The NHL’s response (or lack thereof) to Jacob Blake’s shooting did not go unnoticed
On Wednesday, August 26th, the Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic were set to faceoff for Game 5 playoff action in the Orlando bubble. There remained one issue – the Bucks had not yet left the locker room. After a short warm-up and with 4 minutes remaining until tipoff, the Magic walked off the court. Sources around the league quickly confirmed that the Bucks had decided to boycott the game. Shortly after, LeBron James and his Los Angeles Lakers teammates held a team meeting and reached the same conclusion. By the end of the night, the NBA announced that all games were to be postponed. The reason? Demanding justice for Jacob Blake, a Black man shot seven times in the back by Kenosha, Wisconsin law enforcement, and for the state legislature to take concrete steps at addressing ongoing issues of police accountability, brutality and criminal justice reform.
The impact of the Bucks wildcat strike was far-reaching across the North American sports landscape. The day after the NBA’s strike, MLB teams followed suit. The New York Mets and Miami Marlins held a 42-second moment of silence, had an homage to MLB-great Jackie Robinson, and placed a Black Lives Matter t-shirt over the home plate before walking off the field. That same day, tennis star Naomi Osaka announced that she would not play her semi-final match in the Western & Southern Open. The WNBA, a league that paved the way for the NBA’s strike, including dedicating the season to Breonna Taylor and the “Say Her Name” movement, announced similar measures. The MLS also responded by postponing all remaining games for a day in solidarity with the other leagues. As a hockey fan, I anxiously waited to see how the NHL would respond with two evening games on the docket. Their decision was disappointing.
The NHL’s plan for Game 3 between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Boston Bruins and another Game 3 between the Colorado Avalanche and the Dallas Stars on the night of August 26th was a moment of reflection. The NHL took a moment to wish Blake and his family well and encouraged others to stand up for social justice and combat racism. This moment was a lazy, performative, and half-hearted measure. After being called out for it, there was no moment of reflection before the Avalanche-Stars game. Although players eventually understood their initial mistake and took more proactive measures the next day, the initial response by the league and its players was embarrassing and inappropriate.
Many members of the media, fans, and players alike expressed their disappointment with the NHL’s inaction. Sportsnet commentator Kelly Hrudey articulated his thoughts saying that, “I don’t think we should be here” and that the NHL ought to be more supportive of Black Lives Matter. Although I disagree with many of Hrudey’s hockey opinions, I firmly believe he hit the nail on the head with this comment. Instead of taking action similar to that of other sports leagues and athletes, the NHL completely missed the mark. By choosing performative displays of support, such as their “moment of reflection”, the league indirectly placed pressure on BIPOC players to do the heavy lifting. For many white fans, our role is not to start the conversation nor is it to lead. Instead, we must demand more of our favourite players, of the media, of the coaches and so on in order to shift discussions from hockey talk to show support to BIPOC players during times like these. It is unfair for players like Nazem Kadri, Pierre-Édouard Bellemare, and others to fight for change in isolation. We all have a collective responsibility to combat racism.
The following day, San Jose Shark Evander Kane and former NHL player Akim Aliu of the Hockey Diversity Alliance (“HDA”) formally requested that the NHL suspend all playoff games for that day. The players from both bubbles acknowledged the best course of action would be to postpone games on August 27th and 28th. The NHL agreed, releasing a statement supporting the players’ decision and formally postponing the games. This led to important, televised discussions from Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba, Toronto Blue Jays reporter Hazel Mae, Sportsnet host David Amber, Toronto Raptors radio commentator Paul Jones and others.
In terms of tangible action, the NHL and its players still need to do more. The HDA released a statement on August 29th, 2020 asking the league to implement certain initiatives such as mandatory anti-racism and unconscious bias education within the league and all its employees and having the NHL commit to increase the number of Black executives to 3.5% before the end of 2024/2025.
In response, the NHL released their “Initiatives to Combat Racism and Accelerate Inclusion Efforts”, a nine-month project which touched on some of the HDA’s requests from the 29th and their pledge from earlier this summer, including the creation and administration of a grassroots hockey development program for BIPOC children in the GTA.
Although a great initiative, the NHL’s plan as a whole lacks the depth and specification demanded by the HDA. For example, the NHL avoided implementing a percentage of Black executives to be hired and opted instead for vague hiring targets. Additionally, the HDA sought the implementation of anti-racism and unconscious bias education within the league and for all employees. Yet, the NHL’s release only stipulates the players are to receive this training session, not team executives. A truly unfortunate omission, especially considering former Florida Panthers general manager Dale Tallon is currently under investigation for making racist comments while in the Toronto bubble. These plans pale in comparison to the pledge from NBA owners of $300 million over 10 years to the NBA Foundation to develop more opportunities for the Black community.
As a friend of mine wrote, and whether people like it or not, everything in life is political. Choosing to postpone games a day after most major leagues was a political choice. Choosing to be vague and not address all issues in a combating racism plan was another political choice. As one of North America’s whitest sports leagues, the NHL and its white players had a great opportunity to take a stand in support of the work of players like Matt Dumba, Ryan Reaves, Evander Kane but generally missed the mark. It’s long overdue for the NHL and its players to promptly support what’s important and go beyond performative actions. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “[i]n the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”