Tom Wilson comments on racist gesture directed at Subban.

There was a highly controversial moment in the ECHL over the weekend and it is one that has drawn the ire of several players from around the hockey world, including some very high profile names from the National Hockey League.

During a game between the South Carolina Stingrays and the Jacksonville Icemen, Icemen defenseman Jacob Panetta made an alleged racist gesture directed at Stingrays defenseman Jordan Subban. Jordan is of course the younger brother of NHL defenseman P.K. Subban and as a result it should come as no surprise that this caught the attention of some big names. P.K. himself commented on the situation, absolutely lambasting Panetta for being racially insensitive towards his brother, and now one of the toughest men in the NHL had also joined those rebuking Panetta for his gesture.

In spite of the fact that he was under no obligation to do so, veteran Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson took to social media on Sunday to share his thoughts on what had transpired during the game between the Stingrays and Icemen. Wilson issued a short statement that hit directly at the heart of the matter and also went out of his way to make it clear that he stands with Jordan Subban on this matter.

"These racist actions have no place in our sport or community and I stand with my friend Jordan Subban and the South Carolina Stingrays," wrote Wilson on Sunday afternoon.

The gesture has already had serious repercussions for Panetta who now finds himself out of a job. On Sunday the Jacksonville Icemen quickly distanced themselves from the player, cutting him outright from their roster, and it seems unlikely that any other team in the ECHL will be rushing out to obtain his services. Not only will there be quite the stigma around Panetta following an incident of this nature, but the ECHL has suspended him indefinitely as a result of his actions which means there are serious questions about when he might be eligible to play in their league again.

For those who have yet to see what has led to all of this, the video was shared by P.K. Subban via his social media, and roughly around the 18 second mark you get a good look at Panetta gesturing like a monkey in Subban's direction.