JT Brown Becomes First NHL Player to Protest During National Anthem

Tampa Bay Lightning forward J.T. Brown raised his right fist during the national anthem before a game against the Florida Panthers on Saturday night (Oct. 7), becoming the first NHL player this regular season to join the silent protests that has been sweeping the NFL, reports the Huffington Post. Unlike NFL player Colin Kaepernick,

Brown — who, according to the Tampa Bay Times, is one of about 30 Black players in the NHL — chose to stand throughout the anthem. Video shows Brown with his eyes closed and head bowed as the anthem played, his left hand wrapped around his hockey stick and his right hand raised in a closed fist. As ESPN notes, the NHL does not have any specific rules “governing what players must do during the national anthem.”