Make no mistake about it Joel Ward committed a dumb penalty. The Capitals had a golden opportunity to take control of the series, but Ward’s double minor with 22 seconds left allowed the Rangers to tie the game and then win it early in OT.
Ward deserves to be criticized, fans have a right to be upset, but what Ward doesn’t deserve is this.
Considering that happened before (Capitals Joel Ward Scores Game 7 Overtime Winner – Bruins Fans Unleash N-Word Barrage on Twitter) you would think that Hockey fans would have learned their lesson.
Unfortunately they have not.
I want to believe it is only a small % of fans that feel this way, but that small % is making it look bad for the majority. I am not mad as much as I am sad for the state of our society.
There is nothing wrong with Joel Ward being embraced for being an African-Canadian playing in the NHL, that is something that shouldn’t be ignored, but once he hits the ice he is just a player like everyone else.
If he scores a game winning goal or makes a crucial mistake, judge him on that.
Don’t judge him differently just because his color is the opposite of it.
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