Coyotes’ defenceman Travis Dermott SPOTTED using banned Pride Tape in game against Ducks, sends shockwaves across league

Travis Dermott shocked the NHL world as he became the first player to openly defy the rules of the league and use Pride Tape on his stick in game against the Ducks.

Coyotes’ defenceman Travis Dermott SPOTTED using banned Pride Tape in game against Ducks, sends shockwaves across league

Travis Dermott using Pride Tape (Pic Credit: X)

The National Hockey League (NHL) drew the wrath of fans following their ban on the usage of Pride Tape. This move came to fruition mere hours before the first game of the new 2023-24 season. Since then, several players have called out the league. In a bold move now, Arizona Coyotes’ defenceman Travis Dermott was spotted using the pride tape on his stick.

NHLers have used the pride tape to show their support for the LGBTQ+ community. Recently, captains of the Edmonton Oilers and Boston Bruins, Connor McDavid and Brad Marchand, respectively, criticized the decision of the league. Dermott has become the first player to defy the rules and use the pride tape publicly.

YouTube video

A photo that has now gone viral on the internet, sees Dermott having a small amount of rainbow-colour pride tape on his hockey stick. This incident occurred during his team’s recent game against the Anaheim Ducks.

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With the Coyotes set to celebrate their “Pride Night” celebrations on October 27, this move has now sent shockwaves across the league. Social media users have backed the defenceman and applauded him for standing up. Here is a post shared on X (formerly called Twitter), which shows him using the pride tape:

NHL set to review Travis Dermott’s case of using Pride Tape

With less than a week’s time to go for the Pride Night celebration of the Arizona Coyotes, Travis Dermott made a bold statement. He did this talking on the ice field rather than off-field and became the first player to defy the rules of the NHL openly. He is now set to be under review by the league for usage of the banned Pride Tape.

Travis Dermott
Travis Dermott (Pic Credit: AP)

The NHL said in their statement as per The Athletic. This is what they said:

We will review it in due course.
NHL’s statement via The Athletic.

It is likely scenario that he will be fined or even suspended for his actions. However, what will be the punishment or will there be any punishment is now a matter of question.

While he has the fans on his side for this move, Jeff McLean, one of the co-founders of Pride Tape, also supported him. He explained how this move by Dermott was powerful and sends a strong message to the league. This is what McLean said:

It means everything. It's so incredibly powerful.
Jeff McLean via The Athletic.

Some players have already cleared their intentions of using the Pride Tape. More players will likely join Dermott and perhaps need this step from him to move forward with their plans. It will be interesting to witness how the league handles this situation from here on as the season advances.

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