Ryan Kennedy and Mike Stephens list a handful of players who stood out in the 2023 NHL pre-season. Pride Tape had become a common feature during warmups at NHL Pride-themed games, but the NHL disallowed that for this season, according to a report by Outsports.co [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAxNDAxMjkzODI5MzE4NjI5/usatsi_20391644_168400847_lowres.jpg] Pride Tape had become a common feature during warmups at NHL Pride-themed games, but the NHL disallowed that for this season, according to a report by Outsports.co The You Can Play project and Pride Tape makers released statements on Tuesday condemning the NHL's newly instituted ban on Pride Tape that was reported and confirmed by Outsports.com [https://www.outsports.com/2023/10/9/23907582/nhl-gay-lgbtq-pride-tape-drag-queen-national-anthem-player-boycott] on Monday. "It is now clear that the NHL is stepping back from its long-standing commitment to inclusion, and continuing to unravel all of its one-time industry-leading work on 2SLGBTQ+ belonging," said You Can Play in a statement. "We are now at a point where all the progress made, and relationships established within our community, are in jeopardy." The full statement can be found below. After already disallowing specialty jerseys from being worn in warmups, including Pride-themed ones after multiple players refused to wear them last season, the NHL took things a step further ahead of opening night, circulating a memo to teams that institute a ban on using Pride Tape in warmups and during games as well. The NHL has partnered with the You Can Play project since 2013, which was originally meant to formalize the league's "long-standing commitment to make the NHL the most inclusive professional sports league in the world." But on Tuesday, You Can Play said these latest decisions by the league "eradicate our visibility in hockey," which "immediately stunts the impact of bringing in more diverse fans and players into the sport." You Can Play supports the Pride Tape group, which also released a statement on Tuesday. "The Pride Tape team is extremely disappointed by the NHL's decision to eliminate Pride Tape from any league on-ice activities," said Pride Tape in the statement shared to social media. "The league has used language in recent days that would prohibit the tape from any proximity to NHL hockey. We hope the league – and teams – will again show commitment to this important symbol of combatting homophobia. Once again, the full statement can be found below. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told team governors in June [https://theathletic.com/4946564/2023/10/10/nhl-pride-tape-ban/] that specialty uniforms for themed nights, including Pride nights, Black History nights, Lunar New Year games, Hockey Fights Cancer nights, Military Appreciation nights, St. Patrick's Day games and more, should not be worn on the ice this season after saying they have "become a distraction." Despite saying players can choose to model the jerseys and support those causes, the latest memo clarified that the restrictions apply to any on-ice activity, ESPN's Ryan S. Clark reported [https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/38578872/nhl-clarifies-stance-specialty-initiatives-source-says]. With many players having advocated for Pride Tape, time will tell if this decision will be revised.
