Rainbow tape is seen on Vancouver Canucks' Aidan McDonough's stick as players also wear pride-themed warmup jerseys during the pre-game skate before an NHL hockey game against the Calgary Flames in Vancouver, on Friday, March 31, 2023. The Montreal Canadiens haven't confirmed whether all of the team's players will wear themed warm-up jerseys during Pride night Thursday against the Washington Capitals. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
BROSSARD, Que. – The Montreal Canadiens haven’t confirmed whether all of the team’s players will wear themed warm-up jerseys during Pride night Thursday against the Washington Capitals.
Head coach Martin St. Louis and the players made available to the media after Wednesday’s practice indicated there had been a meeting to discuss the subject. However, St. Louis declined to go into specifics and added that he would answer “questions (Thursday), when we are ready to answer them.”
St. Louis nevertheless added that it was an evening the team “takes very seriously.”
Forward Jonathan Drouin, for his part, indicated that the players will be free to wear the jersey or not. Drouin spoke about cultural differences around the world, including the situation in Russia, where a law restricts “propaganda” about LGBTQ+ people, including in advertising, media and the arts.
A small group of NHLers have declined to wear Pride warm-up jerseys this season, including Philadelphia Flyers defenceman Ivan Provorov, Vancouver Canucks forward Andrei Kuzmenko, San Jose Sharks goalie James Reimer, Eric and Marc Staal of the Florida Panthers, and Buffalo Sabres blueliner Ilya Lyubushkin.
Some teams have altered or cancelled plans surrounding similar events.
On Tuesday, the Toronto Maple Leafs did not wear a Pride-themed jersey during warm-up, opting instead for rainbow stick tape and a decal on their helmets. Goaltender Ilya Samsonov did not wear the decal on the back of his mask.
The Leafs have held Pride nights in support of the LGBTQ+ community since 2017, but have never sported special warm-up jerseys.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 5, 2023.
