Gary Bettman and the NHL issue ridiculous Pride Nights memo to teams
Pride Nights in the NHL used to be a thing to be celebrated, but after some players took exception to it a season ago, it became a major source of controversy for the league.
A confusing memo
Now, to get ahead of it, the NHL has issued all teams a memo ahead of the 2023-24 season, and it's just as ridiculous and confusing as you would expect from this league.
concerns about part of the memo that stated, "Players shall not be put in the position of having to demonstrate (or where they may be appearing to demonstrate) personal support for any Special Initiatives. A factor that may be considered in this regard includes, for example, whether a Player (or Players) is required to be in close proximity to any groups or individuals visibly or otherwise clearly associated with such Special Initiative(s). - NHL memo on Pride Nights
Not only does it appear the NHL wants to stop specialty nights from happening, but it also appears they're looking to stop teams from having players in the proximity of them if they were to happen, and with the wording, it's no surprise that teams were confused.
Specialty nights
Beyond Pride nights, the NHL used to host cancer awareness, military appreciation nights and so many other things, and while there's still little things happening around the league, it appears those nights will be forced out.
This is a major disappointment, coming from a few loud players that refused to take part in pride nights a year ago, and now, the NHL need to take a stance on it before it gets out of hand.
As Read on Blade of Steel - Teams take issue with memo sent by league about Pride Nights
| POLL | ||
Should Pride Nights be encouraged by the NHL? | ||
| Yes | 153 | 23.7 % |
| No | 492 | 76.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
