Ilya Lyubushkin Won't Wear Sabres' Pride-Themed Jersey; Cites Russia Law

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin will not participate in the team's Pride night activities ahead of Monday's game against the Montréal Canadiens because of anti-gay laws in his home country of Russia, per John Wawrow of the Associated Press.

Sabres players will wear rainbow-colored jerseys and use Pride tape on their sticks during pregame warm-ups to show their support of the LGBTQIA+ community, but Lyubushkin—who is from Moscow—reportedly fears retribution if he participated.

He plans on playing in the game.

The Athletic reported Lyubushkin spends offseasons in Russia with his wife and children.

The Sabres, who changed their Twitter avatar to incorporate the Progress Pride Flag ahead of their Pride night game, released a statement Monday that said: "Our team feels strongly that one way to garner support is through wearing Pride jerseys and using Pride tape in warmups. That said, we are aware of general threats to certain players and understand their decision to forego risk."

Wawrow noted Lyubushkin is not the only player around the NHL who has refused to take part in Pride night activities.

Ivan Provorov of the Philadelphia Flyers, James Reimer of the San Jose Sharks, and Eric and Marc Staal of the Florida Panthers cited religious beliefs in their decisions to avoid wearing Pride-themed jerseys.

The New York Rangers, Minnesota Wild and Chicago also did not wear the jerseys. Chicago said it did so as a result of an anti-gay law in Russia that expanded restrictions on supporting LGBTQIA+ rights.

On Monday, the Sabres stated they were hosting Pride Night to "celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community and reinforce the Sabres' commitment to building an inclusive fanbase, making KeyBank Center a safe and welcome space for LGBTQIA+ fans and their allies."

The warm-up jerseys and sticks will be auctioned with the proceeds benefiting local Pride organizations.

Lyubushkin has been in the NHL since the 2018-19 campaign and has played for the Arizona Coyotes and Toronto Maple Leafs.

This is his first season with Buffalo, and he has 14 points in 58 games.