An excerpt from the Undefeated -
The significance of a Stanley Cup champion named Devante
There’s no doubt that seeing a man who looks like that with a name like that – and his middle name is Malik – is an inspiration to black kids in D.C.
By Clinton Yates
You might call it the Devante swing.
At the start of the third period, the nearly 15,000 people inside Capital One Arena had resigned themselves to the fact that this might not be the night that the Washington Capitals get it done. The Vegas Golden Knights had scored twice to end the second and take a 3-2 lead.
Then, he struck.
After initiating the play on the forecheck, and Brooks Orpik kept the puck in the zone, Devante-Smith Pelly controlled it off his skate, then beat Marc-André Fleury glove side to equalize the skate at three goals each, and suddenly there was life. Fleury lay on the ice for a long time after that goal, appearing completely defeated. “The Great Dane” Lars Eller scored the go-ahead goal and just like that, it was party time.
The name Devante will be inscribed on the Stanley Cup.
It’s been quite the journey for the black man from Scarborough, Ontario, whom the kids call DSP. His career began with the Anaheim Ducks. Three teams and five seasons later, he’s hoisting the Stanley Cup and celebrating with his family on the ice.
https://theundefeated.com/features/the-significance-of-a-stanley-cup-champion-named-devante-smith-pelly/
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