Sharks player won’t ‘cross out’ possibility of kneeling during anthem at NHL game

Joel Ward of the San Jose Sharks says he can’t rule out the possibility of becoming the first NHL player to kneel during the national anthem.

When asked by the San Jose Mercury News if he would kneel as a form of protest popular in the NFL right now, Ward, a Canadian player, said: “It’s definitely something I wouldn’t cross out.”

“I’ve experienced a lot of racism myself in hockey and on a day-to-day occurrence,” he said.

“I haven’t really sat down to think about it too much yet, but I definitely wouldn’t say no to it.”

In 2012, Ward was the target of racist tweets after he scored an overtime goal for the Washington Capitals and knocked the Boston Bruins out of the playoffs, The Washington Post reported.

{mosads}Ward, one of roughly 30 black players in the National Hockey League, also spoke out in 2011 after a banana peel was thrown at fellow NHL player Wayne Simmonds, calling it “shocking” and “disturbing.”

Ward told the Mercury News that when he was 9 or 10 years old and getting ready to play in a youth hockey game, he was called names and racial slurs.

He said he didn’t know what the words meant until his parents “educated me about what was going on in my surroundings.”

“I was just a kid who fell in love with the game and picked up a hockey stick. I didn’t really look at it as color,” Ward said. “As I got older and looked across the locker rooms and dressings rooms, I realized I’m the only black kid in the whole arena.”

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

He added that kneeling during the national anthem does not just have to do with respect for the flag.

“When people get into [Colin] Kaepernick and some of these other guys, saying that they’re disrespecting the flag, it’s not about just that,” he said.

“It’s about creating awareness about what people, like myself, go through on a day-to-day basis, whether it’s going to the mall or whatever.”

His comments after President Trump last week spurred controversy when he slammed NFL players who kneel during “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Trump continued his attacks this week, saying the NFL should put in place a rule barring players from taking a knee during the anthem.

Several players and coaches have spoken out against Trump’s comments, calling them divisive.

In NFL games since Trump’s comments, many players have knelt or locked arms during the anthem.