Minnesota Wild’s Matt Dumba Gives Anti-Racism Speech, Takes Knee During National Anthem Before NHL Western Conference Game
By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
It begins with the first player kneeling.
In the National Hockey League’s case, it was Minnesota Wild player Matt Dumba, a Black defenseman who gave an anti-racism speech before the Edmonton Oilers vs. Chicago Blackhawks game before the NHL Western Conference Qualifiers game Saturday.
Dumba took a knee for the national anthem — a sight you don’t see in the NHL unlike the NBA restart games where nearly all players take a knee during the anthem.
Former Golden Knights goalie Malcolm Subban, now with the Blackhawks, stood on Dumba’s right side and placed his lefthand on Dumba’s right shoulder while the Wild player took a knee on a red carpet at center ice. Edmonton’s Darnell Nurse, also a Black player, stood on Dumba’s other side.
A video showed social justice and racial justice leaders from the 12 cities represented in the Western Conference postseason playoffs.
Take a look at Dumba’s speech.
There are about 45 Black players in the 31-team league NHL. The league’s message was “#WeSkateFor Black Lives.
Hockey is a great game, but it could be a whole lot greater — Matt Dumba, Aug. 1, 2020
The NHL is made up of mostly white players, while the NBA consists of mostly Black players who wore anti-racism slogans on the back of their basketball jerseys. Nearly all the NBA players took a knee during the anthem, while none of the Oilers and Blackhawks players took a knee.
Here are the NBA players taking a knee during the anthem Friday.
LVSportsBiz.com talked with several Golden Knights fans who disagreed with racial equality issues being addressed at the NHL games. Others support the racial equality presence.
The Knights play the first of three round-robin games Monday when they take on the Dallas Stars to determine seeding in the Western Conference playoffs.
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