It’s been weird watching hockey since about 4:00 p.m. last Wednesday, even if we haven’t had as many chances to do so as we thought we would’ve. The Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic striking prior to Game 5 of their first-round series at about that time, in response to (among countless other incidents of law enforcement shooting unarmed Black people) the gross and completely unnecessary shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, set off similar protests and postponements across all of North American sports. And while I never expected the Flyers and Islanders to stop midway through a hockey game because of a protest taking place in another league that no one on the ice or benches knew was happening, it still didn’t feel right watching it all unfold, and the emotions I felt as the Flyers blew a three-goal lead only to win a playoff game in overtime were a very, very small fraction of those that I would have felt in basically any other setting.
If the NHL wants to stick to hockey, it deserves whatever comes next
