Flyers’ Scott Laughton says he’ll use Pride stick tape even as the NHL bans it

The NHL will no longer allow players to use rainbow Pride stick tape while on the ice, according to a memo sent to teams. Flyers forward Scott Laughton disagrees.

“You’ll probably see me with the Pride tape on that night,” Laughton said Wednesday. “It’s not going to affect the way I go about it. If they want to say something, they can, but it’s not going to make a difference on what I do every night for the Pride community.

“If I have to buy it myself, I will.”

The NHL’s theme night guidance previously only banned themed jerseys during warmups, but it was updated last week to include a ban on themed stick tape as well. In previous years, some players would use Pride tape on their sticks during warmups to signify support of the LGBTQ+ community.

The themed jerseys were initially banned after a few NHL players, including former Flyer Ivan Provorov, refused to wear the rainbow jerseys on their team’s Pride Nights last season and cited their religious beliefs. Provorov chose to sit out warmups instead.

“I think it got probably a little too political last year with everything, when you’re just trying to make it easy on people to come to games and feel welcome,” Laughton said.

Laughton is an ambassador with the You Can Play Project, an organization that advocates for respecting LGBTQ+ athletes. He regularly hosts guests from the LGBTQ+ community at games throughout the year. Laughton spearheaded a number of initiatives last season together with former Flyer James van Riemsdyk. They partnered with Galaei, a social justice organization for queer and trans people of color, and taught LGBTQ+ youth how to skate at the Wells Fargo Center.

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“I know how far we’ve come in this game,” Laughton said. “One of it being the language you use on a day-to-day basis, and how it can affect people. And I think we’ve come a long way from when I started with the You Can Play team, and I think our team does a great job of it.”

Other NHL players, including the Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman and the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Morgan Reilly, have also spoken out against the ban.

“It’s to make people feel welcome at the rink,” Laughton said. “And if you have a closeted gay player in the room, and you do some of this stuff, I wonder where it goes from there.”

Bobby Brink made his NHL debut in 2022, signing his entry-level contract a day after winning the NCAA title with the University of Denver. He played 10 games with the team that April and tallied four assists, though his first NHL goal has so far remained elusive.

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Now, he’s on the roster for the Flyers’ opening night.

“It’s a dream come true to make the team out of camp and start the year with the A team,” Brink said. “It’s really special for me and my family.”

Though it was more than a year ago since he last played in a regular-season NHL game, those 10 games have been valuable experience for the right winger.

“I’ve played a couple games and know a little bit what it’s like, and I can draw on that a little bit. The initial nerves of playing your first game was probably a little more than if you’ve played a couple,” Brink said. “It’s different, just because you’ve been practicing with the team from the start, and have gone through camp together. So it’s definitely different than just coming in midyear.”

Brink also figures to be a major piece in a Flyers power play that has been dead last in the NHL for two seasons in a row. The Flyers converted just 15.6% in 2022-23, and 12.6% in 2021-22.

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“That’s a big part of [Brink’s] game, where there’s even a little bit more ice, the way he sees the ice,” Flyers coach John Tortorella said. “I think that’s a big strength of his game, the offensive part, obviously. And then you put him on a power play, and I think he’s one of the better players in creating.”

Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen (undisclosed injury) practiced Wednesday but did not take contact. The decision on whether he will play against Columbus will be made Thursday. “We try to be careful early in the year,” Tortorella said.