No pride in NYC after Rangers botched ‘Pride Night’

The tragedy at the New York Rangers Pride Party shocked the entire hockey world.

There was a distinct lack of pride when the New York Rangers took to the ice to warm up before their 7:00 p.m. game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday, January 27th. Not out of pride in the team, but out of pride in the LGBTQ+ community and Rangers fans. Pride Night was nowhere to be seen, not in the form of special warm-up jerseys, nor in the rainbow ribbon of pride.

Ranger Pride Night has been promoted to fans for months to recognize and celebrate New York’s LGBTQ+ community. The Rangers have hosted “Pride Nights” for the past few seasons, and during these games, players have worn limited edition warm-up jerseys and wrapped rainbow tape around their sticks. The event’s marketing specifically mentioned that the jerseys would be auctioned off to charity. However, this year there were no T-shirts.

The Rangers’ decision to ditch the jerseys and rainbow ribbon came at the last minute following the Philadelphia Flyers’ controversial January 17 Pride Night, in which Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov boycotted the event by refusing to skate during a warm-up because he had to wear a special Flyers Pride Night jersey. Provorov cited his Orthodox faith as the reason for his boycott.

“I respect everyone’s choice,” Provorov said. “My choice is to stay true to myself and my religion. That’s all I’m going to say.”

Provorov’s home country, Russia, strongly condemns the LGBTQ+ community. Although social activities technically not illegalLGBTQ+ people face social and legal discrimination, and President Vladimir Putin has publicly stated his dislike for LGBTQ+ people.

Provorov’s statement is evidence of latent homophobia in the NHL and the hockey community as a whole. In 2016 NHL suspended and fined Chicago Blackhawks player Andrew Shaw for using homophobic slurs. In 2022, a fan reported a homophobic attack that was later investigated as a hate crime, after an NHL game in Denver. Two weeks ago East Coast Hockey League released by Louis Rowe after he made homophobic comments on Twitter.

After Provorov’s boycott of the warm-up, pride and his NHL statement issued a statement the next day.

“Clubs decide who, when and how to celebrate – with the advice and support of the league,” the statement said. “Players are free to decide which initiatives to support, and we continue to encourage their voices and perspectives on social and cultural issues.”

The application does not blame Provorov for missing the warm-up. He also supports the decision by both teams and individual players to opt out of league initiatives such as Pride Night. Many NHL teams also host War Appreciation Nights and Cancer Hockey Fights. Not a single player refused to wear the uniform intended for these competitions.

The You Can Play Project is an organization created to combat homophobia in professional sports. issued a statement after the game, which has since been removed. Both of these statements support Provorov’s decision not to support LGBTQ+.

Just 10 days after Pilots’ Pride Night and the following announcement, the Rangers have made the decision not to force players to wear special jerseys on Pride Night without informing fans, the media, or their players. Previously, Ranger Pride Night was a regular season game with rainbow lighting.

you can play repliedstating his disappointment with the Rangers’ decision.

“We hope that this discussion will bring an explanation that will include the philosophy of the team in regards to…[players] it is allowed to exclude the support of other players and fans who may appreciate and need this support.”

While it shows a change in “You can play” tone, the NHL has yet to release a statement in response to the Rangers’ failed night of pride, even after pressure from fans.

The NHL’s position is clear. While the league is happy to support initiatives such as You Can Play and tout support for The Trevor Project, it has shown it is unwilling to apply that message to individual teams or players.

It’s not an easy task for a league that already lags behind the NFL, NBA and MLB in terms of popularity.

The NHL and the New York Rangers have taken an indirect stance against LGBTQ+ acceptance. Now, with more teams planned hold their own pride nights, we’ll see how far this stance goes.

Contact Avery Hendrick by phone [email protected]