Maple Leafs forward Kurtis Gabriel publicly condemns racist gesture delivered in UHL on Sunday

By now, perhaps you've seen the story that is turning heads for all the wrong reasons coming out of the Ukrainian Hockey League, after Andrei Deniskin delivered a racist gesture to Jalen Smereck, an American player playing in Europe.

Deniskin, frustrated at the end of a play, mimed himself eating a banana towards Smereck, who is an African-American, hailing from Detroit, Michigan.

Deniskin issued an apology following the contest, but the sincerity of the apology was called into question and his actions were condemned by the league shortly thereafter.

"Such behavior of hockey players on the ice is unacceptable within the framework of a civilized society.

"It should be noted that disciplinary proceedings will be opened against [Deniskin]," said a league spokesperson.

The ignorant gesture has also caught the attention of Toronto Maple Leafs forward Kurtis Gabriel, who had his own ideas on how the UHL should proceed.

"The player being be banned indefinitely is the only course of action appropriate here, and with more to come," said Gabriel. "From reading about it so far looks like the league is saying the right things. Europe as a whole is behind on these issues. Accountability culture is what this is called."

Gabriel is a known ally of the LGBQT+ community and is also an upstander, who condemns racism and has taken part in the TSN In-Depth Racism in Hockey Roundtable.

Related: ANDREI DENISKIN APOLOGIZES AFTER MAKING RACIST GESTURE AT OPPONENT; LEAGUE PROMISES ACTION

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