Panthers’ Anthony Duclair helping young hockey players deal with racis…

CORAL SPRINGS — Two weeks after the Florida Panthers were eliminated in the Stanley Cup Finals, veteran forward Anthony Duclair is giving back to the community.

That was the goal when he launched the Anthony Duclair Foundation in February to reach out to children who have experienced racism in hockey and to educate others to prevent it.

Duclair held a youth camp last week and the Canadian will hold another camp in Montreal July 10-14.

“I made a promise to South Florida back in February,” Duclair said. “That was something I wanted to do. It was one of many ideas that I have.”

After finalizing the plans right before the Panthers’ run to the Stanley Cup Finals, 30 youths of diverse backgrounds were treated to a camp packed with hockey, team-building activities and guest speakers who stressed the importance of being a good teammate and respecting everyone.

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“I was going to be here regardless of what happened with the season, but I’m glad it all worked out,” Duclair said. “My goal is to grow the game as much as I can and to see all of the faces, the smiles, and the enjoyment from the kids has been awesome. We also want to teach them a few lessons.”

Hockey has been a predominantly white sport since its inception, with nearly 84% of the NHL’s workforce white according to an internal study done by the league in 2022.

Duclair, who is Black, seeks to change that and wants to make sure Black children playing hockey know they are not alone.

“I just feel like hockey needs more color and we want to reach out to different types of communities,” Duclair said. “Not only in the United States but around the world. I just feel like, especially from personal experience when I was a…