The National Hockey League has postponed Thursday and Friday's playoff games after members of the Hockey Diversity Alliance asked the league to suspend its games in the wake of a Black man being shot by police in Wisconsin over the weekend.
Nazem Kadri, who plays for the Colorado Avalanche, posted on Twitter that the decision was made by the players to postpone the games.
Players decision https://t.co/hsdBLO3vId
— Nazem Kadri (@43_Kadri) August 27, 2020
San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane, who co-created the HDA, had been very vocal on social media, asking the league to postpone the games.
On Thursday, Kane celebrated the news of the league postponing the games.
"The PLAYERS took a stand today, they stepped up," Kane said. "Proud of my fellow nhl PLAYERS for their action."
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_9) August 27, 2020
On Wednesday, Kane took to Twitter to request that the league suspend its two second-round playoff games to send a "clear message that human right must take priority over sports."
On Wednesday, the NHL faced backlash for allowing several games to happen and holding a moment of reflection, instead of postponing them as several other leagues had done.
The boycott began when the Milwaukee Bucks refused to come out of their locker room to play the Orlando Magic in Game 5 of its playoff series.
Full statement from the Milwaukee Bucks: pic.twitter.com/jjGEyVcCmB
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) August 26, 2020
Teams and players in MLB, MLS, and WNBA also participated in the protest by either postponing or sitting out of games.
