NHL to Reevaluate ‘Pride Nights’ After Several Players Sit Out: League Commissioner

The ice is lit in rainbow light for Pride Night before an NHL hockey game between the Anaheim Ducks and the Los Angeles Kings in Los Angeles on April 26, 2021. (Ashley Landis/AP Photo)

The National Hockey League’s recent “pride nights” have not occurred without controversies stemming from concerns over religious beliefs and personal security, and it’s possible the NHL may not have pride nights next season and beyond.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman told CTV News in Ottawa on March 27 that after the current season ends, the league will evaluate pride nights due to some players’ refusal to participate for personal reasons.

“This is the first time we’ve experienced that, and I think it’s something that we’re going to have to evaluate in the offseason,” Bettman said.

He acknowledged that pride nights have “become more of a distraction now, because the substance of what our teams and we have been doing and stand for is really being pushed to the side for what is a handful of players basically have made personal decisions, and you have to respect that as well.”

The most recent instance of a player sitting out pride night was the Buffalo Sabres announcement on March 27 that defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin wouldn’t wear a pride jersey or participate in the team’s pride night warmup in the Sabres’ game against Montreal due to fear of retribution.

In December, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed new legislation that expanded the country’s ban on “LGBT propaganda.” Promotion of homosexuality and nontraditional sexual relations in public forums, online, and in books, films, TV, and advertising is prohibited, and violations can lead to heavy fines.

Lyubushkin is from Moscow and his family still lives there.

The Sabres’ statement didn’t name Lyubushkin, but team captain Kyle Okposo confirmed to The Associated Press that Lyubushkin would be sitting out the warmup. Lyubushkin is the only Russian player on the team.

“Consistent with previous years, our team feels strongly that one way to garner support is through wearing Pride jerseys and using Pride tape in warmups,” said the team in its statement. “That said, we are aware of general threats to certain players and understand their decision to forego risk.”

Other Players Sitting Out ‘Pride’

A few days before the Sabres’ announcement, Florida Panthers center Eric Staal and his brother defenseman Marc Staal refused to don warmup pride jerseys ahead of the team’s March 23 game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, as the two cited their religious beliefs.

“After many thoughts, prayers and discussions we have chosen not to wear a pride night jersey tonight,” they said in a statement released by the Panthers. “We carry no judgement on how people choose to live their lives, and believe that all people should be welcome in all aspects of the game of hockey. Having said that, we feel that by us wearing a pride jersey it goes against our Christian beliefs.

“We hope you can respect this statement, we will not be speaking any further on this matter and would like to continue to focus on the game and helping the Florida Panthers win the Stanley Cup.”

This was not the only controversy surrounding the Panthers’ Pride night.

Emmy-nominated actor and singer Beau Davidson, host of “The Beau Show” on EpochTV, was scheduled to perform the Canadian and American national anthems at the game.

Just days before the game, the Panthers notified Davidson that another singer would be taking his place.

“I received an email that another singer had been requested by executive management due to the visibility of Pride Night,“ he said in a preview clip of his show posted on social media. ”So I went to the game to see my replacement.”

The other singer, Ryan Michael James, forgot the lyrics to “O Canada” during the performance.

What happened to Davidson appears to go against the NHL Declaration of Principles, as the singer pointed out.

Part of the declaration reads: “We believe all hockey programs should provide a safe, positive and inclusive environment for players and families regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation and socio-economic status. Simply put, hockey is for everyone.”

“But they broke their own policy,” said Davidson. “And if hockey is for everyone, why was I removed? And what does that have to do with singing our beloved national anthem?

Other NHL ‘Pride’ Events

Ten teams that have already hosted pride nights did not have their players wear pride warmup jerseys.

Those teams are the Boston Bruins, the Chicago Blackhawks, the Colorado Avalanche, the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Detroit Red Wings, the Edmonton Oilers, the Minnesota Wild, the New York Islanders, the New York Rangers, the Ottawa Senators, the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Washington Capitals.

Two of the teams, the Rangers and Islanders, also didn’t have their players display pride tape on hockey sticks during warmups.

The Blackhawks were scheduled to wear pride warmup jerseys ahead of the team’s March 26 matchup against the Vancouver Canucks but ultimately against the idea over safety concerns for the team’s three Russian players, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. Defenseman Nikita Zaitsev, forward Philipp Kurashev, and goaltender Anton Khudobin were all either born or have family in Russia.

On March 13, the San Jose Sharks’ goalie James Reimer declined to wear the pride jersey, citing his religious beliefs.

“For all 13 years of my NHL career, I have been a Christian—not just in title, but in how I choose to live my life daily. I have a personal faith in Jesus Christ who died on the cross for my sins and, in response, asks me to love everyone and follow Him. I have no hate in my heart for anyone, and I have always strived to treat everyone with respect and kindness,” he continued.

“In this specific instance, I am personally choosing not to endorse something—a sexual identity or orientation—that is counter to my convictions which are based on the Bible, which I consider the highest authority in my life. … I just can’t, publicly and personally, endorse something that goes against my beliefs,” Reimer said.

In January, Philadelphia Flyers defender Ivan Provorov, citing his Russian Orthodox faith, refused to display pride colors in warmups ahead of a victory against the Anaheim Ducks.

Luke Prokop is the first openly gay hockey player under contract with an NHL franchise. He has expressed disappointment with the controversies surrounding the Pride Nights.

“I share the disappointment in what feels like a step back for inclusion in the NHL,” he wrote in a statement shared on his Twitter page. “Pride nights and pride jerseys play an important role in promoting respect and inclusion for the LBTQIA+ community, and it’s disheartening to see some teams no longer wearing them or not fully embracing their significance, while the focus of others has become about the players who aren’t participating rather than the meaning of the night itself.”

The Epoch Times has reached out to the NHL for comment.