Over the summer, the NHL sent a memo to all 32 teams in reference how to hold speciality nights during the season. To erase confusion, the league banned players from wearing speciality jerseys during games, practices and warmups. Players were also banned from using Pride Tape on their sticks in support of the LGTQIA+ community.
On Tuesday, the NHL reversed course.
“After consultation with the NHL Players’ Association and the NHL Player Inclusion Coalition, Players will now have the option to voluntarily represent social causes with their stick tape throughout the season,” the NHL said in a statement.
The ban came after a season when several players decided not to wear the Pride Night warmup jerseys citing religious beliefs. The controversy caused the NHL to ban “cause messaging” altogether. The ban on Pride Tape was confusing because it was always optional to begin with, and it took away from the NHL’s “hockey is for everyone” slogan. Players also had the option to use lavender tape for Hockey Fights Cancer Night and Military Appreciation Night last year, which were also banned under the NHL’s new rule.
Coyotes defenseman Travis Dermott didn’t care about the ban, though, and used Pride Tape on the shaft of his stick during Arizona’s home opener earlier this week. Many wondered if he would face discipline since the tape was against NHL rules. He didn’t, and now the NHL has reversed course with the ban altogether.
“It’s easy to forget that it’s a battle if it’s not in front of you,” Dermott told The Athletic’s Chris Johnston. “If you don’t see it every day, if it’s swept under the rug, if it’s just hidden from the naked eye, it’s easy to forget that there’s a group of people that don’t feel like they belong because the majority of people do feel like they belong. Once we stop thinking about that, I think that’s when it gets dangerous.”
Last year, Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov refused to take part in Pride Night, citing his Russian Orthodox religion. He was the only Flyers player who didn’t have a jersey or a stick auctioned after the game. He should have been benched because he didn’t partake in warmups, but the D-man still played 23 minutes in the game.
“Players are free to decide which initiatives to support, and we continue to encourage their voices and perspectives on social and cultural issues,” the league said in a statement to ESPN.
The recent ban took away that decision for players altogether. But wow that it’s been rescinded, players are free to use Pride Tape on their sticks if they so choose.
“We are so very grateful to everyone who believes hockey should be a safe, inclusive and welcoming space for all,” the makers of Pride Tape posted on X. “We are extremely happy that NHL players will now have the option to voluntarily represent important social causes with their stick tape throughout season.”
While it’s unclear just how many players will now use the rainbow-colored tape, they can now do so without getting fined by the league for showing support toward a cause that’s important to them.
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