Manitoba hockey player suspended amid allegations of racist gesture

A Manitoba hockey player has been suspended after a weekend game in which he appeared to make a racist gesture against a visiting team from Waywayseecappo First Nation.

The incident happened just as the horn was sounding to end the game between the Dauphin Kings and the visiting Waywayseecappo Wolverines on Saturday.

The Kings scored with less than 30 second left to win 3-2 and as their players were celebrating near their goalie, and some Wolverines players were skating away, a Dauphin player raised his stick and made what seemed to be a bow-and-arrow gesture.

A player, identified in the official game sheet as 20-year-old defenceman Klim Georgiev, was immediately given a gross misconduct penalty, which is a minimum one-game suspension, according to the rule of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.

In a vague statement on social media on Sunday, the MJHL confirmed the suspension and said it "takes situations of this nature very seriously."

It did not name the player or the reason for the suspension, saying an investigation is being conducted by an outside consultant.

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When reached for comment by CBC News on Monday an MJHL spokesperson declined to offer anything more.

In an email, the spokesperson said "out of respect of the ongoing process to deal with this matter, at this time please refer to the statement and information issued last night by the MJHL."

There are postings by others on social media, claiming a Wolverines player made the same gesture first, after tying the game with 14 minutes left to play. He allegedly skated near the Kings' bench to do the celebration from one knee.

Georgiev was responding in the same way, the posts say.

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