Flyers and LGBTQ organizations expect ongoing partnership after NHL bans Pride jerseys

After the NHL banned teams from wearing rainbow-colored Pride jerseys during warmups next season, the Flyers and local LGBTQ organizations expressed optimism about maintaining a meaningful partnership through other opportunities for allyship.

In June, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced that teams would no longer be allowed to wear specialty warmup jerseys on the ice to celebrate Pride, military appreciation, Hockey Fights Cancer, or any other theme nights. The league’s board of governors approved Bettman’s recommendation.

The decision was spurred by backlash to the league’s Pride initiatives that support the LGBTQ community. A handful of NHL players refused to wear Pride Night jerseys last season, often citing their religious beliefs. Among them were then-Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov and newly-signed Flyer Marc Staal, formerly of the Florida Panthers.

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Teams are still permitted to hold theme nights and auction specialty jerseys for charity, even if the players can’t wear them during warmups.

As a response to the NHL’s jersey ban, the Flyers have been among many teams that reached out to You Can Play, a campaign that has partnered with the league to support LGBTQ inclusion.

“They are wanting to do what’s right, and they are looking to get guidance,” the campaign’s board chair, David Palumbo, said of the Flyers. “That’s a very positive position to be in where you’re dealing with a partner who wants to learn more and wants to constantly be better.”

You Can Play has encouraged “Pride-365 thinking,” according to Palumbo, in which teams engage in initiatives to support the LGBTQ community throughout the year, rather than on one dedicated Pride Night.

“People have rallied around the idea [that] there’s much more that can be done, even if we’re not going to have the jerseys on the ice,” Palumbo said. “A lot of great programming that teams have done outside of the jerseys will continue.”

The Flyers have not yet announced specific plans for their outreach to the LGBTQ community next season. Local LGBTQ organizations said they’ve found the Flyers to be supportive community partners in the past when it comes to raising money and engaging LGBTQ youth, first responders, and military members. They expect those initiatives to continue.

In a statement, the Mazzoni Center, a health agency that serves Philadelphia’s LGBTQ community, said, “We are so appreciative of the Flyers, who have made it clear that they stand up for, support, and welcome the LGBTQ community, not only through things like an annual Pride Night, but all year round.”

Many of the efforts the Flyers undertook last season on behalf of the LGBTQ community were spearheaded by center Scott Laughton and left winger James van Riemsdyk, who signed with the Boston Bruins in July. The two players partnered with Galaei, an organization that supports LGBTQ individuals of color in Philadelphia, and hosted LGBTQ youth at Wells Fargo Center to teach them how to skate.

One of the children who attended that event now aspires to be a hockey player, according to Galaei’s executive director, Tyrell Brown.

“This is a young, Black, 13-year-old queer person who’s saying, ‘I want to be a hockey player because I got on the ice, and it was amazing and it was fun,’” Brown said. “That to me was one of the most beautiful things to see.”

Laughton and van Riemsdyk also donated tickets to LGBTQ organizations in the Philly area for at least 12 home games. They held a meet-and-greet for members of the community after the Flyers’ Pride Night, among other outreach efforts.

While van Riemsdyk is no longer a Flyer, the team expects Laughton will continue to serve as a team ambassador to the LGBTQ community, though they do not know which other players might get involved.

Brown said it will be important going forward for the league to empower the overwhelming majority of players who support the league’s inclusion efforts. Last season, 19 of the 20 active Flyers players wore the Pride warm-up jerseys on Jan. 17.

“We should celebrate the agency of the players that are in the NHL that want to see more diversity in the sport, that want to understand, want to share, and want to grow,” Brown said.

The Flyers plan to host another Pride Night next season, though they have not yet finalized a date or other specific plans. For last year’s event, the Flyers distributed tickets for at least nine local LGBTQ organizations to attend. Those who were there to watch the Flyers defeat the Anaheim Ducks, 5-2, said there was much more to the experience than just seeing the players wearing the since-banned warm-up jerseys.

“For many people, it was the first time that they’ve ever attended a hockey game,” Brown said. “I know one of our staff was blown away while watching the game about how fun it was, how fast it was, the power and the crashing into the boards. … [Hockey] is something that everyone can appreciate.”

There were visible tributes to the LGBTQ community throughout the night. The Flyers held a pregame skate with the Greater Philadelphia Gay Officers Action League (G.O.A.L.), which advocates for LGBTQ first responders and military members, and presented the organization with a $5,000 check.

The Wells Fargo Center was also lit up in rainbow colors, while Pride merchandise was sold in the team store. In addition, some players put rainbow-colored Pride tape on their sticks.

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Even without the jerseys, Palumbo said, “it’s just little things that all contribute to the overall message of support.”

“Yes, they’re removing that one piece [where] they don’t have to wear that [jersey,] but they’re still going to have their banners and their screens lit up in rainbow colors, so I don’t think it’s totally lost,” said Nicholas Tees, president of G.O.A.L.