The screen on the Zoom call was so full that it could not even fit everyone.
It was already a powerful statement when NHL players from the eight remaining teams in the Stanley Cup playoffs Thursday decided not to play the next games of their series, prompting the NHL to officially postpone the game until Saturday. But looking at the figures that came out for the media availability, really gave the power of the message over. At the start of post-season bubble play, Matt Dumba protested against racism without the publicly demonstrated support of teammates. It was a monumental moment when only three players – Robin Lehner, Jason Dickinson and Tyler Seguin – joined Ryan Reaves earlier this month for the anthems. But the picture was different Thursday night.
Prominent players of color Ryan Reaves, Nazem Kadri and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare stood in the foreground, speaking into microphones, but they were not alone. Dozens and dozens stood by them, sending the message that they would not stand for the injustice to Jacob Blake, shot seven times Sunday by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and that Black Lives Matter.
“If you look in this room, there are a lot of white athletes in there, and that’s the statement that is being made now,” Reaves said. ‘It’s great that the NBA did this, and the MLB and WNBA, but they have a lot of black players in those leagues. But for all these athletes here, to take a stand and say, ‘You know what, we see the problem too, and we stand behind you’ – I’m going to war with these guys, and I hate their guts on the ice , but I could not be more proud of these boys. The statement they made today is something that will last. These two days will not repair anything, but the conversation and the statement that has been made is very powerful, especially from this league. ”
The NBA paved the way for putting sports aside and bringing attention to social justice on Wednesday, beginning with the boycott of the Milwaukee Bucks and eventually leading to the NBA games being postponed. A handful of Major League Baseball teams also ran off the field. The NHL was caught uncertain on Wednesday, with some teams in the middle of the game when the news broke and other teams went on to play a few hours later, not sure what to do. The NHL honored Blake for the Lighting-Bruins game Thursday with a 33-second moment of reflection to “wish Jacob and his family well.”
The lack of a strong statement did not sit well with the players. The Reaves of Vegas Golden Knights said he could not sleep. It also weighed on the minds of Tampa Bay Lightning players, in particular Kevin Shattenkirk, and he texted his former teammate from St. Louis. Louis Reaves to see if they could put their heads together. The Vancouver Canucks also reached out to Reaves and the Golden Knights, proposing a bond between current playoff opponents.
“We talked in the room this morning,” Canucks captain Bo Horvat said of the Western Conference Zoom’s call. “Of course we realized the impact it has on the world and around the sports communities and seeing what happened to basketball and the MLB, we talked about it as a group and we wanted to go over and talk to Ryan and Vegas. We all just thought it was the best action.Everything Ryan said we should get together and this stuff can not stand and that we should educate ourselves and realize what’s going on in the world, he has the nail on his head “And we are all united when one shows definite strength in the hockey community as well as in the world.”
“Today, I think, unite us as a group to realize that every black player in this league, every black player who is a kid coming to hockey, can feel that they have a voice, can feel that the NHL and the sport themselves is a safe place and a place that they obviously feel alienated, obviously in a predominantly white sport, but they have the support of each one of us, “Shattenkirk said at the Eastern Conference Zoom.” And that’s what we’re here for try to reach – record and make everyone feel welcome in the sport of hockey. “
As is the case with the other pro sports, it was the players, not the league, who led the charge on Thursday. That became apparent when San Jose Sharks’ Evander Kane tweeted the Hockey Diversity Alliance’s formal request that the NHL stop the game. It was the decision of the players to go away from games, and their coaches supported them.
“I stand behind our players,” Canucks coach Travis Green said. “You talk about racism, how it should stop, injustice must stop, there must be change, and taking action is obviously a way to make change. And to see how our players today are trying to make change makes you proud as a coach.I thought this morning that our players would think about change.It weighed them in my head.Personally I thought about it last night, what would happen tomorrow when I got to the rink, and I am proud of our group. ”
The league responded to the actions of the players. Per a statement issued Thursday evening:
“The NHL supports the players’ decision and will reschedule those four games starting Saturday and adjusting the rest of the Second Round schedule.
“Black and brown communities continue to encounter real, painful experiences. The NHL and NHLPA recognize that much work still needs to be done before we can play an appropriate role in a discussion focused on diversity, inclusion and social justice.
“We understand that the tragedies with Jacob Blake, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others require us to acknowledge this moment. We promise to work to use our sport to influence positive change in society. ”
Players speaking Thursday indicated that the two-day break to raise awareness is just the beginning, and point to further initiatives to come if they leave the bell. For now, it’s time to reflect on the change in the sports world and think about what we need to do next to make sure the stories of people like Blake, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd are not sidelined and forgotten. become as sports resume.
“We can use these next few days to further train ourselves for the betterment of society,” Kadri said. ‘It’s something that needs to be done, and I think hockey is a team sport, a team game. Each of these guys stands on the same page and stands with each other. ”
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