Top NHL stars BLAST the league’s decision to ban Pride warmup jerseys saying most players support it

Some of the NHL’s brightest stars have vocally expressed their displeasure with the league’s decision to do away with themed warmup jerseys next year.

League commissioner Gary Bettman announced that all the league’s special edition warmups – including the ones worn for Pride, Military Appreciation and the league’s ‘Hockey Fights Cancer‘ initiative – will not be worn in this upcoming season.

That’s reportedly due to the choice of a select few players and teams that scrapped Pride Night warm-up jerseys – something Bettman referred to as a ‘distraction’.

Two of the league’s best players – Edmonton’s Connor McDavid and Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos – disagreed with the decision and suggested that more players were comfortable with the ceremony than those that weren’t.

‘It’s disappointing to see,’ McDavid said on Monday after he took home four awards – including top point scorer, top goal scorer, and the league and player MVP honors.

Edmonton’s Connor McDavid (L) and Tampa’s Steven Stamkos (R) blasted a recent NHL rule

The league, under commissioner Gary Bettman, got rid of specialty pre-game warmup jerseys

That includes Pride jerseys, which drew controversy toward the league last season

‘It’s not my call, but obviously it’s disappointing.’

Bettman and the league’s Board of Governors did not appear to take kindly to the attention drawn to some players that opted out of wearing Pride jerseys.

Instead of addressing why that might be the case and trying to come to any kind of happy medium, the league did away with the option to celebrate in this particular way altogether.

That’s something that Stamkos, a two-time Stanley Cup winner and a respected captain in the league, is not particularly happy with.

‘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.’

While all 32 NHL teams had Pride nights during the season, seven players said they would not wear the special warmups for various reasons. Multiple teams – including the New York Rangers – decided at the last minute to scrap their warmup jersey ideas. 

This decision affects all warmups – including the Hockey Fights Cancer (L) and Military (R) ones

McDavid, who won four top awards this year, called the league’s decision ‘disappointing’

Anthony Duclair warms up for the Panthers before a March 2023 loss to the Maple Leafs

James Reimer (L) and Ivan Provorov (R) were two players who refused to wear the warmups

‘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.’

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin, a 28-year-old from Russia, did not participate in pregame festivities when the team held its Pride Night. 

Teammates, including captain Kyle Okposo, said it was important to frame Lyubushkin’s decision in proper context.

But Stamkos says that most of the league supports Pride initiatives (Pictured: Alex Tuch) 

‘We support (Lyubushkin) in this room, and we want to make sure that he’s comfortable and we respect his decisions,’ Okposo said.

‘I have empathy for my teammate, for Boosh in the situation he’s in, but think about it: If there’s a closeted gay member of a team, and you have to have empathy for that person, too, in that situation. 

‘We have to realize that and that’s part of being accepting, and that’s why we want to be accepting.’  

Bettman claims that the Board of Governors did not have one specific group or cause in mind when they decided to can the specialty sweaters.

The league will still allow teams to produce Pride jerseys, but they can’t be worn for warmups

‘I agree those are legitimate concerns, but in the final analysis, all of the efforts and emphasis on the importance of these various causes have been undermined by the distraction in terms of which teams, which players. 

‘This way, we’re keeping the focus on the game and on these specialty nights, we’re gonna be focused on the cause,’ Bettman said.

Getting rid of the special sweaters from on-ice wear will not ban teams from making them. The league will still allow its clubs to design these jerseys and auction them off.

Plus, the league still plans to host special evenings to keep their cancer, military, and Pride initiatives going.