NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly says the league has no plans to postpone either of Wednesday night’s playoff games in wake of the NBA’s decision to delay three post-season matchups.
“I don’t expect the League to initiate a game stoppage,” Daly said via Sportsnet‘s Chris Johnston. “Obviously, our players are free to express themselves in any manner they feel is appropriate.”
NHL will, however, hold a moment of reflection before tonight’s post-season games, Johnston reports.
The statement from Daly comes after the Milwaukee Bucks decided to boycott Game 5 of their series against the Orlando Magic in protest after the shooting of Jacob Blake by police in Kenosha, Wis. Players from the Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers soon decided to do the same. The NBA announced shortly after those decisions were reported that it would postpone and reschedule all three games.
Blake, a 29-year-old unarmed Black man, was shot by police seven times in Kenosha, Wis., on Sunday. The shooting has sparked demonstrations in Kenosha protesting police brutality and systemic racism.
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