No decision yet whether Vancouver Canucks will don Pride jerseys
Several NHL teams and players are refusing to wear Pride jerseys, prompting questions about what the Vancouver Canucks will be sporting at an upcoming game.
Not donning the rainbow-coloured jerseys would be seen as a real setback for many people who love the game.
Brennan Roy-Bertin, a hockey player with The Cutting Edges Hockey Club, an inclusive hockey league with dozens of members from the LGBTQ2S+ community, said he stopped playing minor hockey in Grade 9 due to a discriminatory environment.
“Being in the dressing room or even being on the ice, there was a lot of homophobic slurs going around,” he said. “No one wants to be part of that.”
In the last few weeks, players like San Jose Sharks goalie James Reimer and brother Eric and Marc Staal from the Florida Panthers have refused to wear the Pride jersey, citing religious reasons. Roy-Bertin said he used to look up to the Staals.
“I grew up watching the Staals, they were great hockey players. I idolized them, so for them to say something like that, it’s a little disheartening. To me, it's a step back,” he told CTV News.
On Twitter, Luke Prokop, an openly gay professional hockey player with the Seattle Thunderbirds, said he shares the disappointment, “in what feels like a step back for inclusion in the NHL.”
The Chicago Blackhawks also opted for its team not to wear the jerseys, referring to an anti-gay Kremlin propaganda law they say could jeapordize the safety of some of their Russian players.
Florian Gassner, a professor at The University of British Columbia who specializes in Central and Eastern European cultural history, said the Blackhawks’ reasoning holds some merit.
“This is not just something about the morality police, this has geopolitical implications, which is probably why teams like the Blackhawks are so careful to tread lightly in this environment,” he said. “Therefore, you could also say that it’s basically the Blackhawks or the NHL just protecting their brand, because otherwise they could become subject to censorship in Russia.”
The Vancouver Canucks also have Russian players on their team: Vasily Podkolzin, Andrei Kuzmenko and Vitali Kravtsov.
In a statement to CTV News, the team said it will be releasing more information closer to game night and that it has “a long and proud history of hosting pride events.”
They team has donned Pride jerseys since 2017, and many fans hope they’ll continue the tradition.
"It’s so much more than that. It’s really their ability to bring the community together for a game and show the support from the Vancouver Canucks, the NHL and the community at large in Vancouver,” Roy-Bertin said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway. While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
3 Indian nationals accused of murdering Hardeep Singh Nijjar facing court in B.C.
Three Indian nationals accused of murdering Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar are due to face court Tuesday over the killing that triggered a major diplomatic rift with India.
Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza's vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as cease-fire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife's edge.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
Highlights from the 2024 Met Gala exhibit: Sleeping Beauty would wake up for these gowns
Sure, she was a royal princess and all. But there’s no way Sleeping Beauty — either before or after her nap — ever had quite the fabulous wardrobe that’s been assembled at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Noelia Voigt resigns as Miss USA, citing her mental health
Noelia Voigt, who was crowned Miss USA in November 2023, has announced she is resigning from her role, saying the decision is in the best interest of her mental health.
Putin begins his fifth term as president, more in control of Russia than ever
Vladimir Putin began his fifth term Tuesday as Russian leader at a glittering Kremlin inauguration, setting out on another six years in office after destroying his political opponents, launching a devastating war in Ukraine and concentrating all power in his hands.