Hockey Still Isn’t For Everyone

The NHL’s most recent Hockey Is For Everyone messaging was honestly a perfect metaphor. The words “homophobia,” “biphobia,” and “transphobia” were crossed out by lines bearing the relevant pride flag. And that was it. The NHL didn’t share any concrete, meaningful plans for removing those blights from the game. Those graphics showed quite succinctly that the League would make symbolic gestures, but the actual work to eliminate hate must be done by the communities being targeted. 

That lack of conviction was made more evident these past few days. 

Most readers will likely have heard about Ivan Provorov’s refusal to wear the Philadelphia Flyers’ Pride Night warm-up jerseys on January 17th. Fewer may be aware that a minor-league player couldn’t keep his ignorance to himself and was subsequently relieved of the privilege of playing professional hockey on the 14th. Despite his release from the Peoria Rivermen, Louie Rowe continues to Tweet false and intentionally harmful content about LGBTQ+ people. Rowe is fully entitled to his opinion; he is not entitled to make money as a hockey player while using his opinion as a weapon.

That is not to say that Provorov should be dismissed from the Flyers. While his decision was undebatably homophobic, he is not vocally spreading his bias the way Rowe is. However, his choice has further emboldened droves of homophobic fans. A quick look at the replies to any account which reported on Provorov’s choice reveals dozens of users applauding him for such things as “standing up to wokeness” and “refusing to comply with the gay agenda.” There are also plenty of examples of more outright abusive language.

The NHL needs to make it clear that while players always ultimately have the right to decline participation, the League as a whole does not stand for intolerance. The Southern Professional Hockey League’s Commissioner provided a statement to Ian Kennedy, which affirmed that “there is no place in the SPHL” for Rowe’s behavior. 

The NHL’s statement about Provorov comes off as weak in comparison. Nowhere does the word “Pride” appear, despite that being the catalyst for Provorov’s decision and the whole reason the statement was necessary. By refusing to name the problem–a player opting out of an inclusion initiative–the League contradicts its supposed goal “to achieve more welcoming and inclusive environments for all fans.” It gives the impression that the League would rather coddle the feelings of homophobes than do anything to make hockey meaningfully safer for LGBTQ+ fans and players. Again, the League doesn’t have to revoke Provorov’s contract. But they should do more than a short statement that fails to hold a player accountable for undermining its message.

The Flyers commented when the news broke that Provorov was not participating in warm-ups. The team claims to be committed to inclusivity and refers to the organization as “strong advocates for inclusivity and the LGBTQ+ community.” If a question may be allowed: how can the team be “strong advocates” for the LGBTQ+ community if they permit a team representative to skate in a game after refusing to be seen supporting that community? It would have been easier for the Flyers’ PR staff to scratch him and not make him available to the media. 

Hockey players get scratched from games for arbitrary infractions against team regulations. Tyler Seguin was famously held out of a game for missing a team breakfast in 2011 with the Boston Bruins. For an immediately relevant example to the Flyers, head coach John Tortorella scratched the team’s leading scorer just a month ago. By allowing Provorov to play, Tortorella implicitly endorsed his defenseman’s position. In his postgame availability, he praised Provorov for “being true to himself.” Ironically, Provorov was true to himself by snubbing a night intended to celebrate a community that ultimately seeks to do the same without threats of violence.

Suppose a minor professional league with much less revenue and influence can terminate a player’s contract for open bigotry. In that case, the biggest League in the world should be able to make a meaningful statement following a far milder situation. 

The League’s messaging needs to be backed by action. Otherwise, crossing out a word on a graphic is no more than a clever visual.