This was the first I heard of it happening in the NHL. Last Sunday at the restart of the season, actually post season games.
https://ftw.usatoday.com/2020/08/matt-dumba-first-nhl-player-to-take-a-knee-during-national-anthemI didn't watch it, but a relative was a bit pissed as apparently he wasn't kneeling during the Canadian Anthem. She said if this is not just "Anti-American," why didn't he kneel for the racist Canadian Anthem too? (They have never had any issues with their First Nation folks, eh?).
I've caught a few games since they started back up, seems the League is on the bandwagon judging by the banners over the end of ice unoccupied seats.
A few months back, just after The Corona stopped games, and after the neck kneeling fiasco, a couple of the black players came out and made some statements.
https://theathletic.com/1847691/202...sing-racism-we-need-strength-in-numbers/You might not be able to read the whole article as it's behind a pay wall. I pay, because the regular "news" hardly covers HOCKEY at all.
Couple of other players have spoken out about it. Of course, this came out right after Floyd's death, before there was any real evidence about what happened.
Personal experience? I'm old enough to have watched games Willie O'Ree played (First black player in the NHL) , and actually skated with him in a pick up game or two well after he retired. I always wondered why there weren't more black players in the league over the years. Listening to many interviews over the past 50 years or so, it's not hard to see why a black kid would have a tough time making it all the way to the pros. Especially given that many (probably most) HOCKEY kids are not ghetto kids, they generally come from middle class families that can pay for eqpt and ice time, which ain't cheap. Black kids from those families are not the type that would take to being called "monkey" or "ni--gg--er" all the time in the dressing rooms. The guys who have made it to the big leagues have many stories to tell, they just pushed through it to get to their level of experience and were good enough to keep playing in Juniors and college so they could get seen by the scouts. (It was never a pleasure being called "WOP", Dago, greaseball etc when I was growing up, but that was a different time. I usually just called the a-hole a Heinie, Frog, or Beaner depending on who was calling me names)
To hear it told, at least 20, 15, even 10 years ago, that name calling crap still existed in the League. Probable still does at times. But, most of what I've seen and heard over the past decade or so leads me to believe it has mostly stopped. No doubt there are a few players that still are an issue, but I think even the "white' players in the room are about tired of it.
Since I began watching HOCKEY in the 60's, the NHL has gotten very diverse with kids from all over making it. Even a kid from Long Beach CA, Matt Nieto, a person of Mexican descent, made it to the league, not to mention First Nations and Native Americans, Asian kids, and of course, all of them Ruskies that didn't play in the NHL when I started watching the games.
My opinion, based on my experience. Of course, it's a political necessity that the NHL start with the banners in the buildings now. And a personal necessity of some players to try to get it to the forefront and out of the dressing rooms and the benches. But, does the whole team need to kneel???? Good question? If I was on a team and wanted to show support for a black teammate, I should be free to do so.
However, and this is a very big HOWEVER for me, I'd personally have to find a way to do it other than kneeling during an Anthem. Of any country. Especially the US of A. (China?? heck, I might just turn away from looking at their flag during any ceremony)
Kneel like they have been during the few English Premier League soccer games I've watched, right before the game starts. NHL could do the same at the faceoff circle before puck drop.............AFTER the Anthems have been played and respected..
