Concerns Raised After Rangers Did Not Wear Pride Night Jerseys

The Rangers did celebrate Pride Night by wearing their custom jerseys, and they did use rainbow stick tape during warmups Friday night.

New York promoted them in ticket sales materials leading up to the matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights.

“The Rangers promoted Pride Night to fans by saying players ‘will be showing their support by donning pride-themed warm-up jerseys and tape in solidarity with those who continue to advocate for inclusivity.’ Instead, the team wore their ‘Liberty Head’ jerseys in warmups,” ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski wrote Saturday. “In previous seasons, Rangers players had Pride-themed jerseys and sticks that were auctioned off after the game for charity.”

This came in the same month Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov boycotted his team’s Pride Night because it conflicted with his Russian Orthodox beliefs. Head coach John Tortorella said he respected the decision and said Provorov was “being true to himself and to his religion.”

“Our organization respects the LGBTQ+ community and we are proud to bring attention to important local community organizations as part of another great Pride Night,” the Rangers said in a statement after the game, per ESPN. “In keeping with our organization’s core values, we support everyone’s individual right to respectfully express their beliefs.”

New York celebrated Pride Night in other ways at Madison Square Garden, but Andre Thomas, co-chair of NYC Pride and Heritage of Pride, admitted the decision to not wear the jersey came as a surprise. They called it a “major disappointment to the LGBTQ+ community in New York and beyond.”

“We are communicating these concerns with NY Rangers and NHL leadership as we continue to discuss the ways these organizations can work toward inclusion,” Thomas said. “NYC Pride has a duty to both support our partners and hold them accountable. We are committed to continuing our relationships with the NY Rangers and the NHL and maintaining substantive dialogue with them about meaningful allyship with the LGBTQ+ community.”

The NHL released a statement after Provorov’s boycott with a message under the “hockey is for everyone” mantra, but the league has not commented on the Rangers’ situation, as of Saturday night.