NHL reverses ban on social cause-themed stick tape

Simply two weeks after a controversial policy was revealed to the broader public, the NHL pivoted on a difficulty that will have grow to be a season-long headache as extra gamers would have chosen to defy it.

A supply advised The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun that the league is rescinding the ban on stick tape that may very well be used to characterize social causes. This comes three days after Arizona Coyotes defensemen Travis Dermott grew to become the primary participant to openly defy the ban, enjoying with rainbow-colored stick tape in assist of the LGBTQ+ group through the crew’s house opener towards Anaheim.

The NHL despatched memos about on-ice attire earlier than the season started, stating that the league was proscribing themed uniforms and tools. The memos clarified that gamers might characterize “particular causes” so long as they adhered to the crew’s gown code. 

The ban was in response to the a number of gamers who cited their spiritual beliefs as causes for not carrying Delight-themed warmups in pre-game skates final season. A number of groups, in clumsy makes an attempt to forestall any controversies with their very own gamers who would have achieved the identical, didn’t roll out their Delight-themed uniforms regardless of their superior promotion. Nevertheless, whereas consideration concerning the ban has predominately centered on Delight attire, the NHL’s method impacted all social causes – from celebrating Black Historical past Month to supporting navy personnel in the USA and Canada.

On Monday, our personal Chelena Goldman wrote about how bold Dermott’s actions were, contemplating the place he stood on the totem pole of NHL gamers:

“Regardless of the purpose, the league’s resolution to ban Delight tape has acquired huge backlash from followers and gamers alike — and boy, does that call go towards the Hockey Is for Everybody marketing campaign.”There have been stories of high-profile gamers saying they bought Delight tape on their very own and deliberate on utilizing it. Dermott, a blue-liner on a one-year, two-way contract with a crew not projected to make the playoffs, beat everybody to the punch and has made a big effect.”Now, the NHL might nonetheless disappoint the hockey world this week and determine to punish Dermott indirectly, however not less than for now, it is trying like he might need been the hero wanted to get the league to reverse its pointless and unpopular ban on Delight tape. Keep tuned.”

Whereas Dermott adopted by means of along with his actions, a number of different gamers mentioned that they had been planning to make use of the Delight-themed tape regardless of the now-rescinded ban. Fortuitously for almost all of gamers who had been towards the league’s preliminary resolution, it took in the future and one incident to deliver an finish to a extremely unpopular coverage. 

That mentioned, the coverage at-large was an unforced error by the NHL. Not solely did it go towards the spirit of its perception that “Hockey is for Everybody,” but it surely additionally appeared to come back off as a coverage the place the gamers themselves – those who’re carrying and utilizing the attire, for essentially the most half – had been both not consulted or not totally heard. (The NHL Gamers’ Affiliation had not formally commented on the matter.) The place this concern stands now with the gamers – these in open assist of sure causes and those that object to such illustration – stays to be seen this early within the 2023-24 marketing campaign.