The National Hockey League has performed an abrupt 180 on its policy banning the use of gay pride tape on sticks during warmups after several left-wing players complained and one player outright violated the ban.
Arizona Coyotes defenseman Travis Dermott became the first NHL player to openly defy the league’s ban on gay pride tape on Sat.
The NHL has moved to end the use of “Pride” tape after ending the use of gay-themed warm-up jerseys last season, according to reports.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman recently noted that the league might begin reevaluating the idea of holding gay pride nights.
For those of you bothered by the steady encroachment of corporate sponsorship into the sports world, get ready to be extremely bothered.
Hockey is set to return Jan. 13 after the NHL and players completed a deal Sunday to hold a 56-game season that would include playoffs lasting into July to award the Stanley Cup.
The NHL will abandon the rest of the regular season and go straight into the playoffs with 24 teams instead of 16 — if it is able to resume play.
The NHL Players’ Association’s executive committee authorized moving forward in talks with the league on returning to play from the coronavirus suspension, approving 24 teams making the playoffs with other aspects still to be negotiated.
The NHL Players’ Association’s executive board is voting on a 24-team playoff proposal as the return to play format, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.
The NHL is still more than a week away from determining a return-to-play format, a person familiar with discussions told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The American Hockey League canceled the rest of its season Monday because of the coronavirus pandemic, shifting its focus toward an uncertain future.
Many NHL fans miss their teams. It’s been two months since the league suspended its season due to the Chinese coronavirus. Hockey lovers feel the void. Now, imagine being a fan of the Quebec Nordiques. The current stoppage of play is nothing to them. Fans in Quebec City haven’t seen their team skate in a quarter-century. If you ask former players, it is time for that to change.
Much like the Mets in New York and the White Sox in Chicago, the Quebec Nordiques were always the red-headed stepchild in their own home.
Get used to the concept of pods and pucks if the NHL is going to have any chance of completing its season, with the most likely scenarios calling for games in empty, air-conditioned arenas during the dog days of summer.
For the first time since halting play four weeks ago, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman raised the possibility Tuesday of not completing the regular season in order to squeeze in time to award the Stanley Cup.
