CRANBERRY, Pa. -- P.O Joseph paused and gathered his thoughts for a moment after being asked about the racist incidents that took place in minor-league hockey recently.
"There's so much I would say right now but I legit can't," he said following Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's practice at the Lemieux Complex on Thursday. "I just think it's disgusting. I think that's the word I'm going to use."
Bokondji Imama, who is Black, is a friend of Joseph's and a forward currently playing in the Coyotes' system. In an AHL game on Jan. 12 in which Imama's Tuscon Road Runners were playing against the San Jose Barracuda, Imama was subjected to a racist gesture by San Jose's Krystof Hrabik, with Hrabik reportedly mimicking an ape while taunting Imama.