The comments were disgusting, no doubt. But rather than them being an indictment of Boston, it should hold America responsible. No one can prove that this hatred actually emanated from Boston. It could have been some twisted moron sitting in his mother's basement Anywhere, USA. Isn't that the beauty of the Internet? People can remain anonymous as they spew their hate.

@UpNoth...do you really believe that you can say what you want over the internet and not be identified? This information is found in the header of the email. Every computer has its own finger print it's called an IP address, one can find out immediately the city and state the message was sent, and with a little work can pin point the computer. Remember where the internet came from !!!!! there is nothing anonymous on the social network.

Some Bruins fans have apparently never learned even the basics of good sportsmanship.

Ignorance still abounds in the USA. Of course racism can be seen everywhere. What do you think all this right wing crap is all about. This country is still a long way from growing up. Our racism is pasted on from generation to generation. All people of color are targets.WAKE UP AMERICA! Some progress has been made but we as a nation still have a long way to go. LOOK IN THE MIRROR!!! SHAME SHAME SHAME!!! As Richard Dawkins would say, "WE ARE ALL AFRICANS"! There is only one race and that is the human race.

Who can be surprised? Hockey is the last refuge of the white racist sports fan. It's a small, but real, group. You could hear it on Sports Radio last year when the Bruins made their run and hockey talk was hot. Once in a while, WEEI or The Sports Hub would get a guy calling about "I hate that David Ortiz, I'm sick of his act. The Garnett is a punk, I can't stand watching basketball. Finally, the Bruins are here, a team I can respect!" Oddly, when I saw that Ward was black, one of my first thoughts was, "Wow, the old-time Southie Bruins fans are gonna be really p*ssed off about that!"

Right on, UpNorth. This column is such a reach. There is zero evidence any of the comments came from residents of Boston, or Greater Boston. It seems as though this article was manufactured, sitting on the shelf waiting to find the right opportunity to be published.

Really? One tweet from a college knucklehead in CT and this is suppose to reflect a trend? Or a newsworthy story? I agree with bobganleyjr, completely manufactured story. Even the photo looks like Joel Ward is being mugged or harassed when taken in the context of the "racist reaction" story title. I have come to expect much much more from the Globe. Maybe I need to re-assess and bury my Globe web link into the same folder I keep my Fox News weblink.

It is ridiculous for the Bruins to act guilty for the deeds of a few of their idiot fans. Carter made a very appropriate response when he reported an offensive twit to the twit's university and got an apology. That should be the end of it, without the Boston Globe and two professional NHL teams overreacting. Worse with Boston Globe writers trying to rehash the Boston school busing tensions of 40 years ago. How could a Globe writer forget to mention the Boston Massacre in which a black man was shot dead by an English trooper? Poor sportsmanship is poor sportsmanship, but there was no such behavior by players. A few ignorant, and probably drunken fans with access to computers or other electronic gimcracks got offensive - shame on them. What's next?

It sounds like you're blaming the messenger and not the racist society in which these "idiots" flourish!

It appears that some fans would rather stick their heads in the sand and not have to read about this shameful behavior. I wonder why - too close to home for some? Better to blame the Globe for reporting it? I only wish that some Bruins players would have been more offended at the knucklehead behavior.

Multiple media outlets, including both Boston newspapers, reported on the racist reaction. Globe-bashing is a commonly simplistic response by jerks like you have difficulty dealing with the changing mores of our society.

Don't bet the farm on it. Given the contempt in which many around the country hold Boston professional teams, it's highly unlikely outsiders would have been sensitive to the race of the player scoring the winning goal. Unfortunately, this incident also plays into the stereotype of the typical redneck hockey fan--of which there still are far too many. In an era when nonwhite athletes have been essential to championships won by Boston sports teams, one would hope that even racist fans could rise above mindless hatred of players who aren't Caucasian.

was this an important story to publish?? NO! but, oh yeah, the Globe's brass saw a way to sell a couple hundred more copies of today's paper. shame is on The Boston Globe, not the Bruin's players or even fans. just a few ignorant wise-crackers.. this lowers my opinion of The Boston Globe considerably.

the reason you don't see any Bruins players getting into this promotional story is because it doesn't pertain to them. the Globe sells a few more papers today. PERIOD get off your high horse.

I hate it when comments on Twitter get so much attention. Don't give people more power then they really have. Twitter can be important when people who are already influential for some actual reason use the forum. Don't flip out if someone of no consequence comments on Twitter.