According to a team representative in the Minnesota Wild organization, the team made a group decision to scrap plans for a gay pride celebration at their Tuesday night game. According to multiple outlets, the change of direction was an “organizational decision” rather than one made by a single person.
The NHL team had released plans to where jerseys that show support for the LGBT community, presumably rainbow jerseys, in warmups before the players then signed them and placed them on auction to help certain LGBT charities. In a statement from the team shared by Breitbart, no mention of the auction was made in the immediate lead to the game as the jerseys were scrubbed from the plans. The team said:
“The Minnesota Wild organization is proud to continue our support for the LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer/questioning, asexual) community by hosting our second annual pride night tonight which we are celebrating in many ways. It is important to host nights like this to show all players, fans, and the LGBTQIA+ community that hockey is for everyone.”
When it came time to enter the ice, players were seen with rainbow stick tape and pucks as the only remaining pieces of the celebration. Paralyzed former player and current staple in the Minnesota Wild’s fanbase is Jack Jablonski. Jablonski, who is gay, was seen during the game wearing the jersey:
Jack Jablonski, wearing the 2023 #mnwild Pride jersey with “Jabs” patch, doing Let’s Play Hockey. Here’s my story on Jabs coming out in September >>https://t.co/JKeIACpzvo pic.twitter.com/ANrVsMbsVw
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) March 8, 2023
A similar story happened earlier this season in the NHL when Ivan Provorov of the Philadelphia Flyers refused to wear pride-themed apparel at a game. Following the predictable outrage that ensued on behalf of the loud minority of fans who were seething with anger, Provorov said this in a post-game interview, as shared by Outkick:
“Everybody, I respect everybody’s choices. My choice is to stay true to myself and my religion. That’s all I’m gonna say. Any type of time I’m going to comment on that. If you have any hockey questions, I would I would answer those…”
According to Fox News, the NHL has said that it will not get involved in either of these matters, saying that these decisions are made in-house for each organization:
“Clubs decide whom to celebrate, when and how — with League counsel and support. Players are free to decide which initiatives to support, and we continue to encourage their voices and perspectives on social and cultural issues.”
In January, a nearly identical situation unraveled in the New York Rangers organization, where players decided against warming up in LGBT gear. The team also released a similar statement to what the Wild recently prepared, saying:
“Our organization respects the LGBTQ+ community, and we are proud to bring attention to important local community organizations as part of another great Pride Night. In keeping with our organization’s core values, we support everyone’s individual right to respectfully express their beliefs.”
The NHL’s insistence that it will not force players and teams to advocate for causes of any kind is one of the biggest reasons that the league is seeing a steady climb in interest from sports fans, especially those who are upset with constant virtue signaling from leagues like the NFL and NBA.
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