Oilers star Connor McDavid voices strong “support for Pride Night” amidst ongoing NHL controversies
Connor McDavid states that he and his team have always been in favor of Pride Nights and believes that it is an important celebration of inclusion in the sport.
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Connor McDavid [Image Credit: Goteborgs-Posten]
Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid recently spoke on the recent controversial topic in NHL – Pride Night celebrations. What started as an initiative for inclusion in the sport, has now divided players and even teams from each other due to their contradictory beliefs.
Starting from the January turmoil, the Pride Night controversy has disturbed NHL as more and more teams and players rejected the notion of celebrating or even donning pride jerseys. Even teams, like Chicago Blackhawks, who were fine with celebrations in the past, have rejected the idea citing player safety reasons this Wednesday.
Connor McDavid voice out his opinion stating clearly that his team is on side of celebrating pride nights and would like to uphold the tradition if possible. Though the Oilers never participated in the festivities, they did say that they were not against it. Even during warmups, the players stuck rainbow tapes on their sticks.
Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman support Pride Night festivities
![Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman [Image Credit: YouTube]](https://firstsportz.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Q_1679744957-1024x768.jpg)
Connor McDavid stated, “Certainly can’t comment on other players and their beliefs, and other organizations and what they’re up to”. “I know here in Edmonton, we strongly believe hockey is for everyone and strongly support Pride night. Looking forward to it.”
“I think we were the first team to use Pride tape in warmup. We’re firm believers, obviously, in the celebration that is Pride night.” His teammate Zach Hyman agreed with the captain and stated that it is important to show that NHL welcomes LGBTQ community players into the sport.
Hyman commented, “Everybody has their own personal opinion. To me, it’s an obvious no-brainer”. “If I was in that position, I’d wear one. It doesn’t go against any of my beliefs, it’s probably on the contrary.”
“I think it’s extremely important to be open and welcoming to that greater community because they’re a minority, and they’ve faced a lot of persecution over the years.”
“To show that we care and that we’re willing and ready to include them in our game, in our sport, is extremely important to me. It’s a hard question because people have their own personal beliefs, I just don’t agree with them.”
After Philadelphia Flyers, Ivan Provorov rejected to wear pride jerseys citing religious beliefs, many NHL teams stood on his side. Some of those teams were NY Ranger, NY Islanders, Minnesota Wild, and the recent joinee Chicago Blackhawks.
San Jose Sharks goalie James Reimer and Florida Panthers Eric and Marc Staal scraped the idea of donning pride jerseys citing similar religious beliefs. Recently though, Blackhawks Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly stated otherwise.
Daly noted, “We take all risks seriously, and this one is no different”. “Having said that, we have no information that would suggest there is any material threat that would exist (in Russia or otherwise) related to a Russian player participating in a club’s Pride activities,” according to Hockey Feed.
“We are unaware of any direct, material threat on an individual currently. That being said, we understand that there is a more general threat toward certain players and believe we need to respond accordingly. We will not have any further comment on this matter at this time.”
“We wish to reiterate that our overall Pride night will go on as planned, and we are excited for all of the activities and LGBTQIA+ community members who will be in the spotlight.”
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Kaushani Chatterjee
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