(Toronto) The National Hockey League (NHL) thought the case was closed. If anything, perhaps it made it even more explosive.
After a season marked by controversy surrounding Pride Nights, events organized in support of the LGBTQ community, the NHL reignited the discontent by formally banning players from putting rainbow-colored tape on their stick. It was the Outsports blog, which deals with LGBTQ issues in the world of sport, which revealed the existence of this new policy.
Last season, Pride Nights made headlines after players refused to wear multi-colored jerseys during their respective team’s warm-ups.
Some cited religious beliefs; others, mainly of Russian origin, security issues, linked to the political climate in their native country. At the same time, clubs have taken it upon themselves to remove the wearing of a special jersey from their Evening programming.
At the end of last season, circuit commissioner Gary Bettman announced that teams would no longer wear themed jerseys at all, regardless of the cause supported, in order to eliminate the “distractions” they had caused. A clarification recently sent to teams, however, goes further and now prohibits players from putting rainbow tape on their sticks, a practice in force for a long time in the league.
This news caused an uproar in the small world of hockey. “Disgusted”, the very influential agent Allan Walsh, for example, wrote on the social network X that Bettman had “failed once again”. “This contravenes the essence of ‘hockey for all,’” he wrote Tuesday, referring to Hockey Is For Everyone, the name of the league’s inclusion program.
Bill Daly, deputy commissioner of the NHL, confirmed to La Presse the end of the multi-colored ribbon. In a note provided to the Daily Faceoff site, he added that this restriction did not prevent players from otherwise getting involved in favor of one cause or another. “We just don’t want to put other players in an uncomfortable position because they don’t want to join. »
For years, Morgan Rielly of the Toronto Maple Leafs has been one of the most vocal advocates of the LGBTQ movement in the NHL. More than once, he took part in the Pride parade in the Queen City on behalf of his team.
On Tuesday, he did not mince his words. Without directly commenting on the league’s directive, which he had not yet read himself, he described the situation as “unfortunate” and assured, in the press scrum, that he remained an “ally”.
“I will continue to support [members of the LGBTQ community] and the cause. I believe they need it,” he said.
Asked by La Presse about his expectations of his teammates, he expressed the wish that they “be open to all kinds of things”, but that ultimately, the decision was up to each of them.
“Other people will decide to follow, it will happen naturally,” he predicted.
General manager Brad Treliving, for his part, recalled that the Leafs had “always supported the LGBTQ community”. “Nothing is going to change,” he insisted. We will stay true to what we have always believed in. »
On
“For six years, the NHL and its teams have amplified the influence of Pride Tape with players, parents, referees and fans at all levels in more than 40 countries. […] We hope that the league and the teams will continue to express their commitment to this important symbol of the fight against homophobia. »
In Montreal, in the Canadiens locker room, the two players that La Presse approached on the subject were obviously not aware of the new directive.
Johnathan Kovacevic politely apologized for withholding his comments, as he first wanted to learn about the directive and what led the NHL to issue it.
His colleague on the blue line Jordan Harris was no more “aware” of the story. The American, originally from Massachusetts, added, however, that “in this locker room, we want to be an open environment for everyone.”
Harris had stood out in the past when he deplored in our pages that hockey was not really “for everyone”.
“I can’t say why this decision [to ban rainbow tape] would be made. But I know that we, in this locker room, in this organization, we are super inclusive. We just want everyone to feel welcome to play hockey. Or watch it, because not everyone plays! »
The Canadian has been working for years in collaboration with LGBTQ organizations in the city. This season, its Pride Night will take place on January 15. Last year, the event went off without a hitch.
A few hours before his presentation, however, we learned that Denis Gurianov would not participate in the warm-up period, because he preferred not to wear a multi-colored sweater. However, all of his teammates displayed this symbol on the ice, some of them even speaking publicly to deliver a message based on respect and inclusion.
