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CHICAGO -- The Chicago Blackhawks will not wear Pride-themed warmup jerseys before Sunday's Pride Night game against the visiting Vancouver Canucks because of security concerns involving a Russian law that expands restrictions on activities seen as promoting LGBTQIA+ rights in the country. The decision was made by the NHL organization following discussions with security officials within and outside the franchise, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke to the AP on Wednesday on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the move.

There's been a trend this NHL season that has nothing to do with the sport's on-ice product. Several teams have announced plans to hold Pride Nights, during which players wear jerseys celebrating the LGBTQ+ community either during warmups or games -- or both. But many of those plans have been scraped by teams after being made public. The most recent example came on March 7, when Minnesota Wild players chose to not wear special Pride Night jerseys that had been designed. Below is a deeper dive into why this is happening among NHL teams.

The NHL has a culture problem. It oversees the only professional sport that condones fighting during games among its players, so much so that extracurricular fights are part of the game’s identity, its DNA. Case in point: It has a designated major penalty for fighting because fighting has always been prevalent. The time has arrived to stop such egregious endorsement and end fighting for good. Skill, rather than fights, has served other professional sports well, with fights during games frowned upon. Other sports leagues have instituted policies that address and deter fighting, using combinations of suspensions, fines and buy-in from...

NHL player refuses to wear Pride Night jersey during warm-ups, citing religious beliefs BY JARED GANS 01/18/23 03:31 PM ET Philadelphia Flyers' Ivan Provorov, left, and Anaheim Ducks' Max Jones collide during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov refused to wear a rainbow jersey during warm-ups for the team’s Pride Night for LGBTQ inclusion on Tuesday, citing his religious beliefs. “I respect everybody, and I respect everybody’s choices. My choice is to stay true to myself and my religion,” he said while taking questions...

The Islanders will be the latest team to avoid wearing rainbow warmups for Pride Night on Thursday against the Canucks. Unlike the Rangers, who pulled their plans to do so without explanation, the Islanders have never worn rainbow jerseys due to an organizational policy against wearing specialized warmups. The only ones they wear are mandated by the league: Hockey Fights Cancer, Military and St. Patrick’s Day. The Islanders also won’t be using rainbow tape in warmups, another common theme in Pride nights throughout the league.

U.S. Secretary of Labour Marty Walsh is believed to be the leading candidate to be the next executive director of the NHL Players' Association, according to TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger. Dreger adds that the NHLPA board will meet on Thursday to further discuss its leadership search. Walsh, 55, was the mayor of Boston from 2014 until he resigned in 2021 to serve in U.S. President Joe Biden's Cabinet. Under the Biden Administration, he is charged with helping oversee federal rules and regulations designed to protect more than 150 million workers across the United States.

Bobby Hull, the Blackhawks' all-time leading goal scorer, died Monday morning, two people close to Hull told the Daily Herald.No other immediate details were available. Hull just celebrated his 84th birthday on Jan. 3.The controversial Hull, who possessed a howitzer of a shot that allowed him to score 610 NHL goals, broke into the league in the 1957-58 season. He scored 30 or more goals for 13 consecutive seasons then left for the World Hockey Association in 1972 when the league agreed to pay him $1 million.Hull, Stan Mikita and others led the Hawks to a Stanley Cup title in...

A Russian player in the National Hockey League (NHL), Ivan Provorov unleashed controversy on January 17 after declining to wear a jersey with LGBTQ+ "Pride" markings during pregame warm-ups with the Philadelphia Flyers team, citing religious objections. National Hockey League player Ivan Provorov’s Philadelphia Flyers’ jersey has reportedly