Boston Red Sox, Bruins On Hold Amid Manhunt For Bombing Suspect

The Boston Red Sox and Bruins are on hold Friday as a manhunt for the remaining bombing suspect has effectively shut down the city.

Police engaged in a shootout overnight with the Boston Marathon bombing suspects, brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Two officers were shot, one fatally, as the suspects hijacked a car and threw explosives at officers.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, was killed in the shootout but his 19-year-old brother Dkhokhar avoided police, prompting a massive manhunt that shut down many parts Boston.

The brothers are accused of leaving bombs near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday, killing three and injuring close to 180 people.

Under the dangerous conditions, the Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins canceled their morning skates on Friday. The Bruins have not yet announced if Friday night’s game would go on as scheduled, said team spokesman Matt Chmura.

The team already suspended the sale of playoff tickets, set to begin at 11 am on Friday, until Monday morning.

The Bruins game on Wednesday night was an event of celebration and remembrance for the city. There was a moment of silence, slide show, and a powerful rendition of the national anthem that had all 18,000 fans singing.

After the game, the Bruins and Buffalo Sabres players came together at mid-ice to salute the Boston fans.

“We are trying to put on a show for the fans and, hopefully, give them some sort of escape,” Buffalo’s Drew Stafford said after the game. “With everything that happened, emotions were extremely high tonight. I am sure that there were not a lot of dry eyes in the stands during the anthem.”

Boston’s other professional sports teams have been impacted by the manhunt for bombing suspect Dkhokhar Tsarnaev. The Boston Red Sox are on hold for their game against the Kansas City Royals, and the New England Patriots postponed a news conference with director of player personnel Nick Caserio about the upcoming NFL draft.

Boston already had two games canceled in the wake of Monday’s bombing. The Bruins game against the Ottawa Senators on Monday and the Celtics contest against the Pacers on Tuesday were both postponed.

While Boston’s sports teams laid in waiting for news, police continued the search for Dkhokhar Tsarnaev on Friday afternoon.