A Vancouver-Born NHL Player Is Calling On The League To Suspend Games
An NHL player has had enough. Vancouver-born Evander Kane said on Wednesday, August 26, that the league's inaction in the wake of Jacob Blake's shooting is "insulting as a black man." As a result, he's calling for an NHL boycott of games.
Following the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, a wave of boycotts and strikes have taken place across many sports leagues.
Editor's Choice: NHL Player Says He Got Punched In Toronto Because Of A Donald Trump Comment
The Toronto Raptors will be postponing their game that was scheduled for Thursday, August 27. Though the NBA playoffs are expected to continue, some teams have boycotted and others are considering, according to the Score.
A player who was born in Vancouver and now plays for the San Jose Sharks is shining a spotlight on the NHL's moves amidst the boycotts.
According to a video interview with Sportsnet, Kane said, "It's not just my responsibility as a minority player in the NHL to be talking about these issues."
"It's everybody's," he added.
The player also retweeted an article about the video and said, "Actually it’s incredibly insulting as a black man in hockey the lack of action and acknowledgement from the NHL, just straight up insulting."
In another tweet posted on Thursday, August 27, the player called for a boycott of the playoffs.
"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," he said.
The Official HDA account stands for an organization called Hockey Diversity Alliance. Their bio reads that they're focused on "eradicating systemic racism and intolerance in hockey."
In the interview with Sportsnet, Kane also said that "we're going to be in the same situation" until everybody in the league steps away from "their privileges" and begins to educate themselves.
According to NHL, the 29-year-old was raised in East Vancouver and began his career with WHL team, the Vancouver Giants. He currently plays for the San Jose Sharks.
On top of Evander Kane, Regina-born Matt Dumba of the Minnesota Wild also spoke up about the matter.
"NHL is always last to the party on these topics," he said, according to ESPN.