NHL players will not wear Pride, other specialty jerseys

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says players will not wear Pride or other specialty jerseys during warm ups next season.

This comes after several controversies during the 2022-23 season, much of which was around Pride jerseys for nights dedicated to celebrating 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.

“I’ve suggested that it would be appropriate for clubs not to change their jerseys in warm ups 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 honour of various groups or causes, and we’d rather them continue to get the appropriate attention that they deserve and not be a distraction,” Bettman told Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

The decision will keep “the focus on the game” and the cause, Bettman added.

From NHL Board of Governors: teams will not wear specialty jerseys in warmups next season. Also: Cap, Ottawa, Arizona and other topics. With Commissioner Gary Bettman here — https://t.co/7kBduYBk1X

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 22, 2023

Friedman mentioned potential concerns some might have about this decision, including the timing of the decision, which came during Pride month.

“I agree those are legitimate concerns but in the final analysis, all of the efforts and emphasis on the importance of these various causes have been undermined by the distraction in terms of which teams, which players (chose not to wear the jerseys.) This way, we’re keeping the focus on the game and, on these specialty nights, we’re going to be focused on the cause,” Bettman explained.

Bettman says Pride and other specialty nights will “absolutely” continue, and special jerseys will also still be available for fans to buy. In addition to Pride nights, other causes that are celebrated by NHL teams include Heritage nights and Hockey Fights Cancer.

“The only difference will be, we’re not going to change jerseys for warm up because that’s just become more of a distraction from really the essence of what the purpose of these nights are,” the commissioner added.

“It’s really just a question of what’s on the ice.”

Throughout this past season, some teams followed through on their decisions to keep players in Pride-themed jerseys for warm ups. Others decided against, and some players chose not to participate.

Some cited concerns over an anti-queer Kremlin law that could imperil Russian athletes when they return home.