Travis Dermott becomes the first player to openly defy NHL’s rule banning Pride Tape… with league set to decide whether Arizona Coyotes defenseman will be fined

In what will likely be the first of many examples of ignoring the National Hockey League’s rule banning the use of Pride Tape, Arizona Coyotes defenseman Travis Dermott used the product on his stick.

During a Saturday night game against the Anaheim Ducks, Dermott was seen with a small piece of tape on the top of his hockey stick.

It marks the first time a player in the league has used the product since it was banned in the latest wave of anti-LGBTQ+ policies the league has implemented.

When the league instituted this ban, it did not mention any consequences for players if they chose to ignore the rule.

In a statement to The Athletic on Saturday evening, the league said: “We will review it in due course.”

After an outcry when seven players – just 0.6 percent of all those who took the ice in the NHL in the 2022-2023 season – decided they would not wear Pride-themed jerseys, the league decided to suspend all forms of so-called ‘Special Initiative to ban. ‘warm-up uniforms.

In addition to Pride Night, that includes a ban on jerseys for Military Appreciation Night and Hockey Fights Cancer Night.

But further guidelines announced this month saw a complete and total ban on rainbow-coloured ‘Pride Tape’, completely removing a player’s freedom to express their support for the LGBTQ+ community.

The use of the tape was completely voluntary and was not done by everyone on Pride Night in the past. But that didn’t stop the league from banning its use in games, practices and warm-ups.

As a result of this ban – which was imposed mainly after a minority of players objected to it – many of the league’s top athletes have voiced their opposition to the rule.

Connor McDavid, the league’s best player for several years, said that he wishes for the decision to be eventually overturned.

“From a competition point of view, is it something I would like to see back in place at some point? Certainly. You know, but it’s not like that now. I’ve commented on this before. I think everyone knows how I feel,” the Edmonton Oilers captain said.

Morgan Reilly, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ top defenseman, said“I wish players had the right to do more and be more involved… I continue to be involved in the community and offer support to those communities and groups that want it.”

Jon Merrill, a defenseman for the Minnesota Wild, decided to do just that take a more direct approach in his criticism.

“If someone does it, what is the league going to do? Get me off the ice? Fine me? Then you look bad as a competition. Don’t know. It’s disturbing. Just disappointing,” Merrill said.

He added: “You don’t want to be a distraction to the team, but I don’t see how that would be a distraction to anyone if you wear the tape for 15 minutes of warm-up. It just doesn’t make sense to me.’

Philadelphia Flyers alternate captain Scott Laughton was openly defiant when he said, “You’ll probably see me with the Pride Tape that night anyway… If they want to say something, they can.”

Others were more muted in their response, or expressed outward disappointment with the competition.

Brad Marchand, who was recently named captain of the Boston Bruins, took an unusually cautious approach to his response.

“You know, I believe – my belief is that you should treat everyone with respect, treat people how you want to be treated, and you should support who and what you want to support,” Marchand said.

‘Moreover, I don’t think we should be used to push political agendas either. So if there’s something you want to support, you support it. I think a lot of it comes from the backlash players have received in recent years.

“It’s just a shame when you try to stand up for what’s right and somehow you get a lot of pushback. It seems like you can’t win right now.”

San Jose Sharks forward Anthony Duclair called the decision ‘confusing’ while adding: ‘It sucks that it won’t be part of the progression of the competition.’

Zach Hyman from Edmonton said that he “enjoyed wearing the Pride jersey, the Pride Tape, the military jersey… Indigenous night, all those great things that we support. We can support them individually, but collectively the players have no control over that. Disappointing, but beyond our control.”

Rasmus Andersson of the Calgary Flames said the ban hurts something close to my heart: ‘It’s not just Pride Tape, it’s Hockey Fights Cancer, that’s a big one… we just have to find different ways to support it. It’s so obvious to me that I don’t understand it.’

Andersson’s teammate Jonathan Huberdeau said he ‘fully supported’ using Pride Tape ‘and (I) still support it.’

The league’s ban on Pride Tape came just days afterward ESPN’s Ryan Clark leaked a memo of which the NHL released earlier this year; which seemed to suggest that players could choose to avoid interacting with people who identify with Special Initiative communities altogether.

Clark’s reporting said that more than eight teams “expressed concerns about a portion of the memo that stated: ‘Players should not be put in the position of having to show personal support (or where they may appear to be demonstrating) for special initiatives . A factor that may be taken into account in this regard is, for example, whether a Player (or Players) is required to be in close proximity to groups or individuals who are visibly or otherwise clearly associated with such Special Initiatives).

Sources told ESPN that the original reason behind the memo was to tell teams not to wear special jerseys during a game, during warmups or during practice.

That source added that the “only limitation for teams off the ice is that they cannot force players to participate in special purpose events, as some players may fear retaliation or embarrassment if they decide not to participate.” to take.’

To clarify their position, the NHL sent an updated memo to all teams last Thursday clarifying the league’s original rule.

It explained that the league’s restrictions cover on-ice activities, while adding that “players should be encouraged to express themselves off the ice.”

In reporting on the Pride Tape decision, gay sports blog OutSports said it was “to our knowledge, the most stifling anti-LGBTQ policy any professional sports league in North America has ever enacted.”

Many of the seven players who said they would not wear a rainbow jersey were Russian – some of whom cited fear of reprisals from Russian President Vladimir Putin as a reason for not wearing a Pride jersey.

This did not stop many more Russian players, such as three-time Stanley Cup winner Evgeni Malkin, from donning a rainbow-colored jersey.

After the backlash from just those seven players, many teams decided to stop wearing Pride jerseys — a controversy that NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman called a “distraction.”

The NHL remains the last major North American sports league where no current or former player or coach has come out as part of the LGBTQ+ community.