A day after games in the NBA, WNBA, MLB, and MLS were postponed in response to the events in Kenosha, Wisconsin, NHL players have decided to follow suit.
Multiple sources are reporting all NHL games for tonight, including the Golden Knights vs Canucks Game 3, will be postponed.
The Golden Knights are holding media availability at 1:30 PM. (UPDATE: It has been delayed.)
This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
We the @TheOfficialHDA have formally requested the @NHL to suspend all playoff games today. We strongly feel this sends a clear message that human rights take priority over sports.
— Evander Kane (@evanderkane_9) August 27, 2020
More than 100 players in the bubble had a call with Evander Kane and Matt Dumba this afternoon.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) August 27, 2020
Players being told to prepare for cancellations tonight
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) August 27, 2020
Just told NHL players scheduled for playoff games today have agreed to postpone for #BlackLivesMatter. @TheOfficialHDA.
— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) August 27, 2020
Can confirm the #NHL will postpone games today and tomorrow.
— Andy Strickland (@andystrickland) August 27, 2020
Statement from the National Hockey League Players’ Association and National Hockey League. https://t.co/uV1F5iDeUS pic.twitter.com/JS2t0MvUij
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) August 27, 2020
Statement from the Vegas Golden Knights and our players pic.twitter.com/WVvhtnS8Q1
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) August 27, 2020
"I think if you look around this room there's a lot of white athletes in here. But for all these athletes in here to take a stand, I go to war with these guys on the ice but I couldn't be more proud of them today." -Ryan Reaves
— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) August 27, 2020
"Most of these guys have never lived through some of the stuff black athletes have. For them to say we see what's going on in society and we disagree with it and something has to change now. Standing here together here now is more powerful than anything else we can do." -Reaves
— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) August 27, 2020
"When we took a knee that one day it was a day to start the conversation. For me I also have a lot of respect for the military. I wanted to start the conversation but I wanted to respect the people that have fought and died for this country." -Reaves
— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) August 27, 2020
"We know that these 2 days are not going to change everything now. It's the message we are sending to our organization and the NHL that we want to take better steps and more steps… We are here right now because no one is happy with what is happening." -Pierre-Edouard Bellemare
— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) August 27, 2020
"He's a smart, intellectual guy that has a lot of loyalty to both his race but also to law enforcement and military When we discussed everything that was going on today he had my full support. I'm proud of him and proud to stand behind him." -DeBoer on Reaves
— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) August 27, 2020
"It's player driven but it's team supported." -DeBoer
— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) August 27, 2020
Tim
I’m glad they didn’t postpone the game for the innocents killed in the riots and Chicago, but instead chose to cancel the games for a felon who fought with the police and was reaching for a knife. Makes total sense. Idiots.
A VGK Fan
Hey Tim, Go F* yourself.
Frank
Really classy comment….. Tim is just pointing out the blatant hypocrisy. Also, you as well as I know that the NHL cancelling the games is in effect “bending the knee” to the PC diversity mob. That is all
A bigger and more important vgk fan
Hey Tim. You hit it right in the money
Richard
The cancelations are not in response to a single incident. They are a statement in solidarity with other leagues over continued systematic racism that is prevalent in police departments and elsewhere.
Daryl
Sorry, but the actual numbers don’t support that statement
Tim
Nice going genius. What, are you emotionally incapable of an actual comment?
Daryl
Hey Tim….
I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH YOU!!!!
Big Z
Maybe Foley can stop making contributions to the Trump crime syndicate now?
Summerlin AndyB
What about the human rights of the 15-year-old girl that Jacob Blake raped.?
Doesn’t she have rights to see him arrested jailed and tried?
According to the expert in pro sports , pedophiles now have more rights than their victims.
Liberalism is a mental illness.
Mentally Ill Liberal
As a wise fan once said…
Hey Summerlin AndyB, Go F* yourself.
Hague_for_Norris
classy response
Hdbiker7851
Mentally I’ll- you definitely have the correct name and illiterate besides. Do you actually eat with that mouth. There is zero excuse posting that type of language. I would have thought your parents raised you better than that.
Daryl
Here’s an idea…. DO YOUR F’ING JOB!!! This might be a sport to us fans, but this is your job. You are getting paid to do a job so just do it. Do you think I can walk into my officer and tell my boss we should shut down in support of BLM that it will go over very well? Why isn’t Kane asking Burger King to close down? Walmart? Target?
Anyone who thinks the NHL shutting down… or any sport for that matter, is going to make a difference is completely DELUSIONAL!!!
The NHL is going to lose so many fans over this. And before anyone says it won’t make a difference, you really have no clue how business actually works. My boss has had season tickets for the Falcons for years, as far back as I can remember. He is a Vet and supports CK’s right to protest but disagrees with when it’s being done. He cancelled his season tickets last year. Those 4 seats are still available today. The guy that sits in front of or behind him canceled their seats also and those seats are still available. The family that sits next to them canceled their seats but since then someone took them. He spends a couple thousand a year on merchandise. So take the cost of the seats and how much he spends on merchandise…. and add it to the same with others, thats a lot of money the NFL has lost. And it’s not like they are gaining viewers simply for how they are taking a stand.
