The NHL’s Matt Dumba became the league’s first player to kneel during the national anthem ahead of a game.
Dumba, who is Canadian and plays for the Minnesota Wild, knelt during the “The Star-Spangled Banner” on Saturday but stood during a rendition of “O, Canada” before a game between the Edmonton Oilers and Chicago Blackhawks.
“Racism is everywhere, and we need to fight against it,” said Dumba in a speech addressing race. “For those unaffected by systemic racism, or unaware, I’m sure that some of you believe this topic has garnered too much attention during the last couple of months. But let me assure you, it has not.”
The Canada native is not a player of either team that competed Saturday but plays for the Minnesota Wild. He is also a member of the Hockey Diversity Alliance, which was established earlier this summer to “eradicate racism and intolerance in hockey.”
“I know first-hand, as a minority playing of the great game of hockey, the unexplainable and difficult challenges that come with it,” he said.
The NHL signaled its support of Dumba’s kneeling and his speech in a tweet reading, “When an issue is bigger than the game, we must speak out. #WeSkateFor Black Lives.”
When an issue is bigger than the game, we must speak out. #WeSkateFor Black Lives. pic.twitter.com/mgmMgRM8vI
— NHL (@NHL) August 1, 2020
Colin Kaepernick was the first NFL player to kneel during the national anthem in 2016 to protest police brutality and systemic racism in the U.S. Kneeling during the national anthem has regained momentum in 2020 following the death of George Floyd, which sparked protests and riots across the country to end police brutality and racism.
“Black Lives Matter. Breonna Taylor’s life matters,” Dumba said. “Hockey is a great game, but it could be a whole lot greater, and it starts with all of us.”
