Bruins, Red Sox Games on Hold Due to Manhunt

(AP) Bruins cancel morning skate; Red Sox on hold
By HOWARD ULMAN
AP Sports Writer
BOSTON
Boston Red Sox players and other team employees have been told to stay home until a decision is made on whether Friday night’s game will be played, a club official said.

The night game between the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins also was on hold after the NHL teams canceled their morning skates because of the manhunt for a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings.

The Red Sox are scheduled to play the Kansas City Royals at Fenway Park. Red Sox spokesman Kevin Gregg said the Royals have been in town since Wednesday night and spent their off day in the city on Thursday.

Bruins spokesman Matt Chmura said the team has no announcement yet on whether it will proceed with Friday night’s game at TD Garden.

The bombings on Monday killed three people and wounded more than 180. Police identified two suspects. One was killed during a shootout with police and the other was being sought during a massive manhunt across the city and surrounding areas.

The Bruins also announced that the sale of playoff tickets, scheduled to start at 11 a.m. on Friday, has been postponed until 11 a.m. on Monday.

The New England Patriots postponed for the second time a news conference with director of player personnel Nick Caserio about next week’s NFL draft. The news conference originally had been scheduled for Tuesday but was postponed after the bombings. It has been rescheduled for Monday.

The bombings already have resulted in two major pro sports games in Boston getting scratched–the Bruins against the Ottawa Senators last Monday night and the Indiana Pacers against the Celtics on Tuesday night. The Bruins game was rescheduled for April 28. The Celtics game was canceled outright, and the NBA’s regular season ended on Wednesday.

The Celtics are scheduled to begin the first round of the playoffs Saturday in New York against the Knicks.

The Bruins resumed play on Wednesday night at home against the Buffalo Sabres. Before the game, there was a moment of silence, a slideshow of marathon scenes on the video scoreboard above center ice and a stirring rendition of the national anthem, which was started by long-time Bruins vocalist Rene Rancourt. He sang a few lines then gestured for the fans to join in–which they did.

After the game, players gathered at center ice and raised their sticks in a salute to the fans who had chanted “U.S.A.” and “We are Boston.”

The Red Sox had finished their game against the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday about 45 minutes before the explosions occurred about a mile away from Fenway. They boarded a plane to Cleveland after their 3-2 victory for a three-game series against the Indians. Boston completed a sweep of the series on Thursday night then returned for a 10-game homestand.