NHL scored big when it came to supporting their gay fans during All-Star Weekend

It’s been a rough year for the NHL’s relationship with the LGBTQ+ community, given the league’s misguided bans on Pride jerseys and rainbow tape.

But over All-Star Weekend in Toronto, the NHL made progress towards mending those fissures. The league hosted its first ever Pride Cup, providing out LGBTQ+ hockey players a chance to shine on one of its biggest stages.

The Toronto Gay Hockey Association fielded both teams, with Team White defeating Team Blue 6-2. Both coaches, former NHL exec Brian Burke and ex-defenseman Andrew Ference, are two of the most vocal LGBTQ+ allies in league history.

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Burke, who founded You Can Play, a group dedicated to eliminating homophobia in sports, is currently executive director of the Professional Women’s Hockey League Players Association.

An outspoken opponent of the NHL’s new anti-Pride policies, Burke credited commissioner Gary Bettman with holding Saturday’s rainbow-studded event.

For those wondering, Pride tape was allowed…

“Gary Bettman’s been a great ally. I think people are focused on the fact that they got rid of Pride sweaters,” Burke told reporters. “They still do Pride Nights, just not the Pride sweaters. The league’s been an ally. We haven’t got everything we’d like from the league but we get great support.”

The winning team Saturday received a trophy of rainbow sticks, and the NHL donated $25,000 to the Toronto Gay Hockey Association.

Bettman banned players from wearing speciality jerseys this season, bowing to the small group of homophobes who refused to wear rainbow sweaters last year. The low point for the league came before days before the start of the 2023-34 season, when the NHL also issued a ban on Pride tape.

But mercifully, that edict was short-lived. Many players spoke out, and Arizona Coyotes defenseman Travis Dermott wrapped his stick in Pride tape, anyway, defying the league.

Through the first half of the season, multiple teams and players have come out big in their support for LGBTQ+ hockey fans. One of the more symbolic events came last month, when the Philadelphia Flyers hosted their Pride Night.

Flyers player Ivan Provorov ignited the Pride controversy last season when he refused to wear a rainbow jersey during warmups. Players on four other teams followed the dramatic defenseman’s lead, and some clubs, such as the New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild, abandoned their jersey initiatives altogether.

But this year, the organization went all-out for its LGBTQ+ supporters. The Flyers honored special guests throughout the affair and sold special merchandise and cocktails.

Various LGBTQ+-themed items were up for auction, too, including rainbow jerseys that players wore to a site visit.

Oh, and the team’s iconic mascot, Gritty,  pulled off an aerial performance to “YMCA” draped in a giant rainbow skirt.

Need we say more?!

Though teams and players haven’t hesitated to shower the gays with love, there are still restrictions. Pride tape may be back, but specialty jerseys remain banned.

The New Jersey Devils found a workaround, however. The club permitted players to wear special Pride jerseys as they arrived to the arena.

There’s no rule against that!

And the best part was, the Devils weren’t the only team celebrating Pride that night. Some players on the opposing Edmonton Oilers wrapped their sticks in Pride tape as an act of solidarity.

That was a fitting gesture, considering Oilers star Connor McDavid is one of the most visible allies in male pro sports.

When the NHL announced its misguided ban on Pride-themed jerseys, he spoke out against the decision.

“It’s disappointing to see,” he told reporters. “It’s not my call, but obviously it’s disappointing. I certainly can’t speak for every organization.”

But McDavid can speak for the Oilers, who are steadfast in their support of the LGBTQ+ community. They were the first NHL team to use rainbow tape on their sticks, and were also one of the first clubs to embrace Pride Nights.

Ference, who played for the Oilers from 2013-16 and was a team captain, marched in Edmonton’s Pride parade wearing his Oilers jersey–a strong statement given the team’s stature in the city.

Each summer, the Oilers play in their own Pride Cup, which coincides with Edmonton’s Pride celebrations.

On Saturday, Ference said he sees inclusivity improving, despite the Pride jersey ban.

“The overwhelming majority of hockey players and people in the locker rooms are incredibly supportive and incredibly proud to support causes like this and many great positive causes within the hockey community,” he said.

“I think within hockey, we see the overwhelming support for this community and that’s incredibly encouraging for me.”

It’s hard to argue with that, or at least it was on Saturday.