One of the fiercest rivalries in the NHL temporarily paused ahead of the league's restart to crown a 2019-20 Stanley Cup champion amid the coronavirus pandemic. Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Penguins, Flyers stand together in solidarity of 'Black Lives Matter'

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 7/28/20

One of the fiercest rivalries in the NHL temporarily paused ahead of the league's restart to crown a 2019-20 Stanley Cup champion amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Members of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers stood together during renditions of the Canadian and American national anthems before Tuesday's exhibition game in support of the "Black Lives Matter" movement routinely referenced throughout the sports world following the killing of George Floyd on May 25:

The Flyers and Penguins stand in solidarity that black lives matter. pic.twitter.com/GLv8xjpT3e
— x-Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) July 28, 2020

The Penguins and Flyers, two of the fiercest rivals in sports, united in solidarity this afternoon, to stand up against social injustice, racism, and hate.

The teams stood as one across each club’s respective blue lines prior to today’s game. pic.twitter.com/HPi36959Ns
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) July 28, 2020

Pittsburgh and Philadelphia met for the first of the league's warmup contests that are taking place in the hub sites of Toronto and Edmonton. An NHL postseason unlike any other begins on Aug. 1.

While players from both the Penguins and Flyers stood during the anthems, athletes from competitions such as the English Premier League, Major League Soccer, and MLB have kneeled ahead of games to protest racial injustices and police brutality.

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