Matt Dumba, Evander Kane call out NHL’s ‘disappointing’ response to Jacob Blake shooting
While players in the NBA, WNBA and other leagues staged a walkout on Wednesday in response to the Jacob Blake shooting, the NHL pushed forward business as usual.
That didn’t sit well with everyone.
Kane, Dumba call out NHL
Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba and San Jose Sharks winger Evander Kane called out the NHL for its lack of action on Wednesday when nearly every other professional sports league in the United States halted play in protest.
“The NHL we’re always late to the party, especially on these topics, so it’s sorta sad and disheartening for me and other members of the HDA, and I’m sure other guys across the league,” Dumba said, via Sportsnet.
“But if no one stands up and does anything, it’s the same thing — it’s just that silence that you’re just outside looking in on actually being leaders and invoking real change when you have such an opportunity to do so.”
Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, was shot in the back multiple times by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Sunday as he tried to get back into his car. Video of the incident quickly sparked widespread condemnation, both in the sports world and out. The Milwaukee Bucks led a walkout in the NBA on Wednesday, and multiple other leagues followed suit.
Kane was right with him, upset that the league hasn’t done anything “about real action and meaningful change.”
Actually it’s incredibly insulting as a black man in hockey the lack of action and acknowledgement from the @nhl, just straight up insulting. https://t.co/1KrpUvFhaQ
— Evander Kane (@evanderkane_9) August 27, 2020
He said on Sportsnet that the league hadn’t even acknowledged the shooting as of Wednesday, which was extremely disappointing.
“It’s not just my responsibility as a minority player in the NHL to be talking about these issues … It’s everybody’s,” he said. “And until everybody decides to take it upon themselves and maybe step away from some of their privileges and educate themselves and maybe fight with us, we’re going to be in the same situation we are today.”
"It's not just my responsibility as a minority player in the NHL to be talking about these issues... We need to be better."@evanderkane_9 joined @DavidAmber to discuss how the NHL can do more to support the Black Lives Matter movement. pic.twitter.com/wKFqxS0hav
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) August 26, 2020
The NHL did hold a “moment of reflection” ahead of the Boston Bruins-Tampa Bay Lightning game on Wednesday.
That moment, however, was tremendously short.
Moment of reflection for Jacob Blake prior to Bruins/Lightning game pic.twitter.com/qkwLN5ueJC
— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) August 27, 2020
“It’s great to write statements. It’s great to send tweets. It’s great to post stories and pictures on Instagram,” Kane said. “But at the end of the day it’s going to be about real action and meaningful change, and unfortunately that still isn’t occurring, and we need to be better.”
More from Yahoo Sports: