Homophobic NHL player Ivan Provorov’s autographed jersey is now being auctioned to… support inclusion?

NHL defenseman Ivan Provorov sparked the league’s Pride Night controversies last season when he refused to wear a rainbow jersey during warmups.

But now, his signed jersey is being auctioned in support of… LGBTQ+ inclusion???

Make it make sense!

How about we take this to the next level?

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The Columbus Blue Jackets hosted their “Hockey is for Everyone” night Monday, coinciding with Martin Luther King Day. While the event wasn’t specifically focused on LGBTQ+ people, the team promoted a special Pride ticket package. Proceeds from each ticket went towards Stonewall Columbus.

Provorov’s jersey, which includes a “Hockey is for Everyone” patch, was raffled off to raise money for charity.

In other words, a player who’s synonymous with the NHL’s inclusion problems was prominently featured in the Blue Jackets’ “Hockey is for Everyone” raffle.

We’re as stumped as you are! Outsports first reported the shocking (and shockingly weird) news.

Provorov was the first player last season who refused to wear Pride merchandise, sparking months of controversy.

Players on four other teams followed his lead, and some clubs, such as the New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild, abandoned their jersey initiatives altogether.

Those homophobic acts prompted NHL commissioner Gary Bettman to ban speciality jerseys and rainbow tape this season, though the league quickly reversed course on the second misguided edict.

It’s worth noting some Blue Jackets players used Pride tape during warm-ups… but not Provorov, of course.

Yet, any LGBTQ+ Blue Jackets fan was eligible to win his jersey in the team’s raffle.

How fun!

The Philadelphia Flyers, Provorov’s former team, hosted a wildly successful Pride Night last week. They went all-out, honoring special guests throughout the affair and selling special merchandise and cocktails.

The vibes were so good, Flyers mascot (and icon) Gritty pulled off an aerial performance to “YMCA” draped in a giant rainbow skirt.

It was the opposite feeling of last season’s festivities, when Provorov’s homophobic act overshadowed the message of inclusion.

One of the most unfortunate aspects of Provorov’s Pride snub is the fact it’s still shrouded in mystery. The Russian-born player never specified why he didn’t want to wear a Pride jersey for 20 minutes during warmups.

At the height of the controversy, multiple teams said they were concerned for their Russian players’ safety if they wore Pride jerseys, given Vladimir Putin’s staunch opposition to LGBTQ+ rights.

But even the NHL rebuffed those claims.

Provorov, to our knowledge, wasn’t interviewed about the Blue Jackets’ “Hockey is for Everyone” night, either.

But in a possible example of karma, the NHL vet didn’t shine Monday. In fact, one of his defensive lapses led to a goal.

No word on whether Provorov’s game jersey was included in the ill-advised auction as well.