THE NHL sent a memo to teams last week clarifying what players can and cannot do as part of this season’s themed celebrations, including a ban on the use of rainbow-coloured tape for Pride nights that have become a hot topic in hockey.
The updated guidelines reaffirm that players’ on-ice uniforms and equipment for official team games, warm-ups and practices cannot be altered to reflect themed nights, including Pride, Hockey Cancer relief or military appreciation celebrations. Players may voluntarily participate in off-ice themed celebrations.
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed to The Associated Press on Tuesday, just hours after before the start of the season with a trio of matchesthat the league sent the updated memo, which was first reported by ESPN.
The You Can Play Project, an organization that advocates for LGBTQ+ participation in sports and has partnered with the NHL for the past decade, criticized the league, saying: “If hockey is for everyone, this is not the way to go.”
“It is now clear that the NHL is taking a step back from its long-standing commitment to inclusion and is continuing to unravel all of its pioneering work in the industry on 2SLGBTQ+ belonging,” the YCP Project said in a statement. “We are now at a point where all of the progress we have made and relationships we have built with our community are at risk. Making decisions to eradicate our visibility in hockey – by eliminating symbols like jerseys and now the Pride Tape – immediately undermines the impact of integrating more diverse fans and players into the sport.”
In June, the NHL decided not to allow teams to wear themed jerseys during warmups after a handful of players opted out of those situations during Pride night last season. The league said players who opted out of Pride nights were a distraction from the work its teams do in the community.
“You know our goals, our values and our intentions across the league, whether it’s at the league level or the club level,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in February during All-Star Weekend festivities. “But we also have to respect some individual choices, and some people are more comfortable than others getting involved in causes. And being diverse and welcoming also means understanding those differences.”
Ivan Provorov of Philadelphia was the first player to decide not to participate In January, the Flyers wore rainbow jerseys before their Pride game, citing its Russian Orthodox faith. Six other players followed suit for various reasons — fellow Russians Ilya Lyubushkin, Denis Gurianov and Andrei Kuzmenko and Canadians James Reimer, Eric and Marc Staal — and individual teams, including the New York Rangers, Minnesota Wild and Chicago Blackhawks, decided not to have any players wear Pride jerseys during warmups.
“The Pride Tape team is extremely disappointed by the NHL’s decision,” the creators of Pride Tape said in a statement. “Despite this setback, we are encouraged by what lies ahead, given our recent conversations across all areas of the sport.”
Maple Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly told reporters in Toronto he wishes players were allowed to do more and be more involved.
“I will continue to be involved in the community and provide support to communities and groups that want (and) need it,” Rielly said.
