New NHLPA President Opens Up About Pride Night Controversy

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Julien Trekker
March 30, 2023 (2:29 PM)

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Throughout this NHL season, many players protested against the league's LGBTQ+ celebrations.

Players such as Ivan Provorov, James Reimer, Marc Staal, Eric Staal, and Ilya Lyubushkin have all chosen not to wear Pride Night-themed warmup jerseys that promote inclusiveness and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. While each player has the right to decide whether or not to support this cause, it is evident that these protests are significantly impacting the league's ability to convey its message of inclusivity. When someone opts out, the narrative shifts from inclusiveness and supporting diverse sexual orientations and gender identities to perceived hate and bigotry, particularly towards the trans community. Frankly, this is disheartening, and it seems that the NHL is now contemplating discontinuing the celebrations altogether.

New NHLPA President Opens up About Pride Night Controversy

New NHLPA president Marty Walsh commented on the issue during his official introduction today, stating:

"The LGBTQ community shouldn't feel that the NHL hockey players are turning their backs to their community. The super majority of the players wear the jerseys."

Commissioner Gary Bettman also stated:

"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,"

"This is one issue where players, for a variety of reasons, may not feel comfortable wearing the uniform as a form of endorsement," he said.

"But I think that's 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 a handful of players basically have made personal decisions, and you have to respect that as well."

Indeed, these silent protests have created a significant enough distraction from the broader narrative that the NHL is attempting to support, leading to the question of whether it's all worth it. If Pride Night simply provides a platform for players and fans to express more negative arguments and toxic opinions, is it worth continuing?

As Seen On Hockey Feed - New NHLPA president gives a statement on recent protests