The NHL decision to ban Pride Tape on sticks after earlier this year, eliminating special jerseys — including those on Pride Nights — has created a “backlash” around the league, with many people saying it’s overstepping the league to “make this decision on something like the Pride Band which has truly become a part of the game and of hockey.” culture,” according to Sportsnet’s Pierre LeBrun. The NHLPA has made no comment since news of the ban surfaced earlier this week, but NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly “stated publicly that the NHLPA had approved what was going to happen here with this.” The league still says it “strongly encourages these (pride) nights to continue,” and some teams are “digging in and wanting to make sure their Pride nights are better than ever.” However, LeBrun wrote that the ban on stripes “certainly sends a message…to a lot of people that the NHL is going backwards at a time when it’s doing the opposite she should do.” While a a three-page memo was sent to teams last week detailing these restrictions, it was not mentioned whether there would be “any form of punishment or details of punishment if a player broke league rules” (“Insider trading”, TSN, 10/10). Elliotte Friedman of SPORTSNET.ca wrote that it is unclear whether the videotape ban “is enforceable, and some players are considering ignoring it” (SPORTSNET.ca, 10/10).
RECEPTION OF THE ALLIES: Pride Tape co-founder Jeff McLean said the company “had not received any official notification from the NHL,” but said over the past week “we had received notification from friends of the “organization saying that this year there would be no Pride”. Tape the ice during warm-ups, as has been done in the past. He added that the NHL “played a key role from the beginning.” McLean: “We have always had an extraordinary relationship and partnership with the NHL. In fact, without the NHL and the Edmonton Oilers, we never would have been able to bring this idea to fruition seven years ago” (THE TIMES, 10/10). Kristina Rutherford of SPORTSNET.ca noted that Pride Tape has been “inundated with calls from people wanting their rainbow tape.” Pride Tape co-founder Dr. Kristopher Wells said that includes “a number of NHL players.” Wells: “I wouldn’t be surprised at all if you saw an NHL player using Pride Tape, no matter what the NHL says. » Wells “won’t say who contacted him” (SPORTSNET.ca, 10/10).
EYES ON THE MAIN OBJECTIVE: In Vancouver, Patrick Johnston wrote that Pride has “become a big annual goal for the entire Canucks, with a lot of effort put into organizing events around” its Pride Night. Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin said they “had little choice in following the rules.” He said: “This organization has done a lot of good things in the community, as you mentioned here, and we will continue to do so. But we absolutely follow the league rules and what they tell us to do” (PROVINCE OF Vancouver, 10/10). Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly said he wishes “players were allowed to do more and be more involved.” Rielly: “We’re going to continue and be allies no matter what the league says. Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving said the NHL’s directive “would not change the organization’s commitment to the LGBTQ community.” Treliving: “No matter what’s out there, this organization has always supported the community, and that’s not going to change” (GLOBE & MAIL, 10/10).
BLURRED LINES: In Toronto, Bruce Arthur writes: “If there was ever a point of contention in hockey, it was the presence of a rainbow ribbon that players could choose to put on their sticks to s ‘warm up once a year, to recognize that people who are not militant heterosexuals also exist and are indeed welcome to enjoy the sport. Yes, it was a real hot topic. No one “asked for this, except perhaps a few fanatics, and it’s not even clear that they asked for it.” Banning Pride Tape is “the place where the NHL’s clumsy and backward crisis management becomes firmly transformed into ideology.” Keeping Pride Tape away from players is “where it becomes not just a decision but an anti-LGBTQ lifestyle.” Arthur writes that it is “a smaller league than it was, and it was not big before” (TORONTO STAR, 10/11). In SF, Ann Killion wrote that “this regressive move toward a less inclusive fan group stems directly from the NHL’s homophobia.” Killion: “What is the end game here? That the NHL wants to be Putin’s league? The league of MAGA politicians? Disconnected from the reality of what most Americans – and especially the next generation of fans – think about inclusion and diversity?” (SF CHRONICLE, 10/10).
TO GO TOO FAR: Cyd Zeigler of OUTSPORTS.com wrote that the NHL’s new Pride Tape policy is “the most oppressive anti-LGBTQ policy a professional sports league in North America has ever issued.” The message sent by the league: “Hockey is not for everyone. » In just 10 months, years of “important and positive progress in the NHL and in men’s hockey in general have been overshadowed by disastrous choices marginalizing or outright erasing the LGBTQ community.” While the jersey issue is “a team-wide concern that affects every player,” the use of Pride Tape has “always been an individual choice.” Now the NHL “has even banned that” (OUTSPORTS.com, 10/9).
