Wild haven't discussed joining Dumba's protests

Minnesota Wild head coach Dean Evason says the team hasn't talked about showing solidarity with Matt Dumba during his protests against racism and in support of Black lives.

"Nope, there's been no discussions, and the only thing that we've discussed as a staff - as I've mentioned before - is that we want to eliminate racism for good," Evason told reporters Monday when asked by theScore's John Matisz whether the club has internally addressed the possibility of locking arms or raising fists along with the defenseman.

Dumba became the first NHL player to kneel during the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner" on Saturday. He did so after making an impassioned speech calling attention to racial injustice before the game between the Edmonton Oilers and Chicago Blackhawks.

One day later, he raised his fist while both the American and Canadian anthems played before Minnesota's contest against the Vancouver Canucks.

None of Dumba's teammates joined him in kneeling or raising a fist, but Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse and Blackhawks goaltender Malcolm Subban - both of whom are Black - flanked Dumba and placed their hands on his shoulders as he kneeled Saturday.

Dumba is a member of the Hockey Diversity Alliance, a group co-headed by Akim Aliu and San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane that was formed in June with the goal of eliminating racism and intolerance in hockey.