The NHL has announced it is postponing all games scheduled to take place Thursday and Friday in a player-driven decision.
The news comes after a player-led boycott in the NBA jump-started a movement across the sporting world, bringing athletes together to protest racial injustices in the wake of the Jacob Blake shooting earlier this week by police in Kenosha, Wis.
This postponement will see four Stanley Cup Playoff games rescheduled. Thursday’s schedule featured two second-round matchups: Game 3 between the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders (scheduled for 7 p.m. ET), and Game 3 of Vegas Golden Knights vs. Vancouver Canucks (9:45 p.m. ET). Friday would have seen two more, with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins set to face-off for Game 4 of their series, followed by Game 4 between the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars. All four games will now be held at a date that has yet to be determined by the league.
Earlier on Thursday, the Hockey Diversity Alliance put out a public call-to-action, urging the NHL to suspend games and join what has been an historic time across the sporting world and societal as a whole.
“We the [HDA] have formally requested the NHL to suspend all playoff games today,” HDA co-head Evander Kane said in a statement tweeted out Thursday. “We strongly feel this sends a clear message that human rights take priority over sports.”
The movement was initiated Wednesday by the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks, who made the decision not to take the court for their 4 p.m. ET tip-off against the Orlando Magic for Game 5 of their first-round playoff series. Instead, the Bucks — whose home court is just an hour’s drive north of where Blake, an unarmed Black man, was shot seven times by officers on Sunday — remained in their locker room in the Orlando bubble. From there, they contacted Wisconsin attorney general Josh Kaul, formed a team statement to address the urgent need for real action in the face of anti-Black racism and police brutality, and set off a historic wave of action around the sports community. They were joined by athletes across the WNBA, MLS, MLB and pro tennis, all urging their respective leagues to press pause and make way for crucial conversations and action.
The NHL moved forward with their games Wednesday night, pausing for a brief moment of reflection prior to Game 3 between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins.
