Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins Jake Guentzel talks about death of George Floyd

By Alby Oxenreiter, Channel 11 Sports

Winnipeg Jets v Pittsburgh Penguins PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 26: Jake Guentzel #59 of the Pittsburgh Penguins skates with the puck during the game against the Winnipeg Jets at PPG PAINTS Arena on October 26, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) (Justin Berl/Getty Images)

By Alby Oxenreiter, Channel 11 Sports

In a Wednesday afternoon conference call, Penguins forward Jake Guentzel called the death of George Floyd “disturbing,” and because of Guentzel’s Minnesota roots, he says the tragedy was “even more disheartening.“

Guentzel said his heart ached over the killing of Floyd.

“I’m ashamed that racism still exists to this day, so my eyes have definitely been opened and I‘m definitely committed to educating myself and making a difference out there,” he said.

Guentzel is also comfortable that so many NHL players have taken a stand against racism.

“It’s nice to see that when people have platforms, they’re using it to speak out," he said. "Obviously we know that it (racism) needs to end. People are just learning and educating that we need to take action for it now.”

Guentzel has been off the ice since he suffered a shoulder injury in December.

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