The Chicago Blackhawks decided not to wear controversial Pride-themed jerseys and well-known brothers who play for the Florida Panthers have expressed their views about the jerseys..The Blackhawks become the fourth team in the NHL to decline wearing such jerseys, joining the New York Rangers, New York Islanders, and Minnesota Wild, while citing safety concerns for their Russian players for not wearing the jerseys this season, reports the New York Post..The Athleticsays the Chicago decision was made by “team management and security officials” and not the players..There are laws in Russia that are against voicing certain views, which make it illegal to "spread ‘propaganda’ about ‘nontraditional sexual relations’ in all media, including social, advertising and movies," according to the New York Times..“We do not condone anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric, and we stand firmly with the community,” the Blackhawks organization said in a statement. .“While we know game day celebrations like these are an important way we can use our platform to bring visibility, it is the work we do together 365 days a year that can create true impact in ensuring all of our colleagues, fans and communities feel welcomed and safe within our sport.".The Blackhawks have several players on their roster who could potentially run into problems, reports Blaze News..Those players include Moscow-born defenceman Nikita Zaitsev, goalie Anton Khudobin who is a Kazakhstani-born Russian and forward Philipp Kurashev, who was born in Davos, Switzerland, but holds Russian citizenship and is the son of a former professional hockey player..Also at potential risk is Canadian-born Boris Katchouk who has Canadian and Russian citizenship. His mother was an Olympian for the Soviet Union..Blaze News notes, “However, other Russian NHL players have worn similar jerseys in the same season, including San Jose Sharks players Alexander Barabanov and Nikolai Knyzhov and Pittsburgh Penguins star Evgeni Malkin.”.Brothers Marc and Eric Staal of the Florida Panthers took a stand against the jerseys, refusing to wear them prior to their Thursday night game against the Toronto Maple Leafs..While the Panther players were expected to wear the jerseys, Pride-themed scarves, wristbands and other merchandise were distributed throughout the stadium, so fans could similarly endorse the LGBT agenda, says Blaze News..In a statement, the Staal brothers said they "carry no judgement on how people choose to live their lives and believe all people should be welcome in all aspects of the game of hockey. We feel by us wearing a pride jersey it goes against our Christian beliefs."."We hope you can respect this statement. We will not be speaking any further on this matter and would like to continue to focus on the game and helping the Florida Panthers win the Stanley Cup.".Florida coach Paul Maurice said Thursday individual players and teams around the league had a right to decline, reported Florida Hockey Now.."As an organization, we have decided, and rightfully so, to move forward with it and support it and celebrate it," said Maurice.."Teams around the league and players around the league, they’ve got the right to their opinion, and we’ve got the right to ours. But I’ve seen the sweaters. They’re great looking, and it should be a great night tonight.".San Jose Sharks goaltender James Reimer and Philadelphia Flyer Ivan Provorov recently said they would not wear the jerseys because of their Christian beliefs..Reimer said, "For all 13 years of my NHL career, I have been a Christian, not just in title, but in how I choose to live my life daily. I have a personal faith in Jesus Christ who died on the cross for my sins and, in response, asks me to love everyone and follow him.".Mainstream sports media derided the decisions to not wear the jerseys, with Greg Wyshynski at ESPN suggesting if Provorov would not take part in LGBT activism symbolically, he should do so monetarily, claiming he "owes them a donation.".“Pronoun-providing sports writer Kelsey Trainor said Reimer was "hiding behind the Bible to refuse to endorse gay people having rights and existing," calling him "gross," reports Blaze News, adding “the Staal brothers were met with similar denunciations, largely from the media class.”.Eric Macramalla, a TSN sports legal analyst, tweeted, "So let me get this straight: in refusing to wear the Pride jersey, the Staal brothers said they 'carry no judgment on how people choose to live their lives' but then say wearing a Pride jersey 'goes against our Christian beliefs'. Sounds pretty judgy."
