Report: NHL won't ditch anthems, will respect player protests

The NHL reportedly won't be getting rid of national anthems before games and will allow players to protest.

Owners of the league's 31 teams collectively decided not to change the pregame procedure and to respect the players' right to express themselves, reports Sportsnet's John Shannon, characterizing much of the discussion as "constructive."

"Consensus was that fans come to the games to watch the games and enjoy the event. And the anthem is part of the event. It was viewed as a positive tradition," Shannon writes.

In the discussion of player protest, "the consensus was to respect the players and they have to decide what makes them comfortable" regarding "political and social issues."

The Pittsburgh Penguins' controversial decision to visit the White House was apparently also discussed.

NHL owners added the topic of the role of national anthems to their agenda at their meetings in New York earlier this week. That followed U.S. President Donald Trump's incendiary comments about NFL players kneeling to bring attention to police brutality, which led to a widespread protest in that league over the weekend.