Denis Gurianov of the Montreal Canadiens won’t be wearing his team’s special rainbow-colored pride jersey before the game against the Washington Capitals on Thursday. He explained that he can’t join in because of something related to his family. He is the seventh NHL player who made this decision recently.
Martin St Louis, a coach in Canada, said that it was difficult for him to speak about Gurianov’s decision because he couldn’t understand his situation. He believes everyone should have the right to protect their families no matter what. Martin also mentioned that Gurianov is a kind person and this issue is hard on him.
A specific law was made in Russia preventing people from sharing LGBTQ+ “propaganda”, like advertisements, news stories or art pieces.
Russian hockey players Ivan Provorov and Ilya Lyubushkin and Canadians James Reimer and brothers Eric and Marc Staal all said no to wearing colorful rainbow-themed uniforms because of their religious beliefs. Another Russian player, Andrei Kuzmenko, also said no after talking with his family. Even though one player didn’t wear the uniform, St. Louis wanted to emphasize how important this night was for the team.
“We people on this planet should love each other, and tonight is a night to think about loving one another. The Montreal Canadiens team feel that this is an important day and so do I. It’s a wonderful night!”
