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NHL Bans Hockey Players from Using Rainbow Pride Tape
wearing “specialty sweaters” representing any cause or special initiatives, such as Pride Night, on the ice.At the time, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman declared that controversy stemming from some players’ refusal to wear Pride-themed gear had become a “distraction.”Under the updated guidance, the NHL clarified that the restrictions apply to on-ice activity, saying that players “should be encouraged to express themselves off the ice.”The only off-ice restriction is that no player can be compelled to participate in events supporting “specialty causes,” such as a Pride night, because some players might fear retribution or embarrassment if they decline to participate.A source familiar with the updated guidance told ESPN that players and teams are permitted to “celebrate and support” specialty causes.Teams are also allowed to host the groups at games, such as an LGBTQ organization, while players are free to wear “whatever they want” as long as it falls within the guidelines of each team’s dress code.The guidance also says that a factor to consider when trying to ensure that individual players are not being coerced into supporting a particular cause can include “whether a Player (or Players) is required to be in close proximity to any groups or individuals visibly or otherwise clearly associated with such Special Initiatives.”In addition to Pride nights, the ban on expressions of support for specialty causes applies to other events, including Black History Night, Hockey Fights Cancer Night, and Military Appreciation Night.As noted by the LGBTQ sports website Outsports, the updated guidance — particularly its wording about players’ proximity to other people supporting a cause — might technically mean that players could refuse to take the ice if there is a drag queen, a gay men’s chorus singing the National Anthem, or out gay players present at the event.Besides scuttling rainbow-colored or Pride-themed warm-up jerseys, players are expected not to use Pride Tape on their
