Maritimers weigh in on controversy surrounding NHL Pride nights
For several years now, Pride nights have been held annually by National Hockey League teams to show support for the LGBTQ2S+ community.
However, several high-profile incidents this season are shining a spotlight on the efforts designed to make hockey more inclusive, inviting and safe.
It's a controversy that fired up again Thursday night when the Florida Panthers had their pre-game warmups wearing Pride jerseys before hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Brothers Eric and Marc Staal of the Panthers refused to wear the rainbow jerseys.
In a statement, the brothers cited their Christian beliefs while adding that they "carry no judgment on how people choose to live their lives, and believe all people should be welcome in the game of hockey."
In January, Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov refused to take part in his team's Pride night, saying it would be contrary to his Russian Orthodox religion.
Last weekend, San Jose Sharks goalie James Reimer opted out as well.
Like the Staals, Reimer issued a statement citing his Christian faith, while adding the LGBTQ2S+ community - like all others - should be welcomed in all aspects of the game.
Peter Steele of Whitney Pier, N.S., is a former Pride Cape Breton chair.
He feels the explanations offered by those who have opted out contradict themselves.
"That's not welcoming everybody. That's not being inclusive whatsoever," Steele said. "If you're welcoming anybody from the two-spirited LGBTQ+ community into the things that you do, and you turn around and you basically insult them in this manner, I have a problem with your values."
Chuck Dauphinee is a founder of the Halifax Mussels LGBTQ2S+ hockey group and was on Hockey Nova Scotia's diversity and inclusion task force.
He says the divide shows the game still has trouble proving it's for everyone.
"It makes a big impression on young kids," Dauphinee said. "It makes me feel that we need more inclusion at the rinks and we need the NHL to step up, and the players to stand up.”
The Chicago Blackhawks were the latest team to cancel their Pride night, citing concerns for players with connections to Russia when it comes to laws in their home country.
The New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild also called off their events.
Nashville Predators’ prospect Luke Prokop, who is openly gay, tweeted that he "shares the disappointment in what feels like a step back for inclusion in the NHL."
In the league’s hundred-plus year history, no known active player has come out.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'