Blackhawks ban fans who made racist remarks toward Smith-Pelly
The Chicago Blackhawks have banned the fans who made racist remarks toward Washington Capitals forward Devante Smith-Pelly on Saturday from attending future games.
"We have contacted the select individuals involved in the incident on Saturday to notify them that they are no longer welcome at our home games," a team spokesperson said, according to Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post. "Racist comments and other inappropriate behavior are not tolerated by the Chicago Blackhawks."
Related: Bettman condemns 'reprehensible' racist taunts toward Smith-Pelly
After dropping the gloves with Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy in the third period of Saturday night's contest, nearby fans uttered chants of "basketball, basketball, basketball" toward Smith-Pelly as he entered the penalty box.
"Totally unacceptable in our game, in any sport, and in society," head coach Joel Quenneville said, according to Eric Lear of ChicagoBlackhawks.com. "We have to learn from something like that. (It) can't happen. I talked to (Capitals coach Barry Trotz) yesterday, apologized to the organization and the player, Devante. We're sorry about what happened and let's learn from it."
The team would like to remind fans that they can alert security by texting the following to 69050: UCASSIST <SPACE> followed by the seating section, row and a brief description of the issue.
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) February 19, 2018
On Sunday, Smith-Pelly spoke to the media regarding the incident, stating: "We can't brush it under the rug."