Color of Hockey: Apollon, inspired by Capitals, pursuing NHL dream

William Douglas has been writing The Color of Hockey blog since 2012. Douglas joined NHL.com in 2019 and writes about people of color in the sport. Today, he profiles Divyne Apollon II, whose teammates and the Washington Capitals rallied around after he endured racist taunts at a youth hockey tournament in December 2018. Undaunted, he's chasing his hockey dream today as a forward for the Amarillo Wranglers of the North American Hockey League.

Divyne Apollon II can't believe it has been nearly five years since he experienced the lowest low in his young hockey career that resulted in one of the highest of highs.

Apollon II was a 13-year-old defenseman playing for the suburban Washington, D.C., Metro Maple Leafs when he was subjected to racist taunts during a game against a team from Pennsylvania at a youth hockey tournament on Dec. 29, 2018, which led to a fight and his suspension from the tournament.

His teammates rallied around him. So did Washington Capitals players, who invited Apollon II and the Metro Maple Leafs to a game against the St. Louis Blues at Capital One Arena on Jan. 14, 2019, and to meet the players in the locker room afterward.

"I mean, that motivated me to want to keep doing what I'm doing," he said earlier this month. "It just made me feel like I wanted to work harder."

Apollon II is now an 18-year-old forward with Amarillo of the North American Hockey League, chasing his hockey dream.

The Seat Pleasant, Maryland, native hopes playing in the junior league will lead to an NCAA Division I hockey scholarship, preferably to Arizona State University, and someday a chance to play professionally.

"It's a lot of fun here, the atmosphere and the guys I'm playing with," he said.

Apollon II (6-foot-2, 220 pounds) has become a fan favorite in the city near the Texas Panhandle because of a style of play reminiscent of forward Tom Wilson, his favorite Capitals player.

He had one assist in 25 games for Amarillo last season with 111 penalty minutes, playing on a checking line.

"He plays the game the right way," Amorillo owner and president Austin Sutter said. "He plays it honest. He plays it physical. He doesn't cut corners. He works hard. He's a great teammate. And our fans love that, they can see that."

Apollon II said he expects to score more this season. He is spending the summer in Boston, on the ice three or four times a week for sessions with Glen Tucker, a shooting instructor known as "Dr. Shot."

Tucker has worked a host of NHL players, including Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak and center Patrice Bergeron, Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel and Toronto Maple Leafs center John Tavares, as well as former players Zdeno Chara, Jarome Iginla and P.K. Subban.

"The goal is to keep getting better," Apollon II said.

Divyne Apollon Sr. said his son's determination to succeed is a testament to the gestures of goodwill by the Capitals and others and the power of allyship after the racist episode in 2018.

"I think it was a great boost," Apollon Sr. said. "I was great to see people supporting him and players that look like him in the (NHL) inspiring him."

Capitals defenseman John Carlson and then-Washington forward Devante Smith-Pelly invited Apollon II and his teammates to the Jan. 14, 2019, game in a surprise video they made after they heard about the racist taunts rhetorically hurled at the young player.

"We just wanted to do something special for him," said Smith-Pelly, who was subjected to racist chants while sitting in the penalty box during a game against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center on Feb. 17, 2018. "At that point, you might think everyone in hockey is like that. Having some NHLers showing that is unacceptable was just something we had to do."

The Blues defeated the Capitals 4-1 that night, but Apollon II and the Metro Maple Leafs felt like winners. They met with Carlson, Smith-Pelly, forward Alex Ovechkin and other players.

Ovechkin, Carlson, Smith-Pelly and then-Capitals goalie Braden Holtby gave Apollon II autographed sticks.

Smith-Pelly, who retired in December 2022 after playing 395 NHL games for the Anaheim Ducks, Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils and Capitals, said he's proud Apollon II didn't let the ugly incident at the tournament stop him from loving hockey.

"That's nice that he didn't get discouraged," he said. "To see him still pushing, still playing juniors and moving up the ranks is nice."

Apollon II returned to the Washington area on July 8 to play in a charity hockey game for Players Against Hate, a nonprofit organization that his father and Tammi Lynch, a Metro Maple Leafs mother, co-founded shortly after the tournament incident.

The game, played at the Gardens Ice House in Laurel, Maryland, raised more than $5,500, which Lynch said will go toward highlighting anti-racism efforts and improving the organization's incident tracker on its website.

"I couldn't really ask for a better result than this, an organization like Players Against Hate," Apollon II said.

Photos courtesy: Lauren Corea, Washington Capitals Photography, Robert Raymer Photography