Starting next season, the NHL will not allow players to wear politically-charged uniforms for games on the league’s “theme nights”. The decision comes after a number of players refused to wear Pride jerseys last season, causing negative publicity for the hockey league.
The pride shirts became a hot topic during the past season when several players, such as the Philadelphia Flyers’ Russian star back Ivan Proporov, refused to wear them.
The NHL’s solution, via a decision made by its permanent commissioner Gary Bettman, is a total ban. In an interview with CTW News, he explains the decision.
– That’s just become more of a distraction from really the essence of what the purpose of these nights are.
Events like “Pride Night” have been a staple of the NHL in recent seasons. More serious manifestations are “Hockey Fights Cancer” – when players warm up in purple jerseys – and “Military Appreciation Night”, with camouflage-colored jerseys. All these jerseys are now being stopped.
– We’re keeping the focus on the game. And on these specialty nights, we’re going to be focused on the cause, Gary Bettman continues.
The NHL’s decision to ban these and other groups’ special interests is receiving both praise and criticism on social media. However, the majority of voices are either positive to the proposal as such or simply happy that the league is given a better chance to focus on the sport.
Why do LGBTQ+ need to see their sexual preferences & orientations worn as an emblem or waved as flag, by everyone on earth in every public place?
Hockey is about hockey. Football is about football.
Soccer is about soccer.Everything does not need to be about LGBTQ+ all the…
— Judy Maxine🇨🇦 (@JudyMaxB9632935) June 25, 2023
The NHL will also continue to recognize Pride and other theme nights where clubs are free to design and produce jerseys that can be signed and sold to raise money. However, from now on, the players will not be wearing politically charged jerseys on the ice.
Facts: NHL
The NHL, the National Hockey League, is the top league in the North American ice hockey system and the highest quality league in the world. Seven of the current clubs are from Canada while the remaining 25 are from the United States.
The teams play 82 games in the basic series between October and April to determine which 16 clubs will play in the playoffs between April and June for the chance to win the Stanley Cup.
The most successful team historically is the Montreal Canadiens with a total of 24 Stanley Cup titles. The reigning champion is the Vegas Golden Knights.
