Flames' Pride Night slotted for March 28 vs. LA

[powderjunkie]

NHL has guaranteed contracts. It would be really nice to see players around the league - at least veteran leaders who don't have to worry about signing another deal like Kadri/Huby/Weegar/etc - use rainbow tape every single night. And then hopefully it would grow and give cover to anyone/everyone to make that statement.

I'd be embarrassed to be a part of this league. I'm glad I don't spend any of my own money on it. Pathetic.

[jayswin]

We won't see anything from players. NHL players are by and large, vanilla, toe the line athletes. The most you'll get from NHL players is vague/general "we actually love the LGBTQ community" comments without directly addressing and calling out the league in any meaningful way.

The league is run by cowards and the players are mostly cowards themselevs that only care about their paycheque and how that could be affected by showing their backbone. The league and players combined backing down and cancelling support of the gay community in light of any criticism towards their initiatives speaks louder than words.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

I'd like to see McDavid or a top star take a pridetaped stick out in warmup and dare the refs (and Situation Room) to give him a misconduct.

And I hope it's a Pacific time zone game, so Bettman has to Zoom call in his jammies. *

* Although some say vampires never sleep.

[KelVarnsen]

I haven’t renewed my subscription for SN Now yet. I don’t know if I want to renew after this news.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by chedder

Damn. Good on him. This is from June though. Not today's b.s. announcement.

Yeah, I know. No one has had time on that one.

[cheevers]

Amazing that a sieve, 2 has-beens, and a pylon have accomplished this. #### the owners. Cowards.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Yeah, I know. No one has had time on that one.

But I'm not holding out hope. It's hard enough to get players to say anything of substance or backbone when it's an actual policy from the league. You think any player will take a stand when it's just simply confirmed by the tape maker and insiders with nothing official for the players to "officially" comment on?

Not a ****ing chance. They'll collectively, happily let it blow over, and it'll blow over quickly and easily.

[jayswin]

I don't mean to sound harsh but I've lost all respect for the league and it's players after what happened last season in regards to the LGBTQ community. They'd have to earn that respect back but I suspect they won't and have no care beyond "let's calculate how this will affect us financially".

It's a business decision for them and with the current political climate they're playing it safe as they see enough support for bigotry and ignorance on the right side to not take a defined stand in support of the LGBTQ community. Cowards, all of them, until they show otherwise. (Fat chance they do)

[powderjunkie]

For anyone who thinks all leagues are cynical and afraid to take a stand on any issue like this, the NBA relocated its all-star game from Charlotte after North Carolina passed a repugnant 'bathroom bill'
https://rainesinternational.com/why-...ion-in-sports/

By taking a stand against LGBTQ discrimination, the NBA builds its position as a leader in the fight for diversity in the sports industry. ESPN stood with the NBA’s decision, noting its own support of inclusion. Weeks after the NBA’s progressive decision, the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) announced it is moving seven championship games out of North Carolina, including the opening rounds of the 2017 Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, part of March Madness.

Days later, the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) joined the NCAA in relocating all neutral-site championships this season. These organizations all stand to lose money they have already invested and risked upsetting partners who have committed to spending big on the events. But, their decision was made much easier by the NBA being first out of the gate, and giving the others cover to announce similar decisions.

As NBA Commissioner Adam Silver put it, this was a business decision, but it was also a safe bet. Charlotte officials estimate the economic impact of losing the All-Star Weekend could be around $100 million. Though some costs are not recoverable, the cost of doing nothing could have been much greater. Not only would the NBA’s reputation be on the line, but cheerful photos of the NBA/WNBA/NBDL athletes may have been replaced on front pages by community protests. Indeed, there is a good chance that the NBA’s own players and staff would have participated in thoughtful protests. Instead, the NBA has received positive press with players and staff praising the league’s decision in earned media.

You could argue that a fixed date event created a binary choice situation to stay or relocate and the choice was obvious, it seems to me that far more organizations try to walk a tightrope of careful verbal platitudes while avoiding concrete action.


I made a rational and intentional decision to stop watching the NFL years ago because I realized the product kinda sucked (obviously my opinion) and the league was particularly morally repugnant. I never believed any other league was 'righteous' by any means, but giving this a bit of rational though I think the NHL has proven itself unworthy of my attention. Not that it matters to them as I'm not really a $$ customer, but I think I'll sit this season out. At least until ~May if this team gives me reason to be a mild hypocrite.

[butterfly]

MLB also pulled the all-star game out of Atlanta in 2021 in response to voting rights legislation in Georgia. I do think it's silly to hold the Hornets and Braves responsible for what these state governments do, but by doing so, the leagues clearly drew themselves on one side of the line and cost these places millions of dollars.

