Fans ejected from UC for racial taunting
Four fans were ejected from Saturday night’s Blackhawks game for racist taunts directed at Capitals winger Devante Smith- Pelly.
Smith- Pelly, who is black, was in the penalty box midway through the third period when the fans chanted, “Basketball, basketball, basketball,” a Capitals spokesperson told the Washington Post.
“There’s absolutely no place in the game of hockey or our country for racism,” Capitals coach Barry Trotz said. “I think it’s disgusting. There’s no place for it. The athletes in our country don’t deserve that. It just shows ignorance.”
Trotz said Smith- Pelly was “a little bit upset.”
“We were made aware of an incident at tonight’s game involving a small group of attendees who made harmful comments directed at Washington Capitals player Devante Smith- Pelly,” a Hawks spokesperson said. “The fans were immediately removed, and we apologize to Smith- Pelly and the Washington Capitals organization. We are committed to providing an inclusive environment for everyone who attends our games, and these actions will never be tolerated.”
Crawford still way off
Corey Crawford was on the ice for about 40 minutes last Monday in Arizona, participating in the Hawks’ morning skate and taking live shots from teammates for the first time since being put on injured reserve with a head injury just after Christmas.
He hasn’t been on the ice since. Whether that’s a setback or not, coach Joel Quenneville deemed it the “status quo,” which means he’s still a long way off from playing. Crawford did work out off the ice Saturday while his teammates skated.
Asked Friday if Crawford’s injury is in any way careerthreatening — a dramatic but fair question given the secrecy surrounding him and the nonexistent timetable for his return — Quenneville seemed to downplay it.
“Not sure about that,” he said, dismissively. “Too far out.”
Quenneville remained optimistic that Crawford will play this season and said there still are no plans to shut him down even though the Hawks are out of playoff contention.
“His health is going to dictate the answer to that question, and we’ll go from there,” Quenneville said.
“Right now, we don’t have to make any other decision other than trying to get him healthy.”