NHL postpones four playoff games
The NHL postponed two days of playoff games Thursday after withering criticism from Black players who said the league was slow to acknowledge the police shooting of Jacob Blake on Sunday in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
The joint decision to put off games Thursday and Friday was reached by the NHL and NHL Players’ Association. It was made after members of the Hockey Diversity Alliance asked the NHL to postpone the playing of games, saying: ‘‘We strongly feel this sends a clear message that human rights take priority over sports.’’ The alliance is made up of nine current and former minority players.
And the players’ decision was spurred by members of the Canucks and Golden Knights, who were preparing to sit out in protest, Lightning defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk said.
Nearly a full day after the NBA and MLB saw games postponed over Blake’s shooting, the NHL and its union made their announcement.
‘‘After much discussion, NHL players believe that the best course of action would be to take a step back and not play tonight’s and tomorrow’s games as scheduled,’’ the joint statement said.
‘‘Black and Brown communities continue to face real, painful experiences. The NHL and NHLPA recognize that much work remains to be done before we can play an appropriate role in a discussion centered on diversity, inclusion and social justice.’’
The announcement came an hour before the Flyers and Islanders were to play Game 3 of their series in Toronto. The other postponed game Thursday had the Golden Knights facing the Canucks in Game 3 in Edmonton, Alberta.
The other postponed games were Game 4s on Friday: the Bruins against the Lightning in Toronto and the Stars against the Avalanche in Edmonton.
‘‘You try to do the right thing, and we’re trying to do that today in support of our teammates,’’ Islanders captain Anders Lee said during a Zoom conference call featuring representatives of each of the Eastern Conference’s four semifinalists.
The NHL was criticized for allowing the playoffs to proceed Wednesday, when numerous leagues, starting with the NBA, postponed games.
Blake, who is Black, was shot in the back seven times by police in Kenosha. The shooting sparked protests, some of which spread to sports.