The pride tape ban is an awful and unnecessary decision, and it isn't going to do a thing other than somehow make James Reimer feel more comfortable.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Eb0la11

Do we have heterosexual event dates on the calendar too to celebrate that? Should we be trumpeting that as well and getting a special tape? I’m confused why this community feels the need to trumpet their choice. Live your life, be respectful of others and stop trying to influence others into your choices.

Somehow, your words are even more toxic than your namesake.

[kipperiggy]

Just want to say thanks to all the great allies in this thread shutting down the vitriol from uneducated dorks like Ebola.

[Geeoff]

No Hask no telL

[codynw]

Ivan Provorov
James Reimer
Eric Staal
Marc Staal
Ilya Lyubushkin
Denis Gurianov
Andrei Kuzmenko

The seven players who started this.

[Geeoff]

Originally Posted by sa226

That's a pretty ugly look.

Wonder where the NHLPA stands.

I'm sure this initiative comes with pressure from the NHLPA, since last year, several senior members, such as Eric Staal, looked pretty bad.

[The Fonz]

If this is part of a larger decision, specifically, doing away with all themed nights and political stances, and trotting out police officers, emergency workers, veterans, etc - then I'm all for it. Also do away with the national anthems while you're at it. Just play hockey and sell your sport.

If this is singling out Pride though, and not extending to every other support/movement, then it's horrendous and I hope the players choose not to tolerate it.

[codynw]

Originally Posted by The Fonz

If this is part of a larger decision, specifically, doing away with all themed nights and political stances, and trotting out police officers, emergency workers, veterans, etc - then I'm all for it. Also do away with the national anthems while you're at it. Just play hockey and sell your sport.

If this is singling out Pride though, and not extending to every other support/movement, then it's horrendous and I hope the players choose not to tolerate it.

It’s definitely about pride. You think they’re stopping military appreciation nights? Never.

[WhiteTiger]

Originally Posted by The Fonz

If this is part of a larger decision, specifically, doing away with all themed nights and political stances, and trotting out police officers, emergency workers, veterans, etc - then I'm all for it. Also do away with the national anthems while you're at it. Just play hockey and sell your sport.

If this is singling out Pride though, and not extending to every other support/movement, then it's horrendous and I hope the players choose not to tolerate it.

From my understanding of this, it's not 'singling out' Pride or any other of the theme nights. They aren't stopping having any of events, they are specifying how the players engage with them. They aren't stopping selling Pride or Indigenous themed jerseys or tape, players just won't wear/use them during that nights warmup anymore.

[The Fonz]

Originally Posted by WhiteTiger

From my understanding of this, it's not 'singling out' Pride or any other of the theme nights. They aren't stopping having any of events, they are specifying how the players engage with them. They aren't stopping selling Pride or Indigenous themed jerseys or tape, players just won't wear/use them during that nights warmup anymore.

I wonder if the players are allowed to use camo stick tape during a military themed night?

They shouldn't be, if the NHL is going to be consistent on not putting players into any potential political spotlight.

[RobotTalk]

I'll preface this by saying I'm gay - normally, I try not to 'play' that card as I think it's largely irrelevant to hockey message board discussions but it's obviously relevant here.

I also want to say that I don't like the idea of mandated participation in social advocacy events - I think freedom of conscience matters above everything else and requiring people to advocate for issues they don't believe in just generates resentment and is morally wrong. So long as someone's views don't translate into physical harm to others they should be able to hold them, even if I/society writ large think they're abhorrent.

If Provorov, the Staals, etc don't want to wear a pride jersey fine, all the power to them. I'd rather know where they stand. It actually mattered to me that players like Zadorov and Coleman, who have backgrounds that suggest they might not be overly supportive of LGBT rights, opted to participate in Pride night last year since their participation showed their true feelings, whereas when pride night participation was mandatory I largely didn't pay attention.

With that said, the NHL's decision to ban pride tape is unacceptable to me and has made me re-evaluate whether I want to continue being a fan. Just like I don't like the idea of forcing people to participate in advocacy they don't believe in, I think it's morally wrong to prevent players from signalling their support for issues they do believe in. The fact the NHL has outright banned players from putting pride tape on their sticks is beyond the pale to me.

I love hockey, play on multiple beer league teams, watch upwards of 90% of flames games each season, and go a handful of games per year. I'm not sure to what extent I'll continue to follow the NHL after this - I already bought sportsnet for the season, so I'll likely continue to watch this year but I probably won't go to any games and I won't buy the New Jersey I'd been eyeing up. It's especially unfortunate as the Flames have opted to continue with a Pride night this season and I know a few people in the Flames head office who I'm positive don't support this decision.