NHL Evaluates Pride Nights Due to Opposition from Players

NHL Commissioner Announces Evaluation of Pride Nights

The National Hockey League (NHL) is set to evaluate the concept of Pride Nights in the offseason due to increasing opposition from players. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced this decision, which comes after several players spoke out against the practice, citing it as a “distraction” from the game.

Hockey is for Everyone Initiative Faces Resistance

The Hockey is for Everyone initiative has been in place for years, with teams in the NHL having their own Pride Nights as a show of support for the LGBTQ+ community. However, some players have voiced their dissent regarding this initiative, either refusing to participate in warmups or not wearing themed jerseys during games.

For instance, Ivan Provorov, a defenseman for the Philadelphia Flyers, opted not to participate in his team’s pregame warmup during its Pride Night due to his religious beliefs. Similarly, Eric and Marc Staal, both teammates for the Florida Panthers, also chose not to participate in Pride Night due to their Christian beliefs.

Russian Anti-Gay Laws Affect Teams’ Handling of Pride Jerseys

Another issue faced by teams in the NHL is how to handle Pride jerseys due to Russian anti-gay laws. Sabres defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin has refused to participate in warmups with his teammates wearing Pride jerseys. Several NHL teams have scrapped plans to wear special Pride jerseys altogether or allowed players to skip warmups to avoid wearing them.

This issue has particularly affected teams with prominent Russian players due to the country’s antigay laws that make it illegal to spread ‘propaganda’ about nontraditional sexual relationships. However, some Russian players such as Evgeni Malkin, Alexander Barabanov and Nikolai Knyzhov from Penguins and Panthers’ goalie Sergei Bobrovsky wore Pride jerseys on their team’s Pride nights despite being Russian players.

NHL Teams Struggle to Handle Pride Jerseys

The issue of Pride jerseys has also caused some friction between players and teams. For instance, the Chicago Blackhawks announced that they would not wear their Pride Night warmups due to concerns for their Russian players after President Putin signed a law against “LGBTQ+ propaganda.” However, the organization did not provide any Pride tape for the players to use on their sticks, and the decision was made without consulting the team’s three Russian players.

Players Connor Murphy and Seth Jones stood by the team’s decision, pointing to all the other parts of the night’s festivities and the team’s year-round initiatives. Meanwhile, Sharks player James Reimer informed coach David Quinn “a couple of days before” a game that he intended not to wear a Pride jersey during warmups due to personal reasons.

Activists Disagree on Effectiveness of Pride Nights

While some NHL teams choose to participate in Pride night initiatives to show support and raise funds for LGBTQ+ organizations, there is no consensus among activists within the community regarding the effectiveness of such events. Some believe that they cause more division than progress, while others see them as an opportunity to humanize LGBTQ+ players and fans.

It’s worth noting that humanizing LGBTQ+ players and fans is crucial for breaking down bigotry in hockey. Ideally, the NHL would have a significant number of openly gay and nonbinary players. However, at present, there are no openly LGBTQ+ players in the league.

NHL Commissioner Calls for Respect of Individual Choice

Despite these controversies over Pride Nights, NHL Commissioner Bettman stated that the league must “respect individual choice” if players choose not to participate in such events. While he did not specifically comment on whether Russian anti-gay propaganda laws influenced some players’ decisions regarding themed jerseys or warmups.

Overall, this issue highlights that while professional sports organizations may strive to support marginalized communities, the personal beliefs of individual players can often create obstacles. For the NHL and other leagues, finding a way to bridge this divide remains an ongoing challenge.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons