As always, players of color are leading the way for the NHL

What’s evident are the serious growing pains of fledgling activism within the NHL community.

On Wednesday night, the Milwaukee Bucks staged a wildcat strike, pushing the NBA and most of the sports world into collectively using their labor power to focus attention on Jacob Blake, a Kenosha man who was shot 7 times in the back by a police officer.

It was a sudden move, but other NBA players quickly rallied to their side, realizing the power of collective action. Games across the NBA were postponed because players had decided to strike. The rest of the sports world, with the exception of one league, quickly took notice. The WNBA, consistent leaders in advocating for social justice, decided to strike, as did players from a few MLB teams and the MLS.

It was a historic night in sports as players across the athletic spectrum withheld their labor in an organized manor towards a collective goal, but missing from the list of teams last night was any representation from NHL. The NHL was the only league that continued to play, without any teams deciding to strike, and most players hardly registering the importance of the moment.

In a post game interview, Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara said the team didn’t have time to process the situation.

“It was so close to our game that we were just getting ready,” Chara said. “After our pregame meal, we took naps and then we were on the bus, so I don’t think any of us were watching the TV until we got to the rink. And at that point, obviously, it was too close to the game to start any discussions or try to move the games to different dates. We were basically following the schedule the NHL provided to us.”

Without meaning to, Chara showed how disconnected NHL players, specifically white players, have been from the events of the past few days since Blake’s shooting. While Black athletes have been using their media time to fight for change, and plead for the country to understand their pain, NHL players, in a literal and figurative bubble, have been able to nap, and focus only on their playoff games.

Wednesday night was an embarrassment for the sport made worse by the NHL’s last minute nod to recognize the Blake shooting with a paltry, 40 second “moment of reflection” before puck drop in the Toronto bubble.  It was almost universally panned on social media by fans and, in a rarity, NHL media alike.

The only counter to the league’s lack of action and the player’s lack of urgency, were the voices of Black and POC NHL players. As always, Matt Dumba and Evander Kane were left to shoulder the burden for fighting for racial justice in their sport.

Dumba went on Sportsnet 650 and spoke frankly about the lack of action from the hockey world.

“It’s kind of sad and disheartening for me and for members of the Hockey Diversity Alliance — and I’m sure for other guys across the league,” Dumba said. “But if no one stands up and does anything, then it’s the same thing: that silence. You’re just outside looking in on actually being leaders and evoking real change when you have such an opportunity to do so.”

Kane was as vocal, calling the NHL’s response “insulting.”

If there’s any silver lining to be found in all this, it is that league and players did finally, after much public outcry, listen.

On Thursday the Hockey Diversity Alliance, lead by Black/POC NHL players, including Kane and Akim Aliu, officially requested the NHL postpone playoff games for teams and players to be able to reflect on the events of the past few days.

In a rare move, Thursday night’s playoff games have been postponed and the movement has been entirely player lead. Per media reports that were confirmed by Kane, several NHL players reached out the HDA for guidance on the issue and over a 100 players attended a conference call to discuss sitting out for games.

In many cases, the NHL —teams, players, the league —comes up a day late and a dollar short.  The initial apathy of Wednesday will be hard to overlook even in the face of Thursday’s rallying cry.  It’s encouraging that players were able to unify over a protest, but it came far, far after many others had already done the work. The Bucks took the initial risk, not knowing who would stand by them at all.  By comparison, NHL players are risking nothing. They already know public opinion will be on their side if they decide to take collective action. Frankly, they risk looking even more out of touch if they don’t sit out games. Their hand has been forced, and it’s only after the league’s players of color shoved a megaphone in their faces asking them to take some kind of action.

What’s evident in the past 24 hours are the serious growing pains of fledgling activism within the NHL community. There are teams and players who are slowly, slowly trying to do the work but this moment demands urgency and passion. It can not be met with timidity and half-attention that many show. Wednesday night was a chance for any NHL player to be bold, any team to be proactive in deciding to stand with Black athletes. They did not rise to the moment. Instead, they were caught napping.  That stain won’t fade quickly and it will undoubtedly color Thursday’s postponements as reactionary.

The complications of a strike, if that’s what players did intentionally do, show just how hard activism is. It is not something that can be dipped in and out of, but rather requires consistent engagement. The NHL has too long taken a hands off approach until the crescendo of public opinion becomes too loud to ignore.

It’s clear that the hockey community has much catching up to do, and that they must have been sleepwalking through the past few months to be caught so off guard. The bulk of NHL players seem like they want to do the right thing, but have yet to do the “learning and listening” that they vowed to do. Instead, they place even more burden on already weary shoulders, asking much of Dumba, Kane and the members of the HDA.

Taking an active stance and joining with the leagues who will not play on Thursday night is a start, but white players specifically need to address the reasons they are not playing. Are they standing in solidarity? Are they making real requests for change? Are they willing to engage in the difficult conversations around policing in this nation? No one hesitates to ask Black/POC players about these issues. These players have lifted the majority white league onto their backs, trying to carry them into relevancy. If things change in the NHL, it will be because of they refused to take no for an answer.