Joel Ward's Game-Winning Playoff Goal Sets Off Barrage Of Racist Tweets

After the Washington Capitals' Joel Ward scored the series-clinching overtime goal against the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup playoffs, pockets of Twitter exploded with racist messages directed at Ward, a Canadian whose parents are from Barbados.

Chirpstory, a website that compiles trending topics and conversations, listed many of the offensive tweets, many of which came from Bruins fans.

The fact that a nigger got the goal makes it ten times worse #gobacktoafrica

— Kevin Hall (@Khall1013) April 26, 2012

The Nigger scores again we riot #JoelWard

— brendan maitland(@brendmaitland) April 26, 2012

stupid nigger go play basketball hockey is a white sport

— Zack Vanasse (@zvanasse30) April 26, 2012

You know the games over when the nigger scores. Goodbye bandwagon fans, see you all next April. #Bruins losing in #Game7 #breaksmyheart

— Mike Spiewak (@Spee_Durr) April 26, 2012

That Dam nigger on the caps #wardblows

— adam buskey (@AdamBuskey34) April 26, 2012

In a strange bit of irony, the Bruins were the first team in the National Hockey League to employ a black player.

Earlier this season, Krys Barch of the Florida Panthers was ejected from a game for using a racial slur against P.K. Subban, a Canadian whose parents hail from Jamaica. Last year, Wayne Simmons of the Philadelphia Flyers had a banana peel thrown at him by a fan.

"When you're a black man playing in a predominantly white man's sport, you've got to come to expect things like that," Simmonds said at the time. "Over the past 23 years of my life, I've come to expect some things like that. But I'm older and more mature now, I kind of just left things roll off [my back]. I try not to think about stuff like that."

See Ward's game-winner below.

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Comments

[IMIRI]

11:42 PM on 04/28/2012

I am black female, I like Nascar, Hockey, Football, Golf, Socker as I am Jamaican, What you Americans fail to realize, Blacks from foreign countries don't give a hoot about you all racial fight that goes back as long as American History, People from the Island its not our fight with you all, So say what you wish, don't mean nothing to us foreigners from the island We think you are are ignorant and stupid.....lol...lol....We were not taught to hate and have some differences with anyone of other color...One less think to worry about, No time for nonsense...

[QNTASH03]

11:07 AM on 05/02/2012

NO ONE PERSON no matter what identity you claim represents the entire group. I guarantee you that your voice does not represent all people that identify as Caribbean, West Indian or Islanders or Black female. Please speak only for yourself. As for the idea that Blacks from abroad dont care about American affairs that may be true for you but many dont see it that way. The history of the blacks in the Islands and blacks in America have many many intersection and historical overlap. The slave ships that came from Africa went through the Caribbean Islands before coming to the Americas. Respect for other people and self are very important to people from around the world. There is racism, prejudice, classism, sexism, homophobia and many other ism in the Islands just like they are here. You change the nationalities, the ethnicities, the neighborhoods the shades of skin and the issues at their core remain the same. Jamaica is not free of all the other issues that burden everyone else around the world. There may not be hate in the words but the lack of respect is quite apparent.

[4Quarters]

12:40 PM on 04/28/2012

what whites do not realize...they're hatred helped blacks score goals amongst the adversities, dunk amongst walls built, rap a language they can't rap themselves but learned from them, survive during challenging times without killing self as they do, double down even when the chips are down....Once they realize the fire that burns deep in the pit of desire brings about more desire that leads to the conquer of desire. Continue the hate..its working...Hi Haters! Keep hating!

[donnablinger]

02:31 PM on 04/28/2012

You just nailed another fan. Good post.

[barbnearl]

12:01 PM on 04/28/2012

Coming from Boston fans I am not surprised whatsoever. Disgusted but not surprised.

[miketothad]

09:12 AM on 04/28/2012

Only makes me a bigger Capitals fan.
Go Caps!

[newsoul]

01:32 AM on 04/28/2012

Hey, I am all for seeing Hockey as the racist white sport it is.

