Lightning's Cooper: NHL is in better place today than recent months, years

Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper believes the players' league-wide unification - which paused games for two days to help combat racial injustice - is a big step in the right direction for the NHL.

"The league's learning just like everyone else, and the league's in a better place today than it was a couple months ago, and definitely than it was a couple years ago," Cooper said during his media availability Friday.

The NHL was under fire Wednesday night after proceeding with its scheduled games despite the NBA, WNBA, and MLB calling off contests to protest the recent police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

The Lightning played Game 3 of their series versus the Boston Bruins that night, and after Tampa's win, Cooper said the NHL needs to take notice of racial injustice.

He added Friday that since the victory, his club hasn't focused on hockey at all.

"I'll tell you one thing, after coming off back-to-back wins over the Bruins, I don't think we've even talked about that, which is rare in a playoff year," Cooper said. "Clearly our attention has been elsewhere, and justifiably."

Players from all the active second-round teams, along with the Hockey Diversity Alliance, opened dialogue Thursday and opted to delay playing all games until Saturday.

Afterward, there was a press conference in each bubble city where several players delivered powerful messages, including Vegas Golden Knights forward Ryan Reaves, who said he believes the statement he and his peers made is "going to last."

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