Sharks forward Anthony Duclair opens up about racism he has dealt with
Sharks forward Anthony Duclair opens up about racism he has dealt with originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Editor's Note: Sheng Peng will be a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.
Being a kid didn’t insulate new Sharks forward Anthony Duclair from racism.
"I was probably nine, 10 years old. I was in a tournament in Montreal," Duclair recalled in "Black Ice," Hubert Davis's 2022 documentary about racism in hockey. “We had the afternoon finals, and obviously as a kid, playing the finals of whatever tournament, you're obviously excited, you're pumped. You're a kid, you're playing hockey for the love of the game, right?
"Before the game, for some reason, there was opposing teams' parents in the hallway, two or three of them. They were making monkey noises and calling me the N-bomb."
Duclair said on a recent San Jose Hockey Now Podcast that wasn’t the only time that he dealt with racism in his youth.
"Pretty often," Duclair revealed. "I had to understand what it is to be a black person in this world early on in my life."
Watch the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast for more from Duclair, who shares the message that his parents told him that got him through some of the racism. He also talks about the racism that young hockey players of color are dealing with, even today.
"You don't ever want to cause a scene, cause trouble," Duclair said in the documentary. “That's just the hockey mentality. It's always been like that."
The new Sharks winger isn’t taking it anymore though, he’s speaking out, and hopes his experiences can help the next generation of players. For all things San Jose Sharks, listen to the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify and Google Podcasts.
