NHL Clarifies Its Ban On Pride-Themed Warmup Jerseys. Don't Worry, They're Still Banned

The NHL has provided clarification of a league-wide memo regarding its policies for “specialty nights” that teams may want to host, such as Pride Nights.

Last season, conflict arose after a large contingent of NHL players and teams chose not to wear LGBT-themed jerseys during warmups on Pride Nights. Many of these players said if they wore the jerseys, it would violate their religious beliefs.

As a result of these courageous stands, the NHL decided to not mandate that players wear the rainbow sweaters during the upcoming season.

Ivan Provorov (9) was the first player to refuse to wear pride-themed jerseys. His example inspired many others to do the same. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

However, questions arose since then from several teams regarding what other restrictions the league might impose. According to ESPN, teams asked if “coaches could wear poppies on their suit jackets in honor of Remembrance Day or if they could wear green ribbons in honor of the Humboldt Broncos.”

The NHL provided clarification on Thursday, saying the only wardrobe restriction was that no team can wear specialty sweaters of any kind during a game, warmup, or practice. The league added that players can choose to attend charitable or social initiatives off the ice, but could not be forced to do anything against their wishes.

The NHL Listened To The Protests From Ivan Provorov And Others

Back in June, league commissioner Gary Bettman ultimately made the decision to forgo the pride warmups after the saga that he witnessed.

“I suggested that it would be appropriate for clubs not to change their jerseys in warmups because it’s become a distraction and taking away from the fact that all of our clubs, in some form or another, host nights in honor of various groups or causes, and we’d rather those continue to get the appropriate attention that they deserve and not be a distraction,” Bettman said.

What this means is that Bettman decided to listen to the players who refused to sacrifice their beliefs to be a walking billboard for the toxic LGBT agenda. And that’s how it should be.

Too often in sports, players who push back against mainstream groupthink get pressured into silence. But thanks to Ivan Provorov, James Reimer, the Minnesota Wild, and a number of others, no player in hockey has to bow to this ideology unwillingly.