Penguins’ President Brian Burke Blasts Players, Teams Not Participating in Pride Nights
The Pittsburgh Penguins hosted a successful, but the same can't be said for multiple NHL teams.
PITTSBURGH - Pittsburgh Penguins president of hockey operations Brian Burke is one the NHL’s foremost figures in league front offices.
Not only has Burke been the general manager of multiple teams, but he’s a Stanley Cup Champion and hopes to bring that same success to the Penguins.
More than just a face in building hockey teams, Burke is a leader in growing the game and a strong supporter of the LGBTQ+ community.
Over the last couple of months, the NHL has seen an increase in players and teams refusing to participate in Pride Nights or dawn warmup jersey showing support for the LGBTQ+ community.
It all started when Philadelphia Flyers defensemen Ivan Provorov refused to wear a special jersey, didn’t participate in warmups.
Since then, James Reimer of the San Jose Sharks and Eric and Marc Staal of the Florida Panthers have refused to wear special jerseys, all citing religious beliefs.
The Minnesota Wild, Chicago Blackhawks, and New York Rangers all decided to abandon the warmup jersey idea for their respective Pride Nights.
With a few different reasons given, Burke joined Hockey Night in Canada to discuss his views and thoughts on the growing resistance to the initiatives.
“To our friends in the LGBTQ+ community, don’t be discouraged,” Burke said. “We’ve had a couple of minor setbacks from a tiny number of players, but we’ve made steady and spectacular progress in this space.”
While players stated it was their beliefs that forced their decisions, the Blackhawks specifically stated it was out of security concerns for their Russian-born players.
In December of 2022, Russia ramped up their restrictions on promotion of such initiatives.
“With the religious reasons, it just doesn’t compute for me,” Burke said. “I was born and raised a catholic. I don’t see any conflict between my religious beliefs and the ability to say to the LGBTQ+ community you’re welcome here.”
Burke went on to say that that’s all Pride Nights are, just a reminder that anyone is welcome in the game of hockey.
As for the issues that may arise from Russian government, Burke does understand protecting the safety and well being of a player and their family, but there has to be legitimate cause for concern.
“There’s no material threat that I can discern,” Burke said. “I can side with the players on this one. To the extent that if there is a real risk. I don’t sense that there is one… if the players perceive a risk, then it’s legitimate. No one should put their family at risk.”
Burke has become the go-to name when discussing his views on players and teams opting out of wearing these special uniforms.
In March of 2012, Burke launched the You Can Play project which is targeted at ending homophobia in sports.
Burke created the project in memory of his late son Brendan, who died in February of 2010 at the age of 21 and was gay.
This isn’t the first time Burke has spoken on the topic this year, and it likely won’t be the last.
“We got to stick to our guns,” Burke said. “The NHL supports everything that’s being done here.”
The Penguins already held their Pride Night at PPG Paints Arena and everyone on the roster wore special warmup jerseys, there were no holdouts.
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