Nhl banned lgbtq team jerseys
NHL drops ban on rainbow-coloured Pride hockey stick tape
The National Hockey League has reversed a bar on players using stick tape to express support for social causes after the rule sparked a backlash.
The league sent a memo two weeks ago stating players could not use rainbow LGBT Pride tape on their hockey sticks.
Some players had continued to apply the tape despite the rule.
The NHL said on Tuesday, external players would "now contain the option to voluntarily represent social causes with their stick tape throughout the season".
The league said it spoke with the NHL Players' Association and the NHL Player Inclusion Coalition before making the decision.
It had first established in June that its franchise teams would no longer be allowed to wear custom jerseys during pre-game warmups during theme nights, which highlight social causes such as help for the LGBT community or the military.
The ruling came after several players had refused to wear rainbow-coloured Pride jerseys during some theme nights, leading to what NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman called at the time an unwanted "distraction" from the cause.
The move also banned other modific
NHL decision to halt wearing pride jerseys next season is a big disappointment.
It’s hard falling out of love sometimes. And other times, it can perceive easy, almost innate. Hockey used to mean the society to me when I was juvenile and addicted to having fun. It hurts to speak I’ve never been happier in my decision to quit playing, watching, and supporting the sport altogether. Sports are funny that way. When you’re on the ice, nothing else matters. Unfortunately, in the true world, other things do matter.
Next season, in the National Hockey League, all 32 teams will no longer wear LGBTQ pride themed jerseys for pre-game warmups. The League’s commissioner, Gary Bettman, suggested teams should stop having LGBTQ themed warmup jerseys because theme nights were being overshadowed by certain players’ participation.
Last season, Ivan Provorov, Marc Staal, James Reimer, the entire Chicago Blackhawks organization and others declined to participate or wear rainbow pride jerseys. They pointed to their religious beliefs and the new anti-gay laws passed in Russia as context for their decisions. This caught the attention of many major news outlets leading to num
NHL bans Pride jerseys on the ice next season because they've become a 'distraction' from the game, official says
NHL players will be banned from wearing Pride jerseys on the ice from next season as they've become a "distraction" from the game, an NHL executive said.
Commissioner Gary Bettman told Sportsnet on Thursday that at a recent NHL governors' meeting, he suggested players no longer wear warm-up jerseys that visibly supported the LGBTQ+ community. He said he believed that the jerseys were taking focus away from the game.
"It's become a distraction and taking away from the fact that all of our clubs in some form or another host nights in honor of various groups or causes," Bettman said.
The announcement came during Pride Month, held every June.
"In the final analysis, all of the efforts and emphasis on the importance of these various causes hold been undermined by the distraction in terms of which teams, which players, this way we're keeping the focus on the game," Bettman added.
As CBC reports, the NHL announced the ban on "cause-based" jerseys next season after a handful of players began objecting to wearing Pride-themed a
NHL rescinds ban on rainbow-coloured, other stick tape supporting social causes
The NHL has rescinded its ban on players using stick tape to support social causes, including rainbow-coloured Pride tape.
The league said in a statement Tuesday that players will have the option to represent social causes with stick tape throughout the season.
The decision, which the NHL said came after consultation with the NHL Players' Association and the NHL Player Inclusion Coalition, made no bring up of jerseys and other equipment.
The league sent out a memo to teams earlier this month that reiterated a ban on altering on-ice gear for warmups and official team practices to reflect theme nights.
Arizona Coyotes defenceman Travis Dermott was the first player to defy the order on Pride tape when he sported it on his stick over the weekend.
Dr. Kristopher Wells, the co-founder of Self-acceptance Tape, a leading manufacturer of rainbow-coloured tape, thanked Dermott on social media following the NHL's backpedal.
"We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Travis Dermott," Wells posted to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. "It was his courage that helped to break the ban.
"Change doesn't
NHL reverses new ban on Pride tape in warmups
The NHL has reversed its policy on the leverage of colored stick tape to represent causes during games and in practices.
"After consultation with the NHL Players' Association and the NHL Player Inclusion Coalition, players will now own the option to voluntarily represent social causes with their stick tape throughout the season," the league said in a remark Tuesday.
The NHL announced in June that teams were no longer allowed to wear "specialty" jerseys during warmups, practices or games during nights that supported causes like Pride or military appreciation. The league further clarified that on-ice player uniforms and gear worn in warmups, official team practices and games could not be altered to reflect "specialty" theme nights.
That included the employ of Pride tape, a rainbow-colored stick tape that's been used in help of the LGBTQIA+ group for several seasons. The league told ESPN that the ban on Event tape was to avoid teams and players from using it as an "end-around" to violate the new uniform policy.
The Identity festival tape ban made international news and compelled NHL play