Hockey Diversity Alliance calls for NHL to suspend Thursday’s playoff games

The Hockey Diversity Alliance is calling on the NHL to suspend its slate of playoff games scheduled for Thursday evening.

HDA co-head Evander Kane brought the request to light on Thursday, tweeting out a message to the league on behalf of the Alliance, which was sent out soon after by the rest of the HDA.

“We the [HDA] have formally requested the NHL to suspend all playoff games today,” Kane wrote. “We strongly feel this sends a clear message that human rights take priority over sports.”

The request comes after an historic day across the professional sports world that saw a number of players boycott games and force postponements in response to continued incidents of racial injustice in the United States.

Shaken by the shooting of a 29-year-old Black man named Jacob Blake by a police officer in Kenosha, Wisc., players across the NBA and WNBA — led first by the Milwaukee Bucks — opted to boycott their playoff games on Wednesday until further action was taken.

Their protests were followed by similar actions throughout the wider sports world, with three MLB games going unplayed, as well as five of six MLS matches.

The NHL chose to move ahead with its scheduled games, with Bruins-Lightning and Avalanche-Stars both commencing Wednesday evening. The league also held a “moment of reflection” before the first of the two evening games on Wednesday.

Later Thursday, fellow HDA co-head Akim Aliu shared a statement with further details on behalf of the Alliance.

“The Hockey Diversity Alliance is deeply saddened by the Jacob Blake shooting — yet another example of police brutality against Black Americans that continues to go unabated and unaddressed in the communities where NHL teams play,” the statement read.

Reiterating the HDA’s call for postponed games, it also included more details about prior requests made by the Alliance to the NHL and other hockey organizations throughout Canada and the U.S.

“We asked the NHL to sign the HDA Pledge which includes commitments to funding grassroots programs for BIPOC youth, funding impactful social justice initiatives, anti-racism education, targets for hiring and promoting Black individuals and businesses, and rule changes to make the culture of the game more inclusive.

“We hope to be in a position to announce an agreement in respect of the Pledge commitments before the end of the playoffs.”

On Wednesday, HDA members Kane and Matt Dumba both expressed their disappointment with the NHL for not following suit with much of the rest of the sporting world.

“The NHL, we’re always late to the party, especially on these topics,” Dumba told Sportsnet 650 Wednesday. “So it’s sort of sad and disheartening for me and other members of the HDA, and I’m sure other guys across the league.

“But if no one stands up and does anything, it’s the same thing — it’s just 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 added that it’s crucial other players throughout the league understand that the burden can’t be placed only on the shoulders of players of colour.

“It’s not just my responsibility as a minority player in the NHL to be talking about these issues. It’s not just Wayne Simmonds, or Akim Aliu or Joel Ward or Matt Dumba’s stance or issues in this society — it’s everybody’s,” Kane said.

“And until everybody decides to take it upon themselves, maybe step away from some of their privileges, to educate themselves and really fight with us, we’re going to be in the same situation as we are today.”

Two NHL games are currently scheduled for Thursday — Game 3 of Islanders-Flyers and Game 3 of Canucks-Golden Knights — though it appears players are preparing for those games to be cancelled.