O'Ree, Carter help launch 'Black Excellence and Joy in Hockey' campaign

NEW YORK --The management of Wollman Skating Rink NYC in Central Park is attacking recent racist incidents in professional hockey with messages of positivity.

Wollman Park Partners, which includes the parent company of the New Jersey Devils, along with the Premier Hockey Federation and the Carnegie Initiative used the iconic Manhattan outdoor rink as a backdrop Thursday to launch "Celebrating Black Excellence and Joy in Hockey."
Hockey Hall of Famer Willie O'Ree, who became the NHL's first Black player when he joined the Boston Bruins on Jan. 18, 1958, attended the launch via Zoom.
At Wollman with players from Ice Hockey in Harlem on Thursday were "NHL on TNT" analyst and former NHL player Anson Carter; Kelly Babstock, an Indigenous player for the Metropolitan Riveters of the PHF; Stefanie Tomlin, vice president of Wollman Park Partners and general manager of the rink; and
Bokondji Imama
a forward for Tucson of the American Hockey League who endured an on-ice racist incident last month.
"To combat hate and encourage Black youth to continue their love for the sport, we mobilized our resources to form a multi-layered partnership with PHF, the Carnegie Initiative, and Turner Sports/Bleacher Report to celebrate Black excellence and joy in hockey," Tomlin said. "Through this campaign, we are seeking to become a solution to the problem by uplifting inclusivity on ice and not remaining silent on an issue that directly impacts the communities we continuously serve.

As part of the campaign Turner Sports/Bleacher Report, in conjunction with Wollman, is showcasing the best moments in Black hockey history that will be featured on "NHL on TNT" broadcasts.
In addition, youth hockey players are being asked to submit videos of their own personal moment of joy and excellence on the ice for a chance to win a trip to New York with their family to skate with NHL players of color, be featured in a Hockey is for Everyone public service ad and attend an NHL game.
The campaign is in response to separate incidents last month that involved Imama and defenseman Jordan Subban, the youngest brother of Devils defenseman P.K. Subban and Buffalo Sabres goalie Malcolm Subban.
The ECHL indefinitely suspended Jacksonville defenseman Jacob Panetta pending a hearing for what Jordan Subban, a defenseman for South Carolina, said was a racist taunt during a game last month.

Panetta denied that he used a racist gesture. Jacksonville released him.
The American Hockey League suspended San Jose forward Krystof Hrabik for 30 games following a racist gesture he directed toward Imama, who was selected in the sixth round (No. 180) by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2015 NHL Draft.
Bryant McBride Co-Chair of the Carnegie Initiative, which was established to ensure that hockey is inclusive and welcoming to all, noted the incidents occurred after the Bruins retired O'Ree's No. 22 jersey on Jan. 18 and the U.S. House of Representatives voted to award him Congress' highest honor, the Congressional Gold Medal, the following day.
"It just felt like four steps forward, five steps back," said McBride, who is a former NHL executive. "We said, 'You know what? The way you respond to those events to the [AHL] and the [ECHL] is to celebrate Black excellence and Black joy.'"
Imama said the unpleasant incidents won't deter him from working toward his goal of making the NHL. He said the "Black Excellence and Joy in Hockey" campaign is an encouraging and uplifting effort.
"It's always good to see," he said. "It doesn't matter if you're an athlete or whatever. I'm still a human and having people's support, it will always feel good."