[laffFUwant]

08:40 AM on 04/29/2012

Hockey's not the only one. When the Pittsburgh Pirates won the World Series with an almost all black team, the team was disbanded the next year.

[vcec]

12:12 AM on 04/28/2012

I do not understand why there was a need to reprint those ugly comments.

[wkb2texans]

11:29 PM on 04/27/2012

Of course, such comments are stupid and totally uncalled for. However, it reminds me of all the racial comments made by blacks about Larry Bird (who's white for those who don't know him) when he adn the Celtics won championships in basketball. Racism and racists have no specific color ... know no color boundaries. The Media, on the other hand ... not so much.

[newsoul]

01:41 AM on 04/28/2012

Where di black fans call Larry Bird racial insults in any newspaper in America? give me a break or prove those racial slurs.

[Imperfik]

08:02 PM on 04/28/2012

making up lies again?

[wkb2texans]

12:07 PM on 04/30/2012

Don't blame me for you ignorance on this matter .....

[medic628]

10:46 PM on 04/27/2012

You do not have to go to the South to find this sickness. It is everywhere!

[Agent2k38]

09:44 PM on 04/27/2012

Ward was a nobody until, he made that shot. The media fanning the net looking for comments to start race baiting.

[Terry T Yarbor]

12:23 AM on 04/28/2012

So the media started racism? Your comments are weighed, measured and deemed obsolete.

[QNTASH03]

05:02 PM on 04/28/2012

The comments posted above are from several people who freely expressed themselves. They knowingly posted that filth on a social website with no regard for the impact it would hae on anyone who had to read it. Let racists take FULL credit for their work. Dont make excuses and blame the media...ITs a cop out to blame race baiting for what was posted. If its there someone put it there to be read. Dont blame the messenger.

[special38x2]

09:41 PM on 04/27/2012

Eggheads...

[ajbiggs]

07:44 PM on 04/27/2012

Racism? We have a black president....1 of my best friends are black.....

Sarcasm of course. It truly is sad that America has not progressed from that way of thinking.

[Harlanlover]

07:39 PM on 04/27/2012

Funny, does this type of behavior happen when Dirk Nowitzki or Steve Nash score points?
Let the justifications begin!

[brrryce]

06:17 PM on 04/27/2012

There is an element that revels in this new racism: The white creator of a crappy series on HBO, her name is Arfin, says the n-word makes her proud to be a writer; a white writer named Derbyshire says he is racist, quite proudly, Hunger Games "fans" tweeted racial epithets and profanity because, horrors, the movie had black people in it and, most insidiously, thousands gave George Zimmerman $200,000+ in donations. Do they see their sickness? This is aside from the hourly attacks on the President because of his being black. The Fox Mole was almost admiring of how creatively Fox News website readers got the n-word past the censors. Eventually, black people are going to tire of being scapegoated and I would hope people of all colors (looking at you, too, white people) will meet these attacks with real resistance, a resistance that comes from having One Nation of people that work together and strive together. Racists have always torn down this country and, if they win ANY arguments, the best in America loses.

[bustoff]

11:22 AM on 04/28/2012

well stated and very profound.
I hope that day comes but whether it is race, religion, ethnicity-- hate is always going
to be prevelant in this society. In a non homogeneous nation, this is bound to happen.
While they call the USA a melting pot, it is really a cauldron of jealousy, envy and
hate. That will never change. It is innate in man. Maybe women should run the
country and we would be more civilized.
If the best in America would run this country, we would be better off. That wil never
happen- only the wealthiest in America win. Watch Mitt take the whole nine yards.

[Morpheus Flux]

04:34 PM on 04/27/2012

I watched the entire game. It was a great goal. To bad the haters cant just enjoy a great game without their predjudice ruining everying again.

[Justmakingmyway]

04:01 PM on 04/27/2012

Call him whatever you like just make you sure you add the man who socred the game winning goal. Haters