Hockey analyst Kelly Hrudey wanted the NHL to respond in a meaningful way after NBA teams boycotted their playoff games Wednesday in the wake of the weekend shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, by police in Wisconsin.
The NHL, which did not postpone any of its three games Wednesday, held a B次元官网网址渕oment of reflectionB次元官网网址� instead before the Boston Bruins played the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 3 of their second-round playoff series in Toronto.
But Hrudey, a former NHL goaltender, felt the league should have gone further after the shooting of Blake and the NBAB次元官网网址檚 decision.
B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 think we should be here. I think the NHL should postpone the games,B次元官网网址� Hrudey said on a TV hit on NHL Canadian rights-holder Sportsnet before puck drop at Scotiabank Arena. B次元官网网址淚 really feel we should be more supportive of Black Lives Matter.
B次元官网网址淚 know for myself, instead of watching hockey IB次元官网网址檇 prefer to be having this conversation with my family.B次元官网网址�
NHL players are discussing options to protest racial injustice after the NBA and other professional sports leagues postponed games, according to a person with knowledge of those talks.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity early Thursday because those discussions were private.
Bruins defenceman Zdeno Chara was asked if there was any discussion about not playing before a 7-1 loss.
B次元官网网址淟ike I said, it was so close to our game,B次元官网网址� Chara said. B次元官网网址淎fter our pre-game meal we took naps and we were on the bus so I donB次元官网网址檛 think anyone was watching the TV until we got to the rink and obviously it was too close to the game to start any discussions or trying to move the games to different dates.B次元官网网址�
Colorado Avalanche forward Nazem Kadri said he had thoughts about not playing before his teamB次元官网网址檚 6-4 win over the Dallas Stars in Edmonton.
B次元官网网址淚t crosses your mind when you see other leagues doing something like that,B次元官网网址� Kadri said. B次元官网网址淲e support and applaud the NBA for taking those circumstances. I understand this is a problem thatB次元官网网址檚 gone on for far too long B次元官网网址� Eventually words get stale and itB次元官网网址檚 about action and making a difference.B次元官网网址�
The Milwaukee Bucks were first to boycott when they didnB次元官网网址檛 take the floor for Game 5 of their first-round playoff series with the Orlando Magic at Lake Buena Vista, Fla., in the late afternoon. The NBA later announced that all three of the dayB次元官网网址檚 scheduled playoff games had been postponed. No announcement has been made on ThursdayB次元官网网址檚 Toronto Raptors-Boston Celtics game.
Minnesota Wild defenceman Matt Dumba, who knelt for the American anthem on the first day of the NHLB次元官网网址檚 restart in Edmonton earlier this month, praised NBA players on Twitter.
B次元官网网址淣BA Players leading! WE STAND WITH YOU AND DEMAND CHANGE!B次元官网网址� the Regina native said.
Dumba later said in an interview with Sportsnet 650 in Vancouver that the NHL is B次元官网网址渁lways last to the party on these topics.B次元官网网址�
Lightning coach Jon Cooper was asked about DumbaB次元官网网址檚 comments after his teamB次元官网网址檚 win.
B次元官网网址淚 know the league and the people running it B次元官网网址� at some point everything will be addressed, and weB次元官网网址檒l get ourselves up to speed and support what needs to be done,B次元官网网址� he said.
The BucksB次元官网网址� move resonated around the sports world.
The Milwaukee Brewers and the Cincinnati Reds opted not to play their Major League Baseball game on Wednesday night. MLB followed with postponements of a Los Angeles Dodgers-San Francisco Giants game and a Seattle Mariners-San Diego Padres contest. All three WNBA games on the leagueB次元官网网址檚 schedule were also postponed.
The Toronto Blue Jays, meanwhile, went ahead with their home game against the Boston Red Sox in Buffalo, N.Y., which started about an hour after the Bucks had boycotted.
Manager Charlie Montoyo said his team didnB次元官网网址檛 have time to discuss sitting out Wednesday night, but he expects to have that conversation before ThursdayB次元官网网址檚 game.
B次元官网网址淚 understand and support the teams that have decided not to play, but it was right before the game when we found out and the players were already out there. So we proceeded to play,B次元官网网址� Montoyo said.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e going to discuss it and see where we go with this.B次元官网网址�
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Tennis did go on at the Western & Southern Open in New York, but the tournament announced after WednesdayB次元官网网址檚 final match it would not hold play Thursday and plans to resume Friday. One of the sportB次元官网网址檚 top players, JapanB次元官网网址檚 Naomi Osaka, dropped out of ThursdayB次元官网网址檚 semifinals hours after winning her quarterfinal.
CanadaB次元官网网址檚 Milos Raonic, who won his quarterfinal, says itB次元官网网址檚 imperative both the menB次元官网网址檚 and womenB次元官网网址檚 tours come together in a hurry to have a discussion about whatB次元官网网址檚 next.
B次元官网网址淗aving a sign somewhere of support, banners at a tournament or wearing a shirt in a warmup in an NBA game, it can only do so much,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚 think real disruption B次元官网网址� thatB次元官网网址檚 what makes change. I think a lot of real disruption is caused by affecting people in a monetary way. That can force some kind of change.B次元官网网址�
Blake was shot multiple times by police in Kenosha, about 65 kilometres south of Milwaukee. The Blake familyB次元官网网址檚 lawyer said Blake was paralyzed and that it would B次元官网网址渢ake a miracleB次元官网网址� for him to walk again.
The shooting of the 29-year-old Blake was captured on cellphone video Sunday and ignited protests in Kenosha and elsewhere.
Hrudey said the NHL was B次元官网网址渕issing outB次元官网网址� on important discussions about racial injustice by not postponing its games.
B次元官网网址淭his would be an important night for many families to have the discussion again. B次元官网网址� So IB次元官网网址檓 disappointed that weB次元官网网址檙e talking about hockey tonight,B次元官网网址� he said.
The league unveiled its #WeSkateFor campaign when it restarted its pandemic-delayed season B次元官网网址� with #WeSkateForBlackLives and #WeSkateForEquality banners featured behind the nets in both buildings hosting the resumption of play.
On Wednesday, a public address announcer at Scotiabank Arena read a statement before a brief moment of reflection, saying B次元官网网址渢he NHL and the hockey community are committed in the mission to combat racial injustice.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淭he NHL would like to take this moment to wish Jacob Blake and his family well, and call out to our fans and communities to stand up for social justice and the effort to end racism,B次元官网网址� the announcer continued.
Canadian soccer player Diana Matheson urged the NHL to do more.
B次元官网网址淐ome on NHL, step up,B次元官网网址� she tweeted, adding the Black Lives Matter hashtag.
Canadian womenB次元官网网址檚 hockey team member Sarah Nurse was also critical.
B次元官网网址淏lack Lives are more important than sports. PERIOD,B次元官网网址� she tweeted. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 going to need hockey, especially, to understand that.B次元官网网址�
Meanwhile, Toronto FC forward Jozy Altidore posed a question to Major League Soccer.
B次元官网网址淍MLS what are you going to do,B次元官网网址� Altidore tweeted.
MLS ended up postponing five of six games on Wednesday night.
Toronto FC is scheduled to play in Montreal against the Impact on Friday night. The MLS Players Association tweeted its support for the NBA boycott.
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B次元官网网址� With files from The Associated Press
The Canadian Press
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