Blackhawks caught in lies over Pride Night controversy

On Wednesday, it was confirmed that the Chicago Blackhawks declined to wear Pride jerseys during Pride Night, citing security concerns for their three players of Russian heritage. The decision was made by team and security officials, not the players themselves. Nikita Zaitsev, Philipp Kurashev and Anton Khudobin all have Russian heritage and it was the team’s security officials that made the call.

However on Friday, deputy commissioner Bill Daly tells the Athletic that the league has no information that suggests there’s any “material risk” to any Russian participating in any Pride night activities.

“We take all risks seriously, and this one is no different,” Daly wrote in an email. “Having said that, we have no information that would suggest there is any material threat that would exist (in Russia or otherwise) related to a Russian player participating in a club’s Pride activities.”

In response, the Blackhawks cited “a more general threat,” which has angered many, making fans feel like they're not speaking the truth on what's really going on in Chicago. 

While the Blackhawks agreed with the league’s assessment regarding the material risk to Russian players, they still believe a response was warranted.

“We are unaware of any direct, material threat on an individual currently. That being said, we understand that there is a more general threat toward certain players and believe we need to respond accordingly. We will not have any further comment on this matter at this time. We wish to reiterate that our overall Pride night will go on as planned, and we are excited for all of the activities and LGBTQIA+ community members who will be in the spotlight.”

This is getting ridiculous. What was supposed to be an inclusive event and cause has never divided people as much as of now.

Days after San Jose Sharks goalie James Reimer did not take part in pregame warmups last Saturday, the Staal brothers, Eric and Marc, of the Florida Panthers decline to wear the Pride jerseys last night in warmup.

There were also the New York Rangers, Islanders and Minnesota Wild that decided not have players wear Pride jerseys during warm-ups on Pride Nights. It all started when Philadelphia Flyers’ Ivan Provorov refused to wear the themed jersey and did not part take in his team’s warmup for the cause in January citing religious beliefs.

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