As the entire sports world grapples with the moment, it appears as if the New York Islanders won’t be playing on Thursday night.
One day after the NBA postponed games in protest of the police shooting of Jacob Blake, the NHL is following suit. Although there has been no official word from the league, the players are telling reporters that there will be no games on Thursday night. That includes Game 3 between the New York Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers.
Players in the bubble are telling me they’re not playing tonight. But we await official announcement from the NHL and NHLPA.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) August 27, 2020
Players and teams involved are acknowledging there won’t be games tonight, however, it’s up to the NHL and NHLPA to formally postpone.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) August 27, 2020
According to reports, the Vancouver Canucks were the driving force behind postponing these games. The Islanders and Flyers were planning to proceed with Game 3 prior to Vancouver’s strong stance on the issue.
According to source, NYI-Philly were going to play tonight, but Canucks' stance shifted the dynamic heading into PA call. Van was scheduled to play Vegas.
— Larry Brooks (@NYP_Brooksie) August 27, 2020
This news comes after the Hockey Diversity Alliance (HDA) called for the NHL to postpone Thursday’s games. Evander Kane took to Twitter to voice the concerns of the HDA.
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 to come on this developing story.