Brian S
Lots of racists showing their asses here.
You guys realize they’re going to continue the playoffs, right? I’m sorry that black people being hunted in the streets by racist cops and by right-wing terrorists radicalized by Donald Trump is postponing a hockey game for a couple days, but there’s bigger issues going on right now than hockey.
Daryl
I see… becasue we don’t agree with you we must be racist??? Same mindset of these morons who think if you support Trump you are automatically racist. And to say black people are being hunted down by the police is an idiotic, ignorant, and untrue statement…. but I guess if it fits your agenda
Tim
In the real world blacks being hunted is a little much, blacks being harassed more then whites absolutely. There is a bad element in the police force that needs to be addressed and hopefully will. On the other side of the coin working as a cop in the intercity you see shit night in and night out and after a while it becomes the normal. This isn’t a Trump issue it’s a issue of bad blacks versus good blacks and bad cops versus good cops. When you figure out how to get rid of the bad blacks and bad cops I’m all ears.
A Fan
Getting rid of bad cops would be much easier if police unions didn’t just move bad cops to another city. The same goes for bad teachers, bad catholic priests, etc. The powers that be just shuffle them around instead of getting rid of them.
Tim O
Brian, are you really this obtuse? Name one person hunted by police that hasn’t committed a crime. The police did not pull Blake over. They responded to a call.
It must extremely complex living with the victim card taped to your forehead.
Tim O. Not the other Tim, but the other Tim
Jason
Name one person hunted by police who did not commit a crime? How about the Central Park five?
Daryl
Naming the Central Park Five is a little weak!!! A young girl was raped and it was reported there were several subjects who were involved. More than just the 5 were brought in and they weren’t all black. Through bad techniques, police were able to get a confession from those 5. So NO, those 5 were not hunted down by the police. Good try though. They also tried to say this was race motivated but which I don’t quite understand when you look at Reyes who actually committed the crimes
Those 5 also had several appeals which were not overturned. But I guess that was the police’s fault also.
DOC aPositiveFan
The idiots and racists’ just lye waiting for an opportunity like this to start chirping. Just a damn sad commentary on our country right now. So we wait a day or two for POs to resume. We waited for months , so what’s the big deal. And NO, the NHL isn’t going to: “lose so many fans over this”. Please just quit embarrassing yourselves people.
The Noodle King
Right on, Doc.
Daryl
Just like the NFL wasn’t going to lose so many fans either??? Watch and see. And if you think the NHL bending over for the crying liberals is going to make a difference in what happens in this world, you are more delusional than Kane thinking his team could win the Cup
Tim
Well above the other Tim who posts only on occasion. I’m the Tim that usually posts daily so let’s make that clear. I do have a thought it’s an old saying ( The Inmates Are Running The Asylum ) Most of you weren’t on the earth yet when I played basketball for Spangdolm Air Base Germany 1963-1964. You think bad things are happening now not even close. First off our team was half black half white I wish I new how to enclose our team picture as proof. We had to live with the Alabama church bombing of those 4 little girls, Evers assassination, Malcolm X murder, and the Philadelphia Mississippi killing of those three boys, among others all while we were playing ball. Did the blacks blame us no did we talk about all of it yes and remember we ate, slept, and drank together. These were all bad things that happened.
Flash forward to 2020 police using unnecessary is uncalled for and should be arrested and sent to jail that’s a given. There is an issue at times when your dealing with a violent criminal some sort of action needs to be taken and sometimes you need to use your weapon. If you think all the bad guys Black, White or Hispanic aren’t dangerous then your looking through rose colored glasses.
What I don’t like about this situation if you don’t cow down and do what they say your a racist which is the farthest from the truth but they label you. Let me tell you the same thing happened in Germany in 1933.
Daryl
So, we are going to postpone the playoffs and protest the killing of a felon who police initially tried to taser which didn’t work, who then refused to obey lawful commands of police and the reach into a vehicle where he had a weapon??? I guess none of this falls on Baker. Let’s just teach our kids they don’t have to obey the police anymore.
I guess I’ll come back hear to read how Vegas does from here on out
Tim
I think they should just cancel the season and show the respect needed to make change why play around with a couple of games.
Daryl
Yeah that will do a lot. You are delusional if you think canceling a game or a season is going to make a difference anywhwre
Vegas Baby
This is unfortunate. The HDA is independent of the NHL, guided by lawyers and Colin Kapernick. They have been meeting with Bettman and Kim Davis requesting 10M a year to fund initiatives to eradicate systemic racism. Bettman hasn’t embraced the request. It appears the HDA appealed to the players to get them to postpone playing. It’s another way to pressure Bettman.
This has nothing to do with police brutality (there was none here). Postponing games does raise awareness, but not to support criminals. No real change can be made effective here because this is about money and not about accountability of the man who resisted arrest.
The HDA will only succeed in bringing down the NHL like Kapernick did to the NFL if the NHL isn’t careful.
Daryl
Exactly
DOC aPositiveFan
WOW! Agree or not with the postponing of games for two days, I think it has accomplished what it intended. PEOPLE TALKING about the problem. Regardless of how ridiculous some of the comments are it has brought this problem to the forefront! So I say bravo to the NHL players!!
Daryl
Doc…. I think you are losing it in you old age. People have been talking about this almost none stop since Floyd. It’s not like this all of a sudden went away and we needed the NHL to stop all their games to bring it back to the limelight. And people aren’t talking about the issues at hand but the shutdown itself. This isn’t bringing anything to the forefront.
If the players for the NHL, NBA, MLB and every other sport want to make a statement… DONATE every cent you are missing from these games. Take action!!! Not playing a game, or taking a knee is a complete joke. That’s not taking action. How much money have these athletes given out of their own pockets??? It’s easy to sit back and run your mouths like a lot of these players are doing, but until you back up your own words, you are nothing more than a joke
DOC aPositiveFan
Typical “Daryl”! … When you know you are wrong and not making any sense, you start attacking others, Now you are attacking my age? Why? What good is that?
Daryl
Sorry Dok if you took my response personal. Exactly how am I wrong though? You said by canceling games people are talking about the issue… which isn’t true at all. They’ve been talking about the issue every day and by the NHL canceling their games, it’s not being thought of any more. It’s in the forefront everywhere you look. I said you were losing it in your old age simply b/c this topic is everywhere and you said people are talking about it b/c the NHL has shut down. Which just isn’t true. Maybe you are getting soft in your old age also
DOC aPositiveFan
GO KNIGHTS GO !!!
Pete Turner
Enough with the chirping. Stick to facts.
1. NBA players and I hope NHL players calling for the postponement are donating their 1 day’s pay to the supporting staff. The equipment managers, massage therapist, bus drivers etc..those that need their pay more than these players.
2. Just because you support BLM doesn’t mean you are anti-police. That’s a false narrative. VGK is a huge supporter of LVMPD but at the same time they see these unnecessary killings as a bad thing. Nothing wrong with that.
3. Just to reemphasize. The role of the police is to stop and arrest criminals. It’s not their job to act as judge, jury and executioner.
4. Is it just me that see this postponement as a blessing from the Hockey Gods? Come on, VGK has the best goalie tandems and was handed a goalie controversy and now as a result of BLM protest, we have not 1 but 2 back to back games. Sure it’s no slam dunk but deep down you guys must be doing a happy dance.
Let’s put aside our differences and now focus on winning this thing.
Go Knights Go!
Tim
Sports are not sports anymore it’s a political platform to get your message across. Have you heard one player in any sport condemn the Violence, the Looting, Burning down Buildings and numerous Police Cars and burning the American flag. I guess that’s ok to get your message across.
Bob
Tim, More NBC Sports Channel, Less Fox News. Give it a rest.
Hdbiker7851
Apparently your not reading g what tim said – this has nothing to do with fox news. Have you seen or heard anything from these athletes condemning burning, rioting, looting etc and how bad that is and doesn’t further the cause. I would bet not so stick to reality
Julie
Sorry I am late to the party, but I was at work, working. I asked my boss if I could bail and promote the false narrative from Pete that if you support BLM you are not anti-police. Boss said, I don’t pay you to protest, I have a business, get back to work. So I put my fist up and sang “Ain’t that a Shame”, then I called the BLM people and told them their website was wrong according to Pete..
But, hey, side note, Merriam Webster is updating the definition of racism and even the new definition doesn’t apply to anyone here. So, Doc/Dok, Brian S, yeah….
It’s great that the players are giving up thousands of dollars each from yesterday to support….wait for it…the very needy massage therapists, bus drivers and staff. Seems like that money would go to abused women and children who suffered at the hands of someone like Jakob Blake, or day I say, the fans whose patronage makes it possible for the players to abuse their platform while getting paid. But, hey, the HDA will give us our opinion when it’s time, am I right?
Speaking of Hockey Dumb A$$es, did they get the millions they were trying to extort from the NHL? God, I mean Non-Jesus, I hope so. So much easier to pressure the big wallets than it is to effect real change and address specific issues at their core, say in their communities. I get it, we don’t have time for that, we need $$$$ now, you know to enhance the HDA website with the Skill Set Doesn’t Matter education programming.
I am really proud of Reaves! Standing up for a felon who resisted arrest because someone told him there was racism somewhere else in the world and the police were involved. That’s not easy to do and still act like he supports law enforcement. The message to anyone who has been abused might be fuzzy, but it builds character, right kids? Thanks for starting THAT conversation, Ryan! I’m so enlightened now that I may tell Boss I need to take a full day off with pay myself. He is just like PDB, so no doubt my record of achievement will get me first in line for approval.
It’s all good, though. The games will come back as long as the police go after the real criminals. Probably next week, when the massage therapists come back.
Tim O
Excellent comment!!!