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.
Today we stand together with the Avalanche. Racism has no place in hockey and no place in society.#mnwild pic.twitter.com/ipxvFPVcyp
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) July 29, 2020
J.T. Brown, a Black player who played this season with the Wild's AHL affiliate in Iowa, showed his appreciation for the gesture.
Great to see this act of brotherhood ✊🏽 @matt_dumba @JGreenway12 @43_Kadri @bellsy78 https://t.co/F1FHwPsj8d
— JT Brown (@JTBrown23) July 29, 2020
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.