Golden Knights’ Ryan Reaves explains decision to boycott games
The Golden Knights’ Ryan Reaves and Robin Lehner and the Dallas Stars’ Tyler Seguin and Jason Dickinson made a statement when they became the first NHL players to kneel for the American and Canadian anthems in uniform Aug. 3.
The four, along with other players, took that one step further Thursday. Reaves and Dickinson were two of the five players who represented the Western Conference in explaining the players’ decision to postpone the playoffs for two days to protest systemic racism.
Reaves, Lehner, Seguin and Dickinson haven’t done anything similar since that first postseason game. But Reaves believes they did something even more significant Thursday.
“I think when we took a knee that one day, it was a day to start the conversation,” he said. “For me, I also have a lot of respect for military. I wanted to start the conversation of what’s going on in the States right now, but I also want to stand and respect the people that have fought and died for this country. I don’t think I was planning on doing anything else on the ice. I don’t know if I am after this, to be honest. But I think this is a much more powerful message today than anything that one or two or three guys can do on the ice.”
The four’s decision to kneel, despite the social media backlash they ultimately received, appeared to be a sign of a heightened social awareness in the NHL. That trend continued Thursday when players joined other professional leagues in sitting out games to raise awareness for a cause.
“We were able to start a big conversation among our team stemming from that moment,” Dickinson said. “That’s exactly what we wanted. We wanted to get the conversation going. Not only among ourselves, but amongst the country and the world.”
Next steps
Players know they now need to follow up their words with more actions. The newly formed Hockey Diversity Alliance is working with the NHL on initiatives it hopes will help grow the sport and make it more accessible to all.
The organization said in a statement Thursday that it has a pledge it would like the league to sign that involves funding grassroots programs, social justice initiatives, anti-racism education and more. The HDA also would like the league to set hiring targets, promote Black individuals and businesses, and implement rule changes to make the game’s culture more inclusive.
It hopes to have an announcement in terms of pledge commitments by the end of the playoffs.
“We feel that it’s very reasonable,” said Colorado Avalanche center Nazem Kadri, one of the HDA’s nine founders. “Unfortunately, I can’t dive too much into specifics, but there is a plan. And moving forward, we want the NHL to understand that this is a partnership. A collaborative effort to create sustainable change.”
Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.
