Pro Hockey Player Taunts Black Opponent With Vile, Racist Banana Gesture

Disgusting scene on the ice in the Ukrainian Hockey League over the weekend … where a white player blatantly and vilely directed a racist gesture at his Black opponent.

The disturbing incident all went down in a game between HC Kremenchuk and HC Donbass … when Andrei Deniskin got into a mid-match tiff with Jalen Smereck.

You can see in broadcast footage of the game … after the two were separated, Deniskin began making a banana peeling and eating motion with his hands and mouth toward Smereck.

The move was so obviously racist, Deniskin was ejected from the game … and he was immediately ripped for the move by viewers and onlookers.

Smereck’s team, HC Donbass called the act “outrageous” … and the UHL has since launched an investigation into it all.

In fact, the general manager of the UHL, Eugene Kolychev, promised to follow the probe “closely” … and in a statement, he added, “I declare that there is no place for #racism in Ukrainian professional hockey.”

For his part, Deniskin reportedly issued an apology in a now-deleted Instagram post … writing in the caption, “I respect all people regardless of race or nationality.”