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NHL teams will not wear special jerseys for pregame warmups at theme nights next season, the result of a handful of players refusing to use rainbow-colored Pride jerseys last season, which caused unwanted distractions.
League Board of Governors Agrees with Commissioner Gary Betman’s believe the refusals overshadowed the teams’ efforts to organize pride nights which, in some cases, included auctioning off warm jerseys. The 32 teams organized the Pride or Hockey is for Everyone evening.
Teams will continue to celebrate Pride and other theme nights, including military appreciation and hockey to fight cancer. They are also expected to continue designing and producing jerseys that will be autographed and sold to raise funds, even though players will not skate with them during warmups.
Pride jerseys became a hot topic around the league last season after several players refused to wear them during warmups.
WATCH | NHL players will stop wearing Pride jerseys:
The NHL is ending the practice of teams wearing special jerseys on theme nights after a handful of players refused to wear Pride jerseys, which the commissioner called a distraction.
Betmanin an interview with Sports Networksaid he suggested teams stop having warm jerseys because the theme nights were undermined by chatter about certain players refusing to participate.
“It just becomes a distraction from the very essence of what these parties are about,” » said Betman. “We stay focused on the match. And on these specialized evenings, we will focus on the cause.”
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Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov was the first to make the decision, citing his Russian Orthodox beliefs. Brothers Eric and Marc Staal of the Florida Panthers also refused to wear their team’s Pride jersey, citing religious reasons.
WATCH | A handful of NHL players oppose wearing Pride-themed jerseys:
Canadian NHL players Mark and Eric Staal are the latest to join a handful of others who are refusing to wear Pride-themed warm-up jerseys in support of the LGBTQ community. This sparked a debate about inclusiveness and personal freedom in the pro-hockey community.
Some Russian players did not wear these sweaters for safety reasons upon their return. In December, Russia changed its anti-gay laws, making it “illegal to distribute ‘propaganda’ about ‘nontraditional sexual relations’ in all media, including social media, advertising and films,” according to the New York Times.
Three teams – the Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers and NHL team Chicago – canceled their Pride Night warm-ups but held other events.
“Concerned and disappointed”
You Can Play, who has worked with sports and leagues including the NHL — to help them become more inclusive for members of the LGBTQ+ community, said she was “concerned and disappointed” by Thursday’s decision.
“Today’s decision means that more than 95 percent of players who chose to wear a Pride jersey to support the community will no longer have the opportunity to do so,” the organization said in a statement.
“The work to make locker rooms, conference rooms and arenas safer, more diverse and more inclusive must be ongoing and focused, and we will continue to work with our partners at the NHLincluding individual teams, players, agents and NHLPA to ensure this essential work continues.
