The Chicago Blackhawks won’t wear their special Pride Night jerseys before playing the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday, because they are worried that Russian players could have problems back in Russia due to its new laws against LGBTQ+ people. This wasn’t the players’ decision, it was an “organizational decision” instead.
The Chicago Blackhawks hockey team currently has three players — Philipp Kurashev, Nikita Zaitsev, and Anton Khudobin — who have Russian family backgrounds. In Russia, there are laws which don’t allow people to openly show support for the LGBTQIA+ community, and so these players or their families could get in trouble if they do.
The Blackhawks released a statement saying that it is important to keep making hockey a game that is inclusive of everyone.
The Chicago Blackhawks organization is really proud to keep doing their yearly celebration of Pride Night. They are working all year to team up with and help out the LGBTQIA+ community. This includes trying hard to have conversations that will make hockey more inclusive. The Chicago Blackhawks do not accept any negative speech about the LGBTQIA+ community and they support it completely.
“Games are a great opportunity for us to show our support and raise awareness for certain causes. But it’s all the hard work we do throughout the year that really makes a difference in making sure everyone involved with sports feels welcome and safe.”
The Blackhawks hockey team has cancelled their plans for a Pride Night celebration, like the New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild teams have done too. This is because it was reported by The Athletic that players from Russia who wear the Pride Night jerseys might get in trouble when they go back to Russia.
Not long before the Blackhawks made an announcement, Luke Prokop, a gay prospect for the Nashville Predators, said he was unhappy about not getting enough help for Pride Nights this season.
