NHL players are discussing options to protest racial injustice after the NBA and other professional sports leagues postponed games, a person with knowledge of those talks said.
The person early yesterday spoke on the condition of anonymity, because those discussions were private.
The subject rose to the forefront as multiple leagues called off games and two prominent black NHL players expressed frustration that the predominantly white league on Wednesday went ahead with two games preceded by moments of reflection.
“We really didn’t find out that the other leagues had taken their stance until we got here tonight,” Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk said after playing Game 3 of his team’s second-round series against the Boston Bruins. “It was something that I think for us was something we found out by the time we got to the rink and something we’ll have to address going forward.”
Minnesota’s Matt Dumba and San Jose’s Evander Kane, founding members of the Hockey Diversity Alliance (HDA), criticized the NHL for going ahead with games.
“The NHL, we’re always last to the party, especially on these topics,” Dumba said on Vancouver’s Sportsnet 650. “It’s kind of sad and disheartening for me and for other members of the HDA and I’m sure other guys across the league. If no one stands up and does anything, it’s the same thing. It’s that silence that you’re just outside looking in on actually being leaders and invoking real change when you have such an opportunity to do so.”
Kane said on Sportsnet that he was disappointed not to hear about the shooting by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, of Jacob Blake, a black man, around hockey.
He and Dumba, who gave an anti-racism speech on the opening night of the NHL restart and afterward knelt for the US anthem, called on white players to take action about racial injustice.
“It’s great to write statements, it’s great to send tweets, it’s great to post stories and pictures on Instagram, but at the end of the day it’s going to be about real action and meaningful change,” Kane said.
After other leagues decided not to play on Wednesday, Kelly Hrudey, retired goaltender-turned-analyst, said on Sportsnet that the NHL should have done the same.
“I don’t think we should be here. I think the NHL should postpone the games,” Hrudey said. “I really feel we should be more supportive of Black Lives Matter.”
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