The Blackhawks will not wear rainbow-colored Pride jerseys during warmups against the Canucks on Sunday, March 26 the team's scheduled Pride Nightbecause of safety concerns for Russian players, The Chicago Sun-Times reported.
However, the Chicago Gay Men's Chorus and LGBTQ+ figure DJ Zel will perform during the intermissions, while the Chicago Gay Hockey Association will compete in an on-ice intermission competition.
The NHL team has worn rainbow-themed jerseys on Pride Night in previous seasons and have worn special jerseys during warmups on other nights.
However, conversations with security officials about the possible implications of a new Russian law banning "gay propaganda" reportedly led to the Hawks deciding to scrap the Pride jerseys for this year.
Pride jerseys have been in the forefront of the news since January, when Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov refused to wear a Pride jersey, citing his Russian Orthodox religious beliefs. Since then, the New York Rangers, New York Islanders and Minnesota Wild also have dropped plans to wear Pride jerseys.
Openly gay Predators defenseman prospect Luke Prokop tweeted that the trend is "disheartening," calling it a "step back for inclusion in the NHL."
The full article is at chicago.suntimes.com/blackhawks/2023/3/22/23652380/blackhawks-not-wearing-pride-jerseys-russian-law-gay-propaganda-safety-concerns .