NHL 2020 Playoffs: Play-in Round Open Thread Day 1

Photo by Kevin Sousa/NHLI via Getty ImagesIt’s a little surreal. We’re still not used to the sight of empty stadiums and canned crowd noise. We’re not complaining, though. The NHL Playoffs begin on August 1st and we couldn’t be happier. Now, that’s not to say we’re not concerned. This could all go south if infection breaks out inside the bubble, but so far, so good. And there’s still a lot of issues that the league needs to deal with from a PR standpoint as is evidenced by the #IKneelForHockey hashtag on Twitter yesterday showed. The league still doesn’t seem to get it when it comes to issues of race and inclusivity. Mere words are not enough. Action, real action and education to ensure that players and fans, whether they are BIPOC, LGBTQ+ or just simply not white males need to be made to feel like they are truly welcome when they say Hockey Is For Everyone. And while this is an issue that won’t be fixed overnight, we’ll continue to support the voices calling for change.

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