NHL will postpone next two days of 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs
By Ty Anderson, 985TheSportsHub.com
The National Hockey League has officially joined the list of leagues currently protesting racial injustice, as they’ve reportedly postponed Thursday and Friday’s slate of 2020 Stanley Cup Playoff contests.
Word of the postponement was first reported by TSN’s Pierre LeBrun and Darren Dreger, while Can confirm the #NHL will postpone games today and tomorrow. The NHL is working on Saturdays schedule of games now, but postponement is expected to extend through tomorrow. All 8 remaining teams impacted.
And this decision was driven by the players, according to LeBrun, and with Matt Dumba and Evander Kane jumping on the call with the players in the bubble.
Exactly. The PLAYERS took a stand today, they stepped up. Proud of my fellow nhl PLAYERS for their action. https://t.co/IKcsvcoUbl
— Evander Kane (@evanderkane) August 27, 2020
The NHL’s decision comes one day after the league carried on with Game 3 between the Bruins and Lightning as scheduled (and with a pregame “moment of reflection” for Jacob Blake) and the late-night Game 3 between the Stars and Avalanche.
That didn’t go over well with many, including Dumba and Kane, though the players involved made it known that they support the players and leagues that opted not to entertain the masses on Wednesday.
“We support NBA players and all the leagues that showed their support,” Bruins captain Zdeno Chara said after Game 3. “We support the fight against racism and injustice. There are different ways to express that fight and obviously NBA players expressed their opinions by boycotting the games today. We support it.”
“It starts with everyone,” Patrice Bergeron said. “I’m part of that. Zee is part of that. We all need to find ways to be part of the solution. My statement doesn’t change, my stance doesn’t change. I want to be a part of it. I stand against any type of racism and injustice.
“I want to be a part of that.”
Postponing tonight’s contests will give the Islanders and Flyers a day off from their scheduled Game 3, and add an extra day of rest to the books for the Golden Knights and Canucks. Extending that through Friday will postpone Game 4 between the Bruins and Lightning, as well as Game 4 between Dallas and Colorado.
It’ll be interesting to see how this shakes out for the Bruins, too, who are fresh off playing a back-to-back, as pushing everything back a day will force the Bruins into another back-to-back for Games 4 and 5, and that’s ahead of a back-to-back set for Games 6 and 7.
The Bruins are currently down 1-2 in their best-of-seven second-round series with the Bolts.
Ty Anderson is a writer and columnist for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Yell at him on Twitter: @_TyAnderson.
