Florida Panthers goaltender Alex Lyon (34) warms up while celebrating Pride Night with a colorful hockey stick before playing the Toronto Maple Leafs, Thursday, March 23, 2023, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin, File)
By Stephen Whyno
The NHL sent a memo to teams last week clarifying what players can and cannot do as part of theme celebrations this season, including a ban on the use of rainbow-colored stick tape for the Pride nights that have become a hot-button issue in hockey.
The updated guidance reaffirms on-ice player uniforms and gear for games, warmups and official team practices cannot be altered to reflect theme nights, including Pride, Hockey Fights Cancer or military appreciation celebrations. Players can voluntarily participate in themed celebrations off the ice.
Deputy NHL Commissioner Bill Daly confirmed to The Associated Press on Tuesday, a few hours before the season opened with a trio of games, that the league sent the updated memo, which was first reported by ESPN.
The You Can Play Project, an organization that advocates for LGBTQ+ participation in sports and has partnered with the NHL for the past decade, ripped the league by saying, “If Hockey is for Everyone, this is not the way forward.”
“It is now clear that the NHL is stepping back from its longstanding commitment to inclusion, and continuing to unravel all of its one-time industry-leading work on 2SLGBTQ+ belonging,” the YCP Project said in a statement. “We are now at a point where all the progress made, and relationships established with our community, is in jeopardy. Making decisions to eradicate our visibility in hockey — by eliminating symbols like jerseys and now Pride Tape — immediately stunts the impact of bringing in more diverse fans and players into the sport.”
The NHL decided in June not to allow teams to wear any theme jerseys for warmups after a handful of players opted out of those situations during Pride night last season. The league has said players opting out of Pride nights served as a distraction to the work its teams were doing in the community.
“You know what our goals, our values and our intentions are across the league, whether it’s at the league level or at the club level,” Commissioner Gary Bettman said in February during All-Star Weekend festivities. “But we also have to respect some individual choice, and some people are more comfortable embracing themselves in causes than others. And part of being diverse and welcoming is understanding those differences.”
Philadelphia's Ivan Provorov was the first player to decide not to take part in warmups when the Flyers wore rainbow-colored jerseys before their Pride night game in January, citing his Russian Orthodox religion. Six other players followed for a variety of reasons — fellow Russians Ilya Lyubushkin, Denis Gurianov and Andrei Kuzmenko and Canadians James Reimer and Eric and Marc Staal — and individual teams including the New York Rangers, Minnesota Wild and Chicago Blackhawks decided not to have any players wear Pride jerseys in warmup.
“The Pride Tape team is extremely disappointed by the NHL’s decision,” the makers of Pride Tape said in a statement. “Despite this setback, we are encouraged for what lies ahead based on our recent conversations from every corner of the sport.”
Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly told reporters in Toronto he wished players had the right to do more and be more involved.
“I’m going to continue to be involved in the community and offer support to those communities and those groups that want that (and) need that,” Rielly said.
Sean Zerillo, Senior Writer for Action Network and co-host of the MLB podcast "Payoff Pitch" joins Cheddar Bets to discuss why under have been a lucrative bet for him so far, and how he's adjusting his strategies moving forward.
Sponsored by BetMGM
Michael Jenkins, host of 'The Daily Tip', joins Cheddar Bets to break down each game in the NBA Playoffs tonight and why not to take the bait on the Grizzlies-Timberwolves point total.
Sponsored by BetMGM
NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille and tennis star Sloane Stephens joined Cheddar News to talk about their partnership with the Icy Hot Squad, a team of athletes from varying sports who embody the challenges of overcoming pain in athletics. The endeavor also supports the Comebaq Courts initiative to help young athletes return to playing after getting hurt. While both Shaq and Stephens talked about taking on the challenge of helping with pain management, one challenge the intimidating former NBA center noted that he won't be facing is space tourism. "Let me think about it — hell naw. I'm good right here where I'm at," he quickly responded when asked about taking a Blue Origin flight.
Chloe Kim, a two-time Olympic Gold Medal-winning snowboarder, and her dog Reece are teaming up with Purina for its Pro Plan Million Mile Challenge to donate to Athletes for Animals.
The olympian joined Cheddar News to talk about her about the mental health challenges athletes face, her snowboarding career, and the Purina partnership to raise money for responsible pet ownership. "It’s an exciting way to encourage pet owners to get up and get active with their companion," she said. Kim also stated that the plan is for her to compete in the 2026 Olympic Games in Milano Cortina after taking some time off.
The Federal Aviation Administration is reviewing a communications breakdown that led police to think an aircraft carrying military parachutists for a baseball stadium stunt was “a probable threat.”
As U.S. cities and airlines are weighing COVID-19 protocols like mask and vaccine mandates, Canada continues to ban travelers who are not fully vaccinated -- including professional athletes. The MLB season is now underway, and the Toronto Raptors have advanced to the NBA playoffs, so several athletes are expected to not participate in upcoming games in Canada. Gabe Lacques, MLB reporters and Baseball Editor for USA Today Sports, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to dsicuss.
Nike introduced the Vaporfly in the 2016 Olympics to Nike-sponsored athletes, three of whom took the top spots in marathon events. Since then, the shoe has been the weapon of choice of elite athletes like those competing in the 2022 Boston Marathon. Why? Because Nike designed the shoe to literally make you faster. To not wear the Vaporfly has become a disadvantage. So how exactly does this shoe increase speeds and should it even be allowed in competition?
Christine Moore, a celebrity hat designer and featured milliner for the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby, joined Cheddar News to talk about how her headwear became a staple of race day fashion and what Derby watchers can come to expect at this year's horse racing event. “It's always go big or go home," she said. "And it's also very Southern belle style for the first leg of the triple crown, which is the Kentucky Derby." The race will be held on Saturday, May 7.
Between Bells executive producer Conor White recaps some of the biggest stories of the week, and teaches Azia Celestino and Hena Doba a thing or two at the same time. It's This Week In Trivia!
