It's time for NHL players to speak loudly and clearly. Leaders earn the respect of teammates on the ice by throwing their bodies wholeheartedly toward the pursuit of winning. But for too long, the majority of the NHL's biggest names have remained silent on issues occurring outside the arena and within the communities where they reside during the season.
For too long, the NHL has been a league of half steps and half-hearted statements on issues like racial inequality and police brutality. The NHL's top players have the ability to come together and make bold statements in a moment that requires their participation.
It shouldn't be up to a handful of players to push for equality and progress on their own. Matt Dumba, JT Brown, Evander Kane, Akim Aliu, and others have been largely forced to fight alone. We've seen the bland statements from teams and inaction from Commissioner Gary Bettman.
NHL players must embrace their power and become drivers for change, because teams and the league aren't going to do the hard lifting for them. Wednesday's postponements in the NBA, WNBA, MLS and MLB happened because of player-led change.
On Wednesday, the Milwaukee Bucks protested the shooting of Jacob Blake by boycotting their 4 p.m. playoff game against the Orlando Magic. All three scheduled NBA playoff games were then postponed. The WNBA followed by postponing three regular-season games, and players from the Washington Mystics wore t-shirts with the letters of Blake's name with seven bullet holes to represent the seven times that Blake was shot by police. Several MLS and MLB games were postponed, as well.
While their fellow athletes took a stand, the NHL went ahead with Wednesday's playoff games between the Bruins and Lightning and the Avalanche and Stars. This is typical of the "keep skating, don't speak out" tone that has been set by the NHL and the majority of its players.
The culture that exists within hockey dressing rooms has always been driven by conformity. There have been times when players were afraid to speak up when physically or racially abused by coaches, or subjected to cruel methods of hazing by teammates. At various levels of hockey, players are molded into speaking a certain way and dressing a certain way, and often pay a price for showing individuality. Aliu's May 2020 piece in The Players' Tribune sheds light on just how pervasive conformity and racism is within hockey.
The hope is that NHL players are beginning to feel comfortable speaking out about issues within their sport and within society. Aliu, Kane, Dumba, Trevor Daley, Anthony Duclair, Nazem Kadri, Wayne Simmonds, Chris Stewart, and Joel Ward formed the Hockey Diversity Alliance.
But the inaction of players on Wednesday showed that the NHL still has miles to go. The Bruins, Lightning, Avalanche, or Stars could have made a powerful statement by refusing to dress for a playoff game. This was another failure to read the room and rise to the moment.
Former NHL goaltender and current Sportsnet analyst Kelly Hrudey stated his belief that the NHL should postpone its games.
"I don't think we should be here," Hrudey said on Sportsnet. "I think the NHL should postpone the games. I really feel that we should be more supportive of Black Lives Matter. I know for myself, instead of watching hockey, I'd prefer to be having this conversation with my family. I've said many months ago when I made my video about Black Lives Matter, it means something to me. We've had many conversations with our family about this issue. I think we should continue on. Today would be a great day to do that. I think that the NHL is missing out. This would be an important night for many families to have the discussion again. I'm disappointed that we're talking about hockey tonight."
Hrudey is right. At this moment, there are real world issues that are more important than a game of hockey. The resumption of games can wait. Equality cannot wait. It's overdue for the NHL to join the fight.
Follow Sean Hartnett on Twitter: @HartnettHockey
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