at The NHL sent out a memo to its teams this week informing them that they will no longer be able to use their jerseys and kits to reflect and support campaigns like Hockey Fights Cancer, military appreciation celebrations and Pride!
The NHL had earlier prevented teams in June 2023 from wearing pride jerseys during warm-up games which took place during Pride month. The NHL made these changes after a number of players decided to opt out of Pride warm-up sessions as it went against their religious beliefs. The NHL has told teams that their players can voluntarily celebrate Pride campaigns but it must be done off the ice.
LGBTQ+ Campaigners Not Happy With NHL
The new NHL policy to ban pride tape has not gone down well with the LGBTQ+ community who believe the NHL is sending a message that hockey is not for everyone! The You Can Play Project which campaigns for LGBTQ+ rights said that the NHL had decided to step back from its efforts at inclusion and all the hard work done in recent years is now under threat.
The NHL will however continue to celebrate Pride month but players will have to conform to the new policy.
