Protests flare up following two-month anniversary of George Floyd's death
Protesters in Austin, Texas; Tempe, Ariz.; and Portland, Ore., took to the streets in their respective cities to march in step with the Black Lives Matter movement. In some instances, police and federal agents clashed with protesters, but in one demonstration, protesters paid their respects to one of their own in Texas.
Dallas Stars’ Tyler Seguin has been among the many NHL players to voice their support for the Black Lives Matter movement and before Monday night’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights, he and members of both teams took a knee in solidarity.
Seguin and Dallas forward Jason Dickinson protested social injustice when they knelt alongside Vegas forward Ryan Reaves and goaltender Robin Lehner during the American and Canadian national anthems.
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While they were not the first in the NHL to kneel, Seguin explained that it was something he had been contemplating.
“I was giving it a lot of thought in the last 24 hours about what to do,” Seguin told ESPN. “I talked to Reaves during warmups. He said he saw what I was doing in Dallas, and that him and Lehner were going to kneel, and asked if I’d like to join them. So I told them I’d join them.”
Seguin said he informed his teammates in the locker room of his plans and said there was “absolutely no pressure to do anything.”
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“Dickinson grabbed me and said he’d like to be a part of it, and support his beliefs and my beliefs,” the 28-year-old forward continued.
Minnesota Wild’s Matt Dumba became the first NHL player to kneel during the U.S. anthem on Saturday, after he made a speech before a game between Edmonton and Chicago. He knelt at center ice while fellow Black players Malcolm Subban of Chicago and Darnell Nurse of Edmonton each stood with a hand on one of his shoulders.
The Wild faced the Vancouver Canucks the following night, and Dumba raised his right fist in the air during the U.S. and Canadian anthems.
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Several teams have since stood together during the U.S. and Canadian anthems, with some players locking arms to show solidarity.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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