Players of color from Wild, Avalanche stand together during anthems

The four members of the Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild who are racial minorities made a statement Wednesday.

Jordan Greenway, Nazem Kadri, Matt Dumba, and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare stood side by side before the exhibition game between the two clubs.

J.T. Brown, a Black player who played this season with the Wild's AHL affiliate in Iowa, showed his appreciation for the gesture.

Brown raised his fist in the air during the national anthem when he was with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2017.

Numerous NHL clubs have expressed solidarity with the Black community since the league's exhibition games began Tuesday. Those who have already played have stood together during the anthems, while the Boston Bruins and Columbus Blue Jackets pledged to lock arms before their game Thursday.