MacKinnon regrets playing Wednesday: 'We were a day late'
Nathan MacKinnon is disappointed that his Colorado Avalanche suited up Wednesday night while other athletes and major sports clubs decided not to play in protest against the recent police shooting of Jacob Blake.
"I guess we were a day late," MacKinnon said, according to NHL.com's Dan Rosen. "It's unfortunate, but we're doing our best to make up for it. We postponed two days of NHL hockey. That's a big deal, making a statement. If you ask any player, they'll relay the same message. It was a little weird to see on social media all game day of teams postponing, but there were already (NHL) games going on. We didn't know what to do. Looking back, probably should have postponed that day, but we're doing our best now."
The Avalanche took on the Dallas Stars at 10:30 p.m. ET in the NHL's third Wednesday game. Several hours before puck drop, NBA, WNBA, MLS, and some MLB games were postponed.
MacKinnon spoke to teammates Nazem Kadri and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, who are both people of color, about his desire to reach out to activists in Denver to determine how the team can combat systemic racism and police brutality.
The 24-year-old MVP candidate added that he spoke to his Black friends back home in Nova Scotia to try to understand how he can use his platform to help.
"Just trying to figure out things to help in a positive way," MacKinnon said. "I'm a white person, I don't know what people are going through and I'm not going to act like it. That's why you have to ask questions and learn and figure out how you can help (make an) impact."
After playing Wednesday's contests, players banded together Thursday and requested the NHL postpone games through Friday, which the league granted.