Chara: 'It was the Right Thing to Take A Stand'

BostonBruins.com - Players from eight National Hockey League teams are in the midst of the most grueling and demanding postseason in all of sports. But on Thursday afternoon they decided to put their quest for the Stanley Cup on hold and join their fellow professional athletes in the NBA, WNBA, MLB, and MLS in standing against racial injustice.
The NHL announced that the players "believe that the best course of action would be to take a step back and not play" for the next two days in protest of the recent shooting by police of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The schedule for the second round, including Game 4 of the Bruins' series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, will be adjusted accordingly.

"Black and Brown communities continue to face real, painful experiences," the NHL said in a statement. "The NHL and NHLPA recognize that much work remains to be done before we can play an appropriate role in a discussion centered on diversity, inclusion and social justice.
"We understand that the tragedies involving Jacob Blake, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others require us to recognize this moment. We pledge to work to use our sport to influence positive change in society.
"The NHLPA and NHL are committed to working to foster more inclusive and welcoming environments within our arenas, offices and beyond."
After proceeding with the league's slate of games on Wednesday evening, the players began to meet on Thursday morning to discuss further the protests occurring in other sports. In both bubbles - Toronto and Edmonton - the players relied heavily on the Hockey Diversity Alliance for guidance, with Vegas Golden Knights forward Ryan Reaves among those taking center stage.
Lightning defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk was one of the players in the Eastern Conference bubble to reach out to Reaves.
"We obviously had a chance to talk as a team last night," said Shattenkirk. "I think this morning, it went beyond that and we all got together as players to try to figure out what sort of direction we were going to be going in here. We got to speak with some of the players in the bubble in Edmonton. When we realized that Vancouver and Vegas were considering sitting out tonight and got to speak with them and speak with Ryan Reaves and talk about the issues at hand and how important this is, I think it was something we were all fully behind.
"Obviously with what transpired [on Wednesday] and the other leagues sitting out, I think we felt that we took our time and were able to process this as a whole and speak as a group of players and make the right decision.
"Today, I think, unified us as a group to realize that any Black player in this league, any Black player who is a kid coming up playing hockey can feel like they have a voice, can feel like the NHL and the sport itself is a safe place and a place that, obviously, in a predominantly white sport, they feel alienated.
"But they have the support of every single one of us. That's what we're striving to achieve here, is inclusion and making sure that everyone feels welcome in the sport of hockey."

Bruins captain Zdeno Chara - joining Shattenkirk, New York Islanders captain Anders Lee, and Philadelphia Flyers forward James van Riemsdyk for a press conference on Thursday night - said that the unified discussions were a massive step forward for a league he has been a part of since 1997.
"It's just the fact that you are having these open conversations," said Chara, who released a powerful statement on the fight against racial injustice in early June after joining a Black Lives Matter protest in Boston. "You are battling on the ice for moving on in the round and competing for the Stanley Cup. But off the ice, we all recognize we are in the same boat and we are, obviously, united and we support the stand that other major leagues did.
"Obviously, we thought it was the right thing for us to do to take a stand and I think it's just a conversation. You can see that from years back, this could be very challenging to accomplish something like this.
"These days, we have this platform and with this platform and technology, communications are much faster, and you can get the message out there much quicker."
The Bruins organization released a statement following the league's announcement in full support of the players' decision.
"The Bruins are proud of our players for using their platform to bring further attention to a movement that is important to them, our organization and our game," the statement read. "They have our unwavering support, as we all work to promote equality and end racism."
In Edmonton, Reaves was joined by dozens of players from the Golden Knights, Vancouver Canucks, Dallas Stars, and Colorado Avalanche in a powerful show of unity.
"I think if you look around this room, there's a lot of white athletes in here," said Reaves. "I think that's the statement that is being made right now. It's great that the NBA did this, and MLB, and the WNBA - they have a lot of Black players in those leagues - but for all these athletes in here to take a stand and say, 'You know what? We see the problem, too, and we stand behind you'…I go to war with these guys and I hate their guts on the ice, but I couldn't be more proud of these guys.
"The statement they've made today is something that's gonna last. These two days isn't gonna fix anything, but the conversation and the statement that's been made is very powerful, especially coming from this league."
With games being put on pause until the weekend, Chara noted the importance of taking the next two days to further the conversation and continue to develop concrete solutions and ideas to further the fight against racism and injustice in America.
"I think we had these conversations among ourselves this morning with our teams," said Chara. "Obviously, around the league and as a union, these days need to be used in the right manner. We need to step back, reflect a little bit, take a moment to realize what is going on. Obviously, there is a problem in the States.
"There is a reason why all the major sports are doing what they're doing right now to kind of make sure that we all realize there needs to be change. It starts with conversations, and acts are going to be very important to follow."