Postponement of Games

NHL postpones two days of playoff games due to police brutality and systemic racism after inaction the night before

The NHL postponed its playoff games on Thursday and Friday after the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, sparked outrage and Black Lives Matter protests across the country. Blake was shot seven times in the back by police in front of his own children.

Wednesday night, the Milwaukee Bucks started a movement, and refused to play Game Five of its first-round series against the Orlando Magic due to the shooting. Soon after, the NBA postponed games between the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers. Other leagues followed hours later. Three WNBA games (including your Washington Mystics), five Major League Soccer games, and three Major Baseball games were called off in solidarity with the Bucks. Many NFL teams also canceled practices.

The NHL, which consists of only 29 active Black players according to Wikipedia, played its games as scheduled. The league made a course correction nearly 24 hours later, but according to the Hockey Diversity Alliance, the decision was sparked by several players still playing who reached out asking for advice on what to do.

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