Official: The NHL cancels play

It's official. The NHL will go dark over the next 48 hours to show solidarity with the NBA's walkout protest and to raise awareness for the issues of police brutality and racial injustice in the United States.

While the news has been made public for hours now, the NHL officially confirmed it from their social media accounts.

Check it out:

 This is of course in reaction to the NBA's decision to postpone/cancel games yesterday after the Milwaukee Bucks refused to take the court in a show of protest against the issues of police brutality and racial inequality in the wake of Jacob Blake's shooting in Kenosha, WI. Several other NBA teams followed suit, to the point where the entire league elected to postpone games. Yesterday the NHL held a "moment of reflection" prior to Game 3 of the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning's series, but to be frank it rang hollow and empty. But today's news represents a historic day in NHL history.

Read below for the full statement released by the NHL:

NEW YORK/TORONTO (Aug. 27, 2020) – After much discussion, NHL Players believe that the best course of action would be to take a step back and not play tonight’s and tomorrow’s games as scheduled. The NHL supports the Players’ decision and will reschedule those four games beginning Saturday and adjust the remainder of the Second Round schedule accordingly.

Black and Brown communities continue to face real, painful experiences. 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.

It remains to be seen what this means for the schedule moving forward. One would presume that the NHL could simply take today's and tomorrow's schedule and simply roll it forward to this weekend, but that's a big presumption. Standby for an official update on scheduling.