The NHL started the 2023–24 season with a ban on pride tape. After years and years of hockey players showing their support for 2SLGBTQ+ causes, including donning pride tape and wearing custom jerseys during warmups to celebrate inclusivity, plus so much more, the league decided they’d start the latest season with self-inflicted controversy.
The ban on pride tape sparked outrage as players and fans were largely disappointed in what looked to be a unilateral decision from the league’s executives. Players spoke out about how they were disappointed and how they were planning to circumvent the ban despite the risks of fines or more.
The NHL was quick to retract that ban as Arizona Coyotes defenceman Travis Dermott taped his stick using pride tape for the Coyotes’ home opener—not just for warmups but in-game as well—and the NHL couldn’t possibly act on it, as imposing penalties on the player would be optically worse.
The ban was initially made to avoid controversy. This was largely due to players not participating in pride night warmups and getting large and undeserved spotlights on their decisions. Instead of focussing on players who actually believed in inclusivity, the media turned far too much attention to the players who were effectively protected for being bigots in today’s modern sporting landscape.
That in itself was already unacceptable, and with the NHL being the NHL, it is its own worst enemy sometimes; the move to ban pride tape showed a lack of understanding of its fanbase and just how much it lags behind other professional sports leagues.
Ultimately, the ban was lifted as the NHL backtracked. Embarrassment for the league aside, the ability for players to show and express solidarity is all the more important and the outcome should act as a stark reminder for the NHL in determining what kind of league it wants to be. As the NHL tries to attract fans from all walks of life, making a move to reduce inclusion is completely unacceptable and a mistake that will not be forgotten any time soon.
Celebrating more inclusion in the NHL
Now months into the season, teams and players have been able to celebrate not just pride nights but other special nights that promote inclusivity across many different causes and cultures. As NHL teams continue to take steps towards authentic inclusion and allyship, individual teams have put forth efforts to celebrate and promote inclusion and diversity.
The Calgary Flames hosted an Indigenous Celebration Game, the Edmonton Oilers had an Indigenous and Native American Heritage Night, the Winnipeg Jets hosted a South Asian Heritage Night, the New Jersey Devils had an Asian and Pacific Islander Night, and several teams had their own Hispanic Heritage nights.
By no means is the list exhaustive as it is just a small sample of how teams around the NHL are continuing with major efforts of their own to celebrate different cultures from all over the world with special game nights. Of course, one of the biggest celebrations in the NHL comes in the form of teams hosting Pride Nights, something that all 32 teams do annually.
The messaging is clear from teams to their fans: Everyone is welcome.
Today, on January 9, it’s the Calgary Flames’ turn to host their own Pride Night on the season. Every single player on the Flames was fully onboard with Pride Night last year despite seeing other players on different teams withdraw from pregame warmups, so expect full support from Calgary this year and every year onwards.
Let Them Cook
Here at The Win Column, we wanted to add our support for inclusivity in the NHL by creating a design to celebrate hockey’s marginalised fans. The NHL’s far from a perfect league in promoting and celebrating diverse identities, and we’re hoping to make some positive change in the hockey community.
The message is simple: Let Them Cook. People from all walks of life deserve respect and autonomy, and we will defend that notion forever.
This design is sold via RedBubble, the site we use to host all of our print-on-demand merchandise. This means there are a variety of products that can be made to include the design, and we hope that the large catalogue of products means everyone can find something that fits their needs or wants.
Click on the images above to view all Let Them Cook products, or use the direct link here:
Proceeds from Let Them Cook sales will be donated to support 2SLGBTQ+ individuals/organisations in Canada.
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