Smith-Pelly got up from his seat.The Washington Capitals forward had heard the unmistakably racist taunts from fans from inside the penalty box. As a black hockey player Buffalo Sabres Hats Authentic , he knew exactly what they meant by yelling, “Basketball, basketball, basketball!”“It’s just ignorant people being ignorant,” Smith-Pelly said.That scene unfolded in Chicago in February, 60 years after Willie O’Ree broke the NHL’s color barrier and paved the way for more minorities to play the sport and reach its highest level. O’Ree is being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday for his pioneering career, and yet incidents like the one Smith-Pelly went through show how much more progress needs to be made, in a league that’s 97 percent white and beyond.“It’s come a long way, but there’s still a lot of things that still need to change,” Edmonton defenseman Darnell Nurse said. “That just comes through minorities as a group working together to try to eliminate those things from this game.”Those things just keep happening.In 2011, Philadelphia forward Wayne Simmonds had a banana thrown at him during a preseason game in London, Ontario.In 2012, then-Washington forward Joel Ward was the subject of racist social media posts after he scored a game-winning playoff goal.In 2014, then-Montreal defenseman P.K. Subban was the subject of racist social media posts after he scored a game-winning playoff goal.In April, Detroit prospect Givani Smith was subjected to threats and racial taunts and messages after a junior game in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. His team had a police escort the next time they went to the rink.“(O’Ree) had to go through a lot, and the same thing has been happening now, which obviously means there’s still a long way to go,” Smith-Pelly said. “If you had pulled a quote from him back then and us now, they’re saying the same thing, so obviously there’s still a long way to go in hockey and in the world if we’re being serious.”Through his work as an NHL diversity ambassador over the past 20 years, O’Ree has tried to work toward more inclusion and better minority representation. He is eager to tell kids at YMCAs, Boys & Girls Clubs and schools that hockey is another sport they can play.USA Hockey and Hockey Canada don’t keep participation statistics by race Custom Buffalo Sabres Jerseys , though there are fewer than two dozen black players currently on NHL rosters. The NHL celebrates “Hockey is for Everyone” month each season and quickly condemns racist behavior.“A lot of it’s basically on your parents and how people raise their kids,” said San Jose forward Evander Kane, who acknowledged being the subject of racist taunting as the only black player on his minor league teams in Vancouver. “You can have all the awareness that you want, but at the end of the day, it’s really up to the individual and how they act and how they want to treat other people.”O’Ree, 83, still remembers how he was treated in the ’50s as hockey’s Jackie Robinson. He did his best to drown out the noise by listening to his brother Richard.“I heard the jeers and some of the racial remarks, but it kind of went in one ear and out the other,” O’Ree said. “He told me, ‘Willie, names will never hurt you unless you let them.’ He said, ‘If they can’t accept you for the individual that you are, just forget about it and just go out and do what you do best and don’t worry about anything else.'”Nurse said black players still have to worry about racist jeers and remarks.“I had a lot growing up and my brother had the big one too last year,” said Dallas forward Gemel Smith, Givani’s brother. “How we were raised, nothing really bothers me. That stuff doesn’t really get to me and things like that. My dad always taught us just to try to close it out, block it out.”Like Smith-Pelly, Simmonds is quick to say racism isn’t an issue unique to hockey or sports in general. His solution is a zero tolerance policy, which is what happened to the four fans in Chicago who were thrown out and banned from all home games by the Blackhawks.“I think what could be done to keep these types of incidents from happening would probably be to ban those people who are doing those lewd acts,” Simmonds said. “I think if you set a strong example right from the start, you won’t have too many people acting like clowns.”Commissioner Gary Bettman, who is going into the Hall of Fame with O’Ree as part of the class of 2018, considers it important to make clear to fans and players what’s expected and what’s not tolerated and said: “Even if it’s only one incident www.officialflames.com , it’s one too many.” Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said creating and cultivating an inclusive environment and building diversity are significant league priorities.There has been incremental progress. In the aftermath of Smith-Pelly’s incident, fans in Chicago raised $23,000 to donate to the Fort Dupont Ice Rink in Washington, helping hundreds of children.“When you see the reaction and the way that people rally around moments like that and try to make a positive out of it, I think that’s definitely a step in the right direction,” Nurse said.For some players like Seth Jones, the son of former NBA player Popeye Jones, hockey has been a safe place. The Blue Jackets defenseman said he has so far never been on the receiving end of race-based taunts or messages and said, “I was just like everybody else playing hockey, which is what everyone wants.”Most black players haven’t been that fortunate. And while Jones is optimistic that people can change, Smith-Pelly wasn’t sure exactly how that will happen.“It’s tough,” he said. “I don’t really know a plan to stop it. That’s how people are.” ST. LOUIS (AP) — Blues defenseman Carl Gunnarsson is feeling much better these days, and it is certainly showing on the ice.Gunnarsson scored the go-ahead goal with 7:44 left in the third period, lifting St. Louis to a 3-2 win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night.It was his first in 29 career games against Ottawa, and second overall goal in as many games since missing three games due because of an illness.“A good shift all over there,” Gunnarsson said. “The forwards were fighting in front of the goal and they just kind of got jammed up in front of the net and I kind of got lucky on the shot.”Gunnarsson has scored in his last five games, including the three previous before getting sick, a career high.“He’s a huge part of our team, not just offensively, but he’s just so sound all over the ice,” Blues defenseman Colton Parayko said. “If you watch him, he’s a huge part of the way we play and just a huge part of our success as a team.”The Senators unsuccessfully challenged the goal, claiming goalie Craig Anderson had covered the puck moments before it was knocked free by Pat Maroon.“It is what it is and our players have no control over it Calgary Flames T-Shirts Authentic ,” Senators coach Guy Boucher said. “Our goalie did everything he could and that’s a clear, clear, clear, clear save.”Anderson concurred.“I think the play was covered in my opinion, but the referee was on the other side of the ice and didn’t see it, so there’s nothing you can do about it so you have to move on,” Anderson said. “I think the indication was that most everyone on the ice stopped playing.”Vladimir Tarasenko and Vince Dunn also had goals for the Blues, who beat Ottawa for the fourth straight time. Jordan Binnington made 28 saves.Nick Paul and Magnus Paajarvi scored for the Senators, who lost for just the second time in their last six games. Anderson made 35 saves.Paul gave the Senators a 1-0 lead at the 4:34 mark of the first period with his first goal this season and first since Dec. 29, 2017.Tarasenko tied it for the Blues at 7:50 of the first, beating Anderson glove-side off of a faceoff for his fourth goal in five games.Dunn gave the Blues a 2-1 lead with 2:32 left in the second with a slap shot from the left point.Paajarvi tied it one minute into the third after Zack Smith’s pass went off of his skate and into the net for his first goal in nine games against his former team.Blues forward Ryan O’Reilly, who had two assists including one on Gunnarsson’s game-winner, liked his team’s response after giving up the lead.“Obviously it was disappointing, but I think we’re starting to be more consistent and not deviate and selling the farm,” O’Reilly said. “Everyone’s kind of not thinking about it. It’s just kind of respond, ‘OK. what’s next here? Let’s get our feet going. Let’s win some battles again.'”FACES IN THE CROWDSt. Louis Cardinals players Dexter Fowler, Paul DeJong and Drew Robinson were at the game. The trio was in town for the Cardinals Winter Warm-Up fan event.NOTES: Senators LW Brady Tkachuk played his first NHL game in his hometown. His father, Keith Tkachuk, had three different stints with the Blues from 2000-2010. … Blues LW Alexander Steen (left shoulder) returned after missing six games. … Senators RW Mark Stone is one away from 300 career points. … Blues LW David Perron’s career-high 13-game points streak was snapped after being scratched due to an upper-body injury suffered Thursday night. … Senators D Mark Borowiecki was scratched after leaving Friday night’s game in the second period with a lower-body injury and is day to day.UP NEXTOttawa: hosts Arizona on Tuesday.St. Louis: at Los Angeles on Monday.