By Canadian Press

Evason says ‘No discussions’ among Wild to join Dumba in anthem protests

Aug 3, 2020 | 2:30 PM

EDMONTON — Minnesota Wild defenceman Matt Dumba says he will continue to publicly protest racial injustice as the NHL returns to action in the hub cities of Edmonton and Toronto.

It remains to be seen if others will join him, but Wild coach Dean Evason said there has been no talk of having other Minnesota players raise a fist with their teammate before games.

“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 said to close Monday’s availability with reporters.

Dumba raised his fist on the Wild’s bench during both the Canadian and American national anthems before Minnesota’s 3-0 win over Vancouver on Sunday in the opener of their best-of-five playoff series.

The Regina native, who is half-Filipino, said he intends to do that for the rest of the NHL’s restart from the COVID-19 pandemic in homage to former Wild forward J.T. Brown.

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Brown did the same during the American national anthem in 2017 as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning to protest police brutality and racism.

Dumba, with the NHL’s blessing, also made a speech at centre ice stressing the need for social and racial justice prior to Saturday’s game between the Edmonton Oilers and Chicago Blackhawks, then knelt for the U.S. anthem.

NHL players haven’t been as visible as those in other pro sports leagues — particularly the NBA and Major League Soccer — in addressing racial injustice since the death of George Floyd, a Black man, at the hands of Minneapolis police officers in May.

In contrast to Dumba’s solo protest, all players and staff of the Los Angeles Lakers and Toronto Raptors knelt for both the Canadian and American anthems when those teams met Saturday at the Walt Disney World complex near Orlando, Fla.

By protesting alone, Dumba takes the risk of becoming a lightning rod for criticism for those who oppose acts of protest during national anthems.

Wild players have said they support Dumba’s protest and are proud he is taking a stand. Forward Marcus Foligno led off his latest diary from inside the Edmonton bubble for The Athletic with an account of the team gathering to watch Dumba’s speech before the Oilers-Blackhawks game.

BAD BOY OF THE BUBBLE

Vancouver forward Micheal Ferland was issued a US$5,000 fine, the maximum allowed, for spearing Minnesota winger Ryan Hartman during the third period of Sunday’s game.

Wild forward Luke Kunin, who grabbed Ferland’s stick from the Minnesota bench before the spear, was fined $1,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Asked if he was surprised Ferland escaped a suspension, Evason said: “Out of our control. I don’t really have an opinion one way or another.”

Ferland was assessed a minor penalty for slashing on the play, while the Wild received a bench minor for interference. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 3, 2020.

The Canadian Press