The Blackhawks will become the third NHL team to decline to wear Pride jerseys during Pride Night, citing security concerns for their three players of Russian heritage, team sources confirmed to The Athletic.
Two Blackhawks sources stressed that the decision was made by team management and security officials, not by the players, but it’s another body blow to the Hockey is For Everyone movement that the NHL proudly touts, but all too frequently fails to back up.
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A Russian law passed in December criminalized so-called LGBTQ+ “propaganda.” Since then, the Minnesota Wild and the New York Rangers opted out of wearing Pride-themed jerseys during warmups — typically, the jerseys have rainbow coloring and are auctioned off for charity.
Now the Blackhawks will join them, contradicting earlier statements from alternate captain Connor Murphy and team CEO Danny Wirtz.
Just two weeks ago, in the wake of the Wild and Rangers decisions, The Athletic spoke with Murphy about the Blackhawks’ upcoming Pride Night. Murphy was confident the Blackhawks would wear the jerseys — a small part of Pride Night, but easily the most visible.
“I don’t think we have anyone, that I know of, that wouldn’t support that,” Murphy said. “I think it was surprising to see that stuff came up this year. We’ve been doing it for so many years, so it’s not like it’s a new subject. … It is a bit disappointing (to see around the league). It seems like we have so many other nights, and nobody raises any issues. Hockey is about inclusion, about growing the community and the game. I don’t see why anyone would have a need to feel like they don’t support a certain group. If it’s about the game and about bringing everyone together and about equality, everyone should always be supportive of that.”
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Asked last month what the Blackhawks would do if a player wanted to opt out of Pride Night, Wirtz said he didn’t “want to give a lot of energy to the outliers. I want to give it to the stuff that’s working and the players that are behind it, the players that are committed to this, our employees (to whom) this is really important. That’s really where we want (to focus our) energy.”
In that vein, a team source didn’t know if the players who did want to wear the jerseys pushed back on the decision at all. The organization chose not to give players the choice, citing concerns that Russian players could be put in a position to cite the Russian law as the reason for their absence. Due to the way the law is written, the team was worried players could end up violating it simply by citing it as the reason for their lack of participation, because it would imply they otherwise would have worn the jerseys.
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The Philadelphia Flyers all wore their Pride jerseys while defenseman Ivan Provorov sat out, and the San Jose Sharks all wore theirs while goaltender James Reimer sat out, citing his Christian beliefs. On Tuesday, the entire Stars team wore their Pride jerseys during Dallas’ Pride Night.
GO DEEPER Inside Ivan Provorov’s Pride Night snub and the Flyers fallout
The Blackhawks reached out to their community partners to explain the decision, and while they “understood,” there was obvious “disappointment,” the source said.
Sunday night’s game will still be “Pride Night,” which includes the front office working with the You Can Play team, a Chicago Gay Hockey Association family skate at the team’s practice facility, and a “fireside chat” with assistant general manager Meghan Hunter and Alphabet Sports Alliance activist Brock McGillis. Before the game, there will be an event in the United Center atrium featuring LGBTQIA+ entertainers and small businesses, and an in-game performance from the Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus.
“We do not condone anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric, and we stand firmly with the community,” the team said in a released statement. “While we know gameday celebrations like these are an important way we can use our platform to bring visibility, it is the work we do together 365 days a year that can create true impact in ensuring all of our colleagues, fans and communities feel welcomed and safe within our sport.”
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(Photo of last year’s Pride Night jerseys: Chase Agnello-Dean / NHLI via Getty Images)