Bruins President Cam Neely on Friday "denounced those who directed racial slurs" at Canadiens D P.K. Subban via social media following his game-winning goal in the second overtime of Thursday night's Game 1, according to Joe McDonald of ESPN BOSTON. Neely in a statement said, "The racist, classless views expressed by an ignorant group of individuals following Thursday's game via digital media are in no way a reflection of anyone associated with the Bruins organization." NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman in a release said, "We are about diversity and inclusiveness. We condemn bias and hatred. It has no place in our game and is unacceptable" (ESPNBOSTON.com, 5/2). SI.com's Allan Muir wrote the outpouring of racist sentiments following Subban's goal "perpetuates the image of Boston being the most racist city north of the Mason-Dixon." Muir: "You have to wonder what Subban’s brother makes of this." AHL Providence Bruins G Malcolm Subban is one of the Bruins’ "top prospects and is being groomed to succeed" G Tuukka Rask (SI.com, 5/2).
SUBBAN SPEAKS: P.K. Subban on Saturday said that it is "time to move on." Subban: "It is completely unfair for anybody to point the finger at the organization or the fan base. ... What people may say on Twitter and social media is not a reflection by any means of the league or the Boston Bruins. So, whoever that is, they’ll get dealt with, but it’s completely separate from this league or the Boston Bruins organization" (BOSTON GLOBE, 5/4). Subban said that the incident "created a positive in the way people came together to criticize the racist comments." Subban: "You know what the funny thing is, is that we get stronger as a league. You see how people come together and it’s great. It’s not just about me. The NHL has tons of players from different backgrounds, from different places around the world and that’s what makes this league so special" (QMI AGENCY, 5/3). But in Montreal, Jack Todd wrote Subban might have been "too conciliatory" in his "eagerness to exonerate the city of Boston and the Bruins fan base" (Montreal GAZETTE, 5/4).
BOSTON STRONG LANGUAGE: In Boston, Gary Washburn wrote the tweets aimed at Subban "paint Boston into a corner that it appeared to escape 30 years ago, as a town that may be accepting on the surface but contains racists in the crevices who only come to the forefront in certain situations." It seems that hockey "brings out the worst in some." Washburn: "But we were supposed to be above that in Boston." The city's "most sacred Red Sox player" is DH David Ortiz, a "burly Dominican." Residents "shed tears" when Nets Fs Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce "returned to Boston in January." The city recently "celebrated the first American in 31 years to win the Boston Marathon -- who happened to be black." Washburn: "But somehow Subban crossed the line?" Now the Bruins "have to turn" to C Jarome Iginla, "who is black, with a look of 'it’s really not like that here'" (BOSTON GLOBE, 5/3).
