San Jose Sharks can again choose to use Pride tape as NHL rescinds ban
San Jose Sharks players and other NHLers will once again be allowed to use special stick tape to show support for causes that matter to them
San Jose Sharks players and other NHLers will once again be allowed to use special stick tape to show support for certain causes.
In a reversal from its previous stance that prohibited players from displaying “cause messaging” on their equipment, including rainbow-colored tape often used during LGBTQ+ Pride night celebrations, the NHL announced Tuesday that players will be now allowed to “voluntary represent social causes with their stick tape” throughout the season.
The league said it made the decision in consultation with the NHL Players’ Association and the NHL Player Inclusion Coalition.
The You Can Play Project, an organization that advocates for LGBTQ+ participation in sports and has partnered with the NHL for a decade, celebrated the reversal.
“Actively welcoming communities into hockey is imperative to keep the sport strong now and into the future,” You Can Play said in a statement. “We appreciate every person, team, and organization that made their voice heard to support this change and appreciate the NHL’s willingness to listen and make the right choice.”
A handful of NHL players last season opted out of wearing Pride-themed warmup jerseys when their teams hosted those specific nights. Some, including then-Sharks goalie James Reimer, did so because of their personal religious beliefs. Several Russian players also did not wear Pride-themed jerseys, feeling they or their families would face repercussions from anti-LGBTQ+ officials back home.
Believing the news surrounding those individuals’ choices took away from team initiatives, the NHL in June announced that it would not allow players or clubs to wear themed jerseys in practices or warmups.
Earlier this month, the NHL sent out a memo to each team clarifying what was allowed to be displayed on the ice. Cause-themed stick tape, including rainbow-colored tape, was out.
The backlash to the league’s decision from some corners was swift, with the Hockey Diversity Alliance, You Can Play Project, some team executives, and individual players expressing their disappointment.
Saturday, Arizona Coyotes defenseman Travis Dermott caused a stir when he wrapped the top of his stick that he used in the game with rainbow-colored tape. Later, the NHL told The Athletic that the league would review the matter “in due course,” although it seemed unlikely that Dermott would face any repercussions.
Dermott’s former Vancouver Canucks teammate, Sharks defensemen Kyle Burroughs, said earlier this month that he disagreed with the league’s decision and was contemplating taking similar action.
“I’m disappointed,” Burroughs told this news organization of the tape ban. “It is by choice, and it was at that point in our night to choose to support anybody in this dressing room or friends, family, and fans. To show our support was something that we could do.
“Honestly, if it’s still possible, we can still get our hands on the tape. I know that the team’s been ordering it and it’s something that I would love to do if I had the opportunity.”
Sharks president Jonathan Becher believed as of last week that the NHL was on its way to amending the specialty stick tape ban. Previously around the NHL, players had also used lavender tape on their sticks on Hockey Fights Cancer nights, or camouflage tape on Military Appreciation Nights.
“Is it unfortunate that the league took that out of the player’s hands? For sure,” Becher told this news organization last week. “Do I think it’ll get back? Yes. And I think probably sooner than everyone is expecting.”
The league’s ban on players wearing specialty jerseys during practices and pregame warmups remains in effect. The Sharks, on Oct. 14, hosted their seventh-annual Los Tiburones Night but did not wear the specifically designed jerseys in warmups that have been associated with the celebration.
The Sharks are hosting a handful of other theme nights, including Hockey Fights Cancer night on Nov. 16, their Pride Night on Jan. 27, and a Celebration of Black History on Feb. 29.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.