Jalen Smereck calls for his opponent to be suspended after racist gesture in UHL game

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Jalen Smereck will be on leave from HC Donbass after being the target of a racist gesture by HC Krementchuk forward Andrei Deniskin during a Ukrainian Hockey League game on Sunday. Smereck, born in the United States, is black.

As Deniskin faces disciplinary action from the UHL, Smereck also called for his suspension and removal.

“These situations are very difficult and I firmly believe in standing up for what is right !,” Smereck said in an Instagram post on Tuesday. Therefore, I have given a lot of thought to the rest of my career, but as a for the moment I have decided to take personal leave from HC Donbass and I will not play another match in the [Ukrainian Hockey League] until Andrey Deniskin was suspended and retired from the league. Thank you.”

Smereck also thanked the hockey community, fans and his team for their support following the incident.

UHL Director General Eugene Kolychev said on Monday that “there is no room for racism in Ukrainian professional hockey”. He added that the league will closely follow the Discipline Committee’s investigation into the “racist abuse case”.

Deniskin was kicked out after taunting Smereck by imitating peeling a banana and eating it.

“The Donbass Hockey Club strongly denies any form of discrimination and is outraged by Andrei Deniskin’s behavior,” HC Donbass said in a statement. “Racism has no place on or off the playing field.”

Deniskin issued an official apology for the incident in a now-deleted Instagram post. According to multiple reports, Deniskin wrote that it was “a gesture that someone may consider a racial insult” and that his emotions got the better of him.

The president of the International Ice Hockey Federation, Luc Tardif, issued a statement on Monday morning also condemning the incident. “There is no place for such a blatantly racist and unsportsmanlike gesture in our sport and in society. It is a direct attack on the ideals and values ​​of our game, and we will ensure that all necessary investigations into ethics violations are carried out to ensure that this behavior is appropriately sanctioned. “

JT Brown, a former black NHL player and current Seattle Kraken analyst, wrote a message of support for Smereck on Twitter.

“Respect to (Jalen Smereck). The sport is better because of you,” Brown wrote. “I support you, and I know a lot of other hockey fans do too.

Smereck, a 24-year-old Detroit native, was a prospect with the Arizona Coyotes before becoming a free agent in 2020 and playing his first season away from home.

(Photo: Dennis Pajot / Getty Images)

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