from Thomas Ketco of Sportsnet,

History remembers its trailblazers. Matthew Dumba cemented his place as one of them when he took a knee during the U.S. national anthem this weekend, peacefully protesting racial inequality, and again when he raised his fist — echoing the message with a different delivery.

Both times, he acted alone. No teammates joined him, nor did any players wearing a different jersey. His head coach, Dean Evason, said the team had not even had discussions about whether they’d join him in raising a fist.

But on Monday, four players on two other teams ensured he was no longer alone. As “O Canada” and “The Star Spangled Banner” echoed clearly in an empty Rogers Place arena, Ryan Reaves, Tyler Seguin, Robin Lehner and Jason Dickinson kneeled, sending an even clearer message: Black Lives Matter.

“In no way am I trying to disrespect the flag or people who fought for this country,” Reaves said after the game. “I have the utmost respect for everyone who’s gone over and fought and died for the freedom of this country. …that’s not the message I’m trying to send. But at the same time, those people go across seas and they go to war — and 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.

“And I think that’s where I’m coming from. Not everybody is truly free in this country, and I think that’s starting to come to light a lot more.”

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