A young player in Ottawa is speaking out on the racism he's faced on the ice.
Nick Ngwafusi, 15, says he's been the victim of racial slurs during minor hockey games on more than one occasion.
Most recently he was called the "N" word.
"Some kid behind me was calling me and I saw this kid and that's when it happened he yelled a racial slur at me," said Ngwafusi.
It happened last week during a AAA hockey game at an east-end arena.
"I felt awful," said Ngwafusi. "It's kind of getting close to depression; I'm not happy anymore."
He says his performance on the ice has gone down recently because he feels like he is playing with "extra weight."
The player who shouted the slur received a one-game suspension. Ngwafusi's father says it is not enough.
"We have to stop it from happening before it happens," said Ngwafusi's father Godlove. "People are doing things because they know they can get away with them."
The president of the Gloucester Hockey Association, Reg MacDonald, says it's not racism, but rather an unfortunate part of trash talking.
"I don't think it's a racism thing," said MacDonald. "If the player they're chirping is of some ethnic nature maybe they say that, maybe the player is from the country maybe the player is overweight…"
Still, Ngwafusi says it is having a lasting impact on him and his performance.
"It feels like he doesn't see me as equal. He doesn't see me as his competitor – he sees me as something else just lower than him."
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Ellen Mauro
