NHL player Joel Ward: I may kneel for national anthem due to rampant racism in hockey

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Joel Ward isn’t ruling out the possibility that he could become the first NHL player to join the protests sweeping through the NFL by taking a knee during the national anthem at an upcoming Sharks game.

As one of roughly 30 black players in the NHL, Ward has first-hand experience with racism. He knows what it’s like to be racially profiled by the police and he’s troubled by the rhetoric being used by President Donald Trump toward African American protestors in the NFL and NBA.

“It’s definitely something I wouldn’t cross out,” Ward said when asked by the Mercury News whether he’d consider taking a knee during the national anthem at an upcoming Sharks game.

“I’ve experienced a lot of racism myself in hockey and on a day-to-day occurrence. I haven’t really sat down to think about it too much yet, but I definitely wouldn’t say no to it.”

Ward, a Canadian player who’s the son of Barbadian immigrants, felt the sting of racism the first time he laced up the skates to play in a youth hockey game as a nine or 10-year-old in Toronto. Kids were calling him names and making racial slurs toward him from the stands.

“I’ve experienced racism as a kid, as an adult. I think I’ll always experience it.”

Racism followed Ward to the NHL and reared its ugly head when he scored a series-clinching goal for the Washington Capitals in overtime of Game 7 against the Boston Bruins in 2012.

After the game, Ward received death threats from Bruins fans on social media who addressed him with a torrent of racially-charged language.

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