The Staal brothers and San Jose's James Reimer - who are Canadian - and Philadelphia's Ivan Provorov, who is Russian, all pointed to their religious beliefs for refusing to take part in warmups.
"We carry no judgement on how people choose to live their lives, and believe that all people should be welcome in all aspects of the game of hockey," Eric and Marc Staal said in a statement. "Having said that, we feel that by us wearing a Pride jersey, it goes against our Christian beliefs."
No North American professional sports league has as many Russian players as the NHL. The Russian contingent includes some of the league's best athletes. The top five highest-earning Russian players receive an average annual salary of $11.1 million this season. Sergei Bobrovsky, a two-time Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender who is making $12 million, participated in Florida's warmup in a Pride-themed jersey.
Rainbow Pride stick tape debuted with the Edmonton Oilers in 2016. Now all 32 teams hold a Pride night, though many do so without themed jerseys. The Boston Bruins and Columbus Blue Jackets call theirs "Hockey Is For Everyone" night.WHAT HAS BEEN THE REACTION?"Religion and respect are not in conflict with each other, and we are certainly disappointed when religion is used as a reason to not support our community," the organization said.
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Unwelcome spotlight falls on NHL team Pride night eventsPride nights, held annually for several years by National Hockey League teams to show support for the LGBTQ+ community, are in the spotlight following several high-profile incidents this season. A handful of players have objected to participating in pregame warmups that included Pride-themed jerseys, most recently Florida's Eric and Marc Staal on Thursday night.
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Unwelcome spotlight falls on NHL team Pride night eventsPride nights, held annually for several years by National Hockey League teams to show support for the LGBTQ community, are in the spotlight following several high-profile incidents this season
Leer más »
Unwelcome spotlight falls on NHL team Pride night eventsPride nights, held annually for several years by National Hockey League teams to show support for the LGBTQ community, are in the spotlight following several high-profile incidents this season.
Leer más »
Unwelcome spotlight falls on NHL team Pride night events after several players decline participationThe Staal brothers and San Jose's James Reimer - who are Canadian - and Philadelphia's Ivan Provorov, who is Russian, all pointed to their religious beliefs for refusing to take part in warmups.
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Eric and Marc Staal add to NHL Pride Night controversy in skipping warmupsTwo more players have been added to the NHL’s growing controversy surrounding Pride-themed jerseys.
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NHL brothers decline to wear Pride night jerseys, cite Christian beliefsBrothers Eric and Marc Staal of the Florida Panthers declined to wear special Pride-themed warmup jerseys ahead of the team’s 6-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday.
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