Two of the NHL’s biggest stars expressed their disappointment over the league’s decision to do away with specially themed warmup jerseys next season.
Both Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers and Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning spoke out against the decision, which came after a handful of players opted against wearing Pride-themed jerseys and several teams that scrapped plans entirely to wear them on planned LBGTQ+ nights last season.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman called the extra attention from the jerseys a “distraction” last week in an interview with Sportsnet.
“It’s disappointing to see,” McDavid, this year’s Hart Trophy winner, said Monday night after the NHL Awards, according to the Canadian Press.
“It’s not my call, but obviously it’s disappointing.”
The decision to do away with the themed warmup jerseys does not mean that the initiatives they support will completely disappear.
NHL clubs will continue to have Pride nights, military appreciation nights among others without the special jerseys.
Teams are still also welcome to design special jerseys and auction them off.
But the issue that bothered Bettman and the NHL Board of Governors was the attention that was drawn to the players that had opted out of wearing the Pride jerseys.
Stamkos called that part particularly disappointing.
“It was 98 percent or 99 percent of other players that wore the jersey and enjoyed wearing it and were proud wearing it, whatever jersey it was, whether it was the Pride, the military night, the cancer nights,” Stamkos told reporters Monday.
“The story shouldn’t be about the guy that didn’t wear it, the one guy or the two guys. I understand that’s what gets the clicks and that’s what gets the views, but the word ‘distraction’ gets thrown around.
“I don’t think it had to have been a distraction. It could have been a non-issue while focusing on the good that was coming out of those nights.”
All 32 NHL clubs did have Pride-themed nights during the season.
But seven players drew the spotlight when they decided against wearing the jerseys for religious or for various other reasons.
And some teams that had originally planned to wear Pride jerseys scrapped the idea at the last minute, including the Rangers.
“I certainly can’t speak for every organization,” McDavid added. “I know in Edmonton, we were one of the first teams to use the Pride tape.
“We strongly feel hockey is for everybody, and that includes the Pride nights.”
The NHL has not been the only league that has dealt with this controversy, as Major League Baseball has also run into drama over Pride nights and themed jerseys.
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