NHL Teams Won't Wear Specialty Warmup Jerseys After Pride Night Controversies

NHL players will not wear themed warmup jerseys next season.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman told Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman Thursday that specialty jerseys, such as rainbow jerseys on Pride Nights, have "become a distraction."

"It's taking away from the fact that all of our clubs, in some form or another, host nights in honor of various groups or causes, and we'd rather them continue to get the appropriate attention that they deserve and not be a distraction," Bettman said.

Themed jerseys became a contentious issue this season after multiple players, including the Florida Panthers' Eric and Marc Staal, refused to wear Pride-themed gear during warmups.

When Friedman expressed concern about the NHL's decision being made during Pride Month, Bettman agreed the concern was "legitimate," but he said Pride Nights have been "undermined by the distraction in terms of which teams, which players."

"This way, we're keeping the focus on the game, and on these specialty nights, we're going to be focused on the cause," Bettman said.

Bettman confirmed NHL teams would continue hosting Pride Nights during the 2023-24 season.

Specialty jerseys will still be available for purchase next season, although they will not be seen on the ice.

Several NHL teams already scrapped their Pride-themed warmup jerseys this year, including the Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers, and Chicago Blackhawks.

The decision not to mandate teamwide Pride activities may have been an effort to avoid the focus on players who decline to participate.

Like the Staal brothers, San Jose Sharks goaltender James Reimer and Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov cited religion as their reason for not participating last season. Buffalo Sabres defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin and the Blackhawks cited Russian anti-gay laws as the reason behind their decision.

Either way, the decision to participate dominated headlines and led to uncomfortable post-warmup questions. The NHL will now avoid that tension by taking away the choice altogether.

During his interview with Friedman, Bettman never referred explicitly to Pride-themed warmup jerseys, but he said rainbow sweaters were the focus of "distractions" last season. There were no reports of players opting out of wearing other specialty jerseys, such as those celebrating Military Appreciation Night or Indigenous heritage.

Hockey is not the only sport struggling with growing discord regarding LGBT-themed celebrations. Catholic groups recently led a protest against the Los Angeles Dodgers after the team invited, disinvited and then re-invited a nun-themed charity drag group to their annual Pride Night.

Despite the controversy, 29 of 30 MLB teams still plan to host Pride Nights in June, with the exception of the Texas Rangers.

A majority of NHL teams will likely do the same next season, but they will do so without their players dressed in rainbow warmup jerseys.