The NHL is beginning to right a wrong after one courageous player took a stand against the league.
On Saturday night, Travis Dermott of the Arizona Coyotes taped the shaft of his hockey stick with Pride Tape after the NHL banned the use of it in early October. The Pride Tape ban came on the heels of the NHL forbidding teams to wear specialty jerseys during warmups this season after a handful of players garnered negative headlines and overshadowed team initiatives last season for refusing to wear Pride Jerseys.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman is now reporting that the NHL, NHLPA, and the NHLPA Player Inclusion Coalition have all come to an agreement that allows players to use stick tape to promotion social causes during both games and practices.
There is word the NHL, NHLPA and NHL Player Inclusion Coalition have agreed that players will have the option to represent social causes with stick tape throughout the season. This includes games and practices
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) October 24, 2023
The NHL’s decision to initially put a complete kibosh on any expression from players during warmups and games, created a game of chicken where if any player went against the ruling, the league would be forced to punish a player for supporting a worthy cause – a PR nightmare. Ultimately, the NHL found punishing Dermott too much to stomach, negotiating a way out with the Players’ Association.
Dermott essentially dared the league to fine or suspend him after he rocked the rainbow-colored tape in support of the LGBTQ+ community in the Coyotes’ 2-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks. Dermott has family members involved in the LGBTQ+ community.
Travis Dermott has been using Pride Tape on his sticks more often this season, said it's because "I have some family that is involved in the LGBTQ community. So I'd like to step forward and in the future take part in supporting them more vigorously."
— Kristen Shilton (@kristen_shilton) October 22, 2021
Players across the league pushed back on the league’s decision to initially ban Pride Tape and said they planned to violate the rule later in the year.
“If anyone does it, what is the league going to do?” Minnesota Wild defenseman Jon Merrill said to The Athletic’s Joe Smith. “Take me off the ice, give me a penalty? Then you look bad as a league. I don’t know. It’s upsetting. Just disappointing.
“You don’t want to be a distraction for the team, but I can’t see how that would be a distraction for anyone if you wear the tape for 15 minutes of warmups. It just doesn’t make sense to me.”
Similar to other sports, the new agreement gives permission to NHL players to promote social causes through their equipment, allowing for some activism to return to hockey.
According to ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the league’s previous policy was “terribly misunderstood and mis-portrayed” and the league continues to strongly support team specialty nights.
Update: Here’s the NHL’s brief statement.
NHL statement on symbolic tape in support of social causes. pic.twitter.com/BJN0hAde2W
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) October 24, 2023
Headline photo: Elizabeth Kong/RMNB
