An NHL players-led initiative has resulted in the league postponing its second-round playoff games Thursday and Friday to protest racial injustice in the United States.
The NHL made its announcement Thursday afternoon but has yet to release a revamped schedule.
The Avalanche, coming off a 6-4 win in Game 2 against the Dallas Stars on Wednesday, had an optional practice Thursday in Edmonton. Game 4 of that series was scheduled for Friday. It likely will now be played Saturday.
Avs center Nazem Kadri is a member of the Hockey Diversity Alliance, and that group met with NHL executives in a conference call Thursday, according to a TSN report. The league then met with all remaining eight teams in Edmonton and Toronto.
“We don’t feel it’s right for the NHL to be playing today,” Hockey Diversity Alliance co-head Evander Kane of the San Jose Sharks told TSN. “It’s a very small thing for (the NHL) to do. We’ve had some players reaching out to ask for our advice about what they should do.”
Kadri, who is Muslim, shared his feelings about police shootings of Black men in the U.S. after scoring the winning goal in Game 3 on Wednesday.
“This is a problem that has gone on far too long,” Kadri said. “The signs and hockey (operations team) is great and everything but eventually words get stale and it’s about action and making a difference.”
“For us,” Avalanche captain Gabe Landeskog said, “it’s a matter where a lot of players and a lot of superstars in this league have spoken out, and put out statements through their channels and used their platform to voice their opinions which is sometimes a little bit unusual for hockey players who like to stay private. But this has gone on way too long for this country and it needs to change. What the next steps from here are, I’m not sure. I don’t have those answers, but I think as a hockey community we stay tight-nit and at this point, I think we all support change in this country.”
