Racism lingers for NHL players 60 years after O'Ree landmark

WASHINGTON (AP) — Devante Smith-Pelly got up from his seat.

The Washington Capitals forward had heard the unmistakably racist taunts from fans from inside the penalty box. As a black hockey player, he knew exactly what they meant by yelling, "Basketball, basketball, basketball!"

"It's just ignorant people being ignorant," Smith-Pelly said.

That scene unfolded in Chicago in February, 60 years after Willie O'Ree broke the NHL's color barrier and paved the way for more minorities to play the sport and reach its highest level.

O'Ree is being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday for his pioneering career, and yet incidents like the one Smith-Pelly went through show how much more progress needs to be made, in a league that's 97 percent white and beyond.

"It's come a long way, but there's still a lot of things that still need to change," Edmonton defenseman Darnell Nurse said. "That just comes through minorities as a group working together to try to eliminate those things from this game."

Those things just keep happening.

In 2011, Philadelphia forward Wayne Simmonds had a banana thrown at him during a preseason game in London, Ontario.

In 2012, then-Washington forward Joel Ward was the subject of racist social media posts after he scored a game-winning playoff goal.

In 2014, then-Montreal defenseman P.K. Subban was the subject of racist social media posts after he scored a game-winning playoff goal.

In April, Detroit prospect Givani Smith was subjected to threats and racial taunts and messages after a junior game in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. His team had a police escort the next time they went to the rink.