Former Leafs GM goes on rant, publicly slamming multiple NHL teams
The NHL has long been pushing the message that "hockey is for everyone", but the actions of a trio of Metropolitan Division teams speak volumes about what the NHL's priorities really are. In case you missed it, the Philadelphia Flyers (Ivan Provorov in particular), the New York Rangers and the New York Islanders.
Each of the Isles, Rangers and Flyers have refused to take part in Pride Night activities in recent weeks, which included wearing special Pride Night jerseys in support of the LGBTQ+ community. While the teams still held their respective Pride Nights, Philly's Ivan Provorov was the first player to decline wearing the Pride colours, citing his religious beliefs as the reason. Shortly thereafter, both the Rangers and Islanders refused to wear Pride colours at their pre-game skates on Pride Night.
On Tuesday, former Leafs GM and current Penguins executive Brian Burke went on a rant, criticizing the Flyers, Rangers and Isles over their handling of their Pride Night activities. Burke, whose own son came out years ago, has been a heavy supporter and an advocate of the LGBTQ+ community, taking part in many initiatives and doing what he can to shine a light on their struggles. Burkie went on a heater here!
Like him or not, Burke made a great point when he said that wearing Pride colours is not about signing up for anything or committing to anything other than telling everyone "you're welcome here". Being a good person is absolutely free and regardless of whether or not the players agree with how someone else lives their own life, they can still be decent people and good role models for the next generation. As Burkie said - it's not like the players are signing up to a union or a newsletter - they're simply saying "you're welcome here".
| POLL | ||
15 FEVRIER | 609 ANSWERS Former Leafs GM goes on rant, publicly slamming multiple NHL teams What are your thoughts on how the Flyers, Rangers and Islanders handled their Pride Night warmup skates? | ||
| The handling of those situations was awful | 103 | 16.9 % |
| Didn't think it was a big deal | 178 | 29.2 % |
| Don't care | 151 | 24.8 % |
| The NHL needs to do better; Burke is right | 177 | 29.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
