The NHL made another controversial decision on Tuesday that completely contradicts their “Hockey Is For Everyone” message.
Last week. ESPN’s Ryan S. Clark reported that the league sent a memo to all 32 clubs to outline what they were able to do “with special initiatives such as Pride Night.’
Per Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press, the memo featured ” a ban on the use of rainbow-colored stick tape for the Pride nights.” The memo has controversially put a ban on special themed nights like Pride Night, Hockey Fights Cancer and Military appreciation nights, Whyno added.
Hockey fans and analysts expressed disgust, disappointment and confusion over the league’s ban on Pride hockey tape:
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Despite the bans, Toronto Maple Leafs’ star defenseman Morgan Rielly and general manager Brad Treliving stated that they’ll continue to stay active in helping the communities.
Last season, several notable NHL players decided against wearing pride-themes jerseys in warmups for games. This included San Jose Sharks’ goaltender James Reimer, brothers Eric and Marc Staal of the Florida Panthers and Vancouver Canucks’ winger Andrei Kuzmenko.
Even though the vast majority of players were happy to wear the pride-themed jerseys, the league still decided to put a ban on these uniforms and even hockey tape.
With the NHL putting a ban on special themed events like Pride Night, it’s simply fair to ask where commissioner Gary Bettman and the league office truly stand in their “Hockey Is For Everyone” message.