hampus Lindholm had a goal and an assist for the Ducks, who are
tied with San Jose and Calgary for third place in the Pacific Division with 64
points. John Gibson made 30 saves after missing four games with a lower-body
injury.Anton Slepyshev and Kris Russell scored for the Oilers, who dropped the
first two games of their three-game California trip. Cam Talbot made 31
saves
