Golden Knights, Stars players kneel during anthems at Qualifiers

Ryan Reaves, Robin Lehner, Tyler Seguin and Jason Dickinson knelt during the U.S. and Canadian national anthems prior to the Vegas Golden Knights' 5-3 win against the Dallas Stars in a round-robin game in the Stanley Cup Qualifiers at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Monday.

Reaves, a Golden Knights forward, Lehner, their goalie, and Dickinson and Seguin, both Stars forwards, were in a row on the same blue line. Seguin and Dickinson were in the middle between Lehner and Reaves.

It was a show of support for the fight against racism and for social justice.

"It was given a lot of thought in the last 24 hours in what to do," Seguin said. "I talked to (Reaves) in warmups and he said he's kind of seen what I've been doing in Dallas, and he said that he and (Lehner) were going to kneel and would I like to join them. I said absolutely, so I joined them.

"Before the game, I went into the dressing room and told everyone what I was doing. I said there's absolutely no pressure to do anything. Dickinson grabbed me and said he'd like to be a part of it and support his beliefs and my beliefs as a teammate. It was great to have him there as well."

Dickinson said he wanted to kneel to support the people of color in his family.

"My dad comes from the Islands and one of my uncles is Black, so it was easy for me, an easy decision," Dickinson said. "I've been thinking about it since everything started. I think I was probably nervous about doing it on my own. When (Seguin) said it, it was kind of a no-brainer for me. I wouldn't be alone doing it to support the cause and support my teammates."

Reaves, Lehner, Seguin and Dickinson join Matt Dumba as the players who have knelt during the anthem or anthems prior to games in Edmonton, the Western Conference hub city for the Cup Qualifiers.

Dumba, a defenseman for the Minnesota Wild, knelt during the U.S. national anthem prior to Chicago Blackhawks' 6-4 win against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place on Saturday. Prior to kneeling, Dumba gave a speech vowing the NHL and Hockey Diversity Alliance will stand up for justice and against racism.

Dumba also raised his fist in the air during the U.S. and Canadian national anthems prior to the Wild's 3-0 win against the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday.

"I definitely want to start by saying in no way am I trying to disrespect the flag or people who fought for this country," Reaves said. "I have the utmost respect for everybody that's gone over and fought and died for the freedom of this country. Bill Foley, our owner, is one of the best guys I have ever met and he's a military guy. That's not the message I'm trying to send.

"But at the same time, those people go across seas, they go to war, families are torn apart in these wars for the freedom of this country only to come back and find out this country isn't free for everybody. That's where I'm coming from. Not everybody is truly free in this country. It's starting to come to light a lot more right now. Especially with social media, it's kind of blown up in the last year. That's where I'm coming from."

Lehner said it was not a decision made with politics in mind, but rather for human rights.

"Everyone is talking about conversation, education and listening, but it's time to start doing something, not just let this be a news cycle and forget about it and do it all over again," Lehner said. "Everyone should have the same chance in society. Everyone should be treated the same. I've seen a lot growing up. I've seen families of color.

"From what I've seen and how things are, it disgusts me. At the end of the day I love America, but there's a bunch of things that needs to be corrected and I think they have the power to do so; it's just about willingness to do something about it. I think it's time for whites to step into battle with our brothers and sisters and make some change, stop just talking about it and actually do something."

Vegas coach Peter DeBoer said Reaves and Lehner approached him, president of hockey operations George McPhee and general manager Kelly McCrimmon about their decision to kneel in the 48 hours leading up to the game.

"Nothing but full support for their right to do that," DeBoer said.

Lehner said he was not upset that other players didn't join.

"Absolutely not," he said. "I respect everyone's opinion. That's a problem in society these days; you've got to hate the other person because they have a different opinion than you. That's what the problem is in this world right now. At the end of the day, everyone is free to do whatever they choose. I respect everyone with what they want to do as long as it's within the law."

The Nashville Predators and Boston Bruins wore T-shirts to show their support for the antiracist movement when they arrived for their games at Rogers Place and Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, respectively, on Sunday.

The Predators wore Black Lives Matter T-shirts before Game 1 of their series against the Arizona Coyotes. The Bruins wore three different shirts to their round-robin game against the Philadelphia Flyers that read, "Listen. Learn. Change.," "Eracism.," and "End Racism."

Several teams also stood together on the blue lines during exhibition games to show their support for unity and racial equality.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, in a message to fans on NHL.com, said the killing of George Floyd, a Black man who died while in custody of the Minneapolis police on May 25, and the "ensuing demand for justice and equality that inspiringly swept our countries, required us to accept that what we have done to this point isn't enough."

"So we must and will do more and be better to make our game a welcoming place for everyone," Bettman said.