Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers says that he feels disappointed in the NHL’s recent decision to stop having teams wear rainbow jerseys during LGBTQ Pride nights.
McDavid expressed his dismay during the NHL’s award ceremony on Monday night.
“I certainly can’t speak for every organization. I know in Edmonton, we were one of the first teams to use the Pride tape,” McDavid said. “I know in Edmonton, in our dressing room, we strongly feel that hockey is for everybody. That includes the Pride nights and stuff like that.
“Of course, it’s disappointing to see. With that being said, it’s certainly way, way above my decision. It’s not my call, but obviously, it’s disappointing to see,” he added.
Vancouver Canucks Pride Night jerseys hang in their dressing room before their NHL game against the Calgary Flames at Rogers Arena on March 31, 2023, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)
McDavid’s statement comes after Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos said that a majority of the players enjoyed wearing the jerseys.
“It was 98 percent or 99 percent of other players that wore the jersey and enjoyed wearing it and were proud wearing it — whatever jersey it was — whether it was the Pride, the military night, the cancer nights,” Stamkos said. “The story shouldn’t be about the guy that didn’t wear it — the one guy or the two guys.”
“I understand that’s what gets the clicks and that’s what gets the views, but the word ‘distraction’ gets thrown around. I don’t think it had to have been a distraction. It could have been a non-issue while focusing on the good that was coming out of those nights,” he added.
Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning speaks onstage after being awarded the Mark Messier Leadership Award at the 2023 NHL Awards at Bridgestone Arena on June 26, 2023, in Nashville, Tennessee. (Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)
NHL Pride Nights became a hot topic of conversation earlier this year when Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov refused to participate in his team’s Pride Night due to his orthodox Christian faith, sparking outrage from leftists who proceeded to accuse him of bigotry and homophobia. However, the Philadelphia Flyers kept him in the lineup, and the team even went on to win the game against the Anaheim Ducks.
“I respect everybody, and I respect everybody’s choices,” he said after the game. “My choice is to stay true to myself and my religion. That’s all I’m going to say.”
Later, the San Jose Sharks goaltender James Reimer chose not to wear a pride-themed warm-up jersey in a recent game, citing his Christian faith.
James Reimer, #47 of the San Jose Sharks, takes a break during the TV time out in the third period against the Edmonton Oilers on March 20, 2023, at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Lawrence Scott/Getty Images)
“That’s just become more of a distraction from really the essence of what the purpose of these nights are,” Bettman said. “We’re keeping the focus on the game. And on these specialty nights, we’re going to be focused on the cause.”
Teams will still celebrate some form of Pride night as well as other themed nights. Teams will also still design rainbow Pride jerseys for sale to raise money.
You Can Play, which has worked with sports leagues on LGBTQ outreach, admitted feeling “concerned and disappointed” by the decision.
“Today’s decision means that the over 95% of players who chose to wear a Pride jersey to support the community will now not get an opportunity to do so,” the organization said. “The work to make locker rooms, board rooms and arenas safer, more diverse, and more inclusive needs to be ongoing and purposeful, and we will continue to work with our partners at the NHL, including individual teams, players, agents and the NHLPA to ensure this critical work continues.”
Paul Roland Bois joined Breitbart News in 2021. He also directed the award-winning feature film, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed on Tubi, Google Play, YouTube Movies, or Vimeo on Demand. Follow him on Twitter @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.