Jake Guentzel Statement on George Floyd

Penguins winger Jake Guentzel, who grew up in Minnesota, opened his media conference call Wednesday with a statement about the killing of George Floyd and the current situation in the country:

"These last couple months have been pretty crazy, and especially these last couple weeks, it's been pretty tough. Watching the death of George Floyd was pretty disturbing, and for me personally it was even more disheartening knowing it was pretty close to home for me. I just want to say that my heart aches with that, and (for) everyone involved. I'm ashamed that racism still exists to this day. My eyes have definitely been opened, and I'm definitely committed to educating myself and making a difference out there."

Guentzel was asked about the number of NHL players who have spoken up in the past week.

"It's nice to see that when people have platforms, they're using it to speak out," he said. "Obviously we know that (racism) needs to end. People are just learning and educating (themselves). We need to take action for it now. It's all been pretty tough times. Hopefully we can all stick together."