A pretty cool moment went down on the ice last night for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
In their regular-season finale against the Florida Panthers, the Lightning started forwards Daniel Wolcott, Mathieu Joseph, and Gemel Smith. What makes that so cool is that all three players are Black. Even better, they didn’t even know it would happen until a few minutes before the game started.
But make no mistake. This was not for pity, nor was it meant to be a gimmick.
“First of all, they’re all in the NHL for a reason,” said Lightning head coach Jon Cooper. “They deserve to be here and have worked their tails off. To have them all together, they had a little chemistry. Moving forward in the league, you hope it isn’t a story anymore and will be the norm. It was a pretty cool moment for all those guys.”
In a league that is roughly 3% Black, it was a significant moment felt by players, fans and the media alike.
“For the general public, I think it’s huge,” said former NHL player and current NBC hockey analyst Anson Carter, who is Black. “Not only are they playing for the team, but the defending Stanley Cup champs. So, this isn’t a team that’s not in the playoffs, that’s rebuilding, that’s struggling. These are three Black players that are playing for the Stanley Cup champions.”
Carter played in the league from 1996-2007 for teams such as the Capitals, Bruins, Oilers, Rangers and Kings. He scored 421 points in 674 games in his career, so he’s well aware of what that moment represented.
For Walcott, the moment held additional significance as it was his NHL debut. He was drafted by the Rangers in the fifth round of the 2014 NHL Draft and was acquired by the Panthers a year later through a trade. Now the 27-year-old had an even more memorable start to his professional career.
“[Lightning coach Jon Cooper] did something really special here to promote this for young kids,” said Walcott. “There was a lot of ups and downs growing up. I left hockey for a while to play football, then clawed my way back. To step on the ice for my first NHL game, I felt good.”
Joseph and Smith are connected by more than the Lightning. Both of their brothers are also NHL players.
Joseph’s younger brother, Pierre-Oliver Joseph is a defenseman for the Penguins. Smith is the older brother of Red Wings’ right winger Givani Smith.
Now the two older brothers have more to talk about with their younger siblings.
“It’s a step in the right direction,” said Joseph. “My goal, and the goal of players of color in this league, obviously want to showcase their sports to your families or other people of color. It’s definitely awesome to be one of the guys who were for that, and it was all from the coaching staff that did that tonight, but it’s a great recognition, for sure.”
The move to start the three Black forwards was applauded by Florida Panthers forward Anthony Duclair, who is Black.
“In the locker room, I saw the lineup,” said Duclair. “That’s great to see. I’m so proud. Just the way that the NHL is moving forward, it’s great to see. For those guys, I’m sure it was a special night for them, and for Walcott, first game, I’m sure he was very pleased. But that was an unbelievable feeling, even for myself playing against those guys. It was great to see.”
The Lightning resembles their hometown football brethren, the Buccaneers. Both teams have diverse staffs. The Bucs have eleven Black coaches and two women on the staff. The Lightning has two Black coaches, video coach Nigel Kirwan and goaltending coach Frantz Jean.
Last night’s starting front line for Tampa Bay is a rarity in professional hockey.
According to the Lightning’s site, the first documented occurrence took place in 1948-49 when brothers Herb and Ozzie Carnegie teamed with Manny McIntyre for Sherbrooke in the Quebec Senior Hockey League.
Last night’s game will hold a special meaning for all, but the players need to have short memories as the two teams will meet again in the first-round of the playoffs.
And while the all-Black front line might not make another appearance in the starting lineup, it was great to see it happen for at least one night.
