Giving In

By Mike Rifkin

Earlier this week, the NHL announced teams will no longer be using pride tape on their sticks. In June, the league announced that teams were prohibited from wearing “specialty” jerseys before games. Several teams followed suit after several players voiced their displeasure and religious beliefs for not wearing the jerseys. The NHL has a saying that hockey is for everyone, so here’s the question: Is hockey for everyone? 

Commissioner Gary Bettman said on Tuesday, “What happened last year was that the issue of who wanted to wear a particular uniform on a particular night overshadowed everything that our clubs were doing. So what we said, instead of having that distraction and having our players have to decide whether or not they wanted to do something or not do something and be singled out, we said, ‘Let’s not touch that.” Players can’t wear pride jerseys, use pride tape, and can’t have stickers or ribbons on their uniforms. So, what the commissioner is saying is that hockey isn’t for everyone. What took place last year, whether it was an individual or a team, was wrong, and now the fact that there is a ban on pride gear is ridiculous. It is another reason Gary Bettman remains the worst commissioner in any of the four major sports. 

Former NHL executive and current PWHLPA president Brian Burke released a statement on Thursday saying, “This is not inclusion or progress. Fans look to teams and the league to show they are welcome, and this directive closes a door that’s been open for the last decade. Make no mistake, this is a surprising and serious setback.” What Burke says is 100 percent right: these teams make money off of consumers. They can only support the people who support them and pay their salaries. Now, there have been several players who have used their voices as well. Flyers forward Scott Laughton said, “You’ll probably see me with the Pride tape on that night; it’s not going to affect how I go about it. If they want to say something, they can, but it does not make a difference in what I do for the Pride community every night.” Laughton even added he’d buy the tape himself if he has to. Trevor Van Riemsdyk of the Capitals said, “The league decided what they did, but I don’t think that stops us from showing our support and making it something that is extremely important to us.” So here’s the question: if there are players who want to support the Pride community, why can’t they be in this environment? Van Riemsdyk said, “Obviously, it was something I enjoyed doing all night. It’s all about that inclusive feel. But that shouldn’t stop us, like, ‘Oh, we can’t do anything, there’s nothing we can do. No, there’s still a lot we can do and many ways to make people feel welcome and included, so hopefully that doesn’t deter guys.” Laughton and Van Riemsdyk say players support the Pride community, which leads everyone to ask if hockey is for everyone. Right now, it doesn’t feel that way, and whether this was based on religious beliefs for some players or something else, one thing is for sure: this is the worst thing Gary Bettman has done as NHL commissioner. For someone trying to grow the game, he constantly does something to put it in the headlines for the wrong reasons.