P.K. Subban is one of the few black players in the NHL, and the tweets directed his way were filled with ugly, racist sentiments. Over 17,000 tweets were sent out containing both "Subban" and the "N-Word." In fact "#N-Word" was actually trending in Boston following the game.
Since Thursday, the Bruins issued a statement saying that the views expressed by those tweets in no way reflect the Bruins organization. Bruins fans also expressed their disgust online and on the radio claiming that the ignorant racism put forth in their name didn't represent them or what they considered to be real Bruins fans. Subban himself said that it is unfair to hold the Bruins organization or the entire fan-base accountable for the views of a small but vocal minority. Subban showed a lot of class and wisdom in his response to a very ugly situation.
Thoughts?
P.S.
This is not the first issue of such hate being put forth by Bruins fans in recent years. Below is a blog from April 2012 following another goal by another black player...
On Wednesday night, the Boston Bruins' defense of their 2011 Stanley Cup came to an end as they were eliminated by the Washington Capitals in overtime of Game 7 of their series. As a Bruins fan I was sad, angry, and disappointed that the Bruins wouldn't move on the the next round. My feelings of anger and disappointment would be nothing compared to how I felt after going through Twitter after the game...
I had gone online in order to vent some frustration and get the fan reaction to the end of the Bruins' season, what I saw instead was a disgusting display of hate and racism by fans from the Boston area. The goal which ended the season for Boston was scored by Joel Ward, the Toronto born son of immigrant parents from Barbados, and after the game, Joel's race became the subject of taunts and threats all over social media, specifically Twitter.
""Hey Joel Ward!! You [expletive] spear chucking monkey, why don't you actually DO SOMETHING. You're totally irrelevant"
"How the [expletive] did Joel ward get out of my plantation? #WheresMyCotton"
"Warning to Joel Ward. Your one of three black guys in Canada. I will find you…and I will kill you."
Ward has said that growing up in Canada and playing youth hockey he was used to kids making racial comments, but that he had never experienced anything in the NHL... until Wednesday night.
Way to stay classy Boston... and way to solidify your already ugly reputation as one of the most racist sports towns in the country... I'm not proud to be a fan of the Bruins right now, and that has absolutely nothing to do with the hockey team...