“Right move but damage already done” – NHL’ decision to reverse ban on Pride Tape sparks mixed reactions from social media

The National Hockey League have now reversed their decision and will allow players to use Pride Tape from here on.

“Right move but damage already done” – NHL’ decision to reverse ban on Pride Tape sparks mixed reactions from social media

Buffalo Sabres' Alex Tuch using Pride Tape (Pic Credit: AP]

Almost two weeks after announcing the decision to ban it, the NHL has reversed its decision. Going forward, players will be allowed to use Pride Tape on their sticks following the new announcement by the organization.

Hours before the start of the new season, the league announced a ban on using Pride Tape. This saw them being slammed heavily on social media. The body had sent a memo to all 32 teams regarding what was allowed and not to practice this season.

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Several stars including Connor McDavid and Brad Marchand later spoke against this ban. However, the big development came when the Arizona Coyotes’ defence Travis Dermott defied the rules and used the pride tape on his stick against the Anaheim Ducks.

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"Pleased to see the league's policy has been revised to that players are free to support causes they believe in".
NHPLA said in a statement via AP News.

The major reason this development (ban of Pride Tape) took place was when a few players refused to take part in Pride Night celebrations last season. Ivan Provorov was the first in this place. The former Philadelphia Flyers defenceman cited religious reasons to not participate in. His bold stand saw a few more players join him in this.

Social media reacts to the reversal of Pride Tape

Since the move was announced by the league, they were under the wrath of fans and social media users. The league and Commissioner Gary Bettman were called out for banning the pride tape in the first place. After this reversal of decision, the internet has been left divided.

Travis Dermott
Travis Dermott using Pride Tape (Pic Credit: X)

Though some fans have applauded his move and hailed Travis Dermott for standing up, some have bashed the league for banning its usage in the first place. One section of users has also called to keep politics out of sports. One user wrote, “Right move but damage already done“. Check out that and other reactions from X (formerly called Twitter) below:

https://twitter.com/jsujsndnd/status/1716887356828233942?t=VCTD9e9Uzbay_nP2Z8O9oQ&s=19
https://twitter.com/LucasDame1/status/1716947045448380458?t=Lm2ClxpuleeATid8Nqvohg&s=19

While the decision may have been reversed now, the issue is still far from settled. Could the NHL have prevented this with a more discussed approach in the first instance? It is likely that the debate regarding this and the reversal of this decision is going to continue for a few more days.

The fans though who have been supporting this cause, are now eager to see the first Pride Night celebration of this year. The Coyotes will hold theirs on 27th October when they take on the LA Kings.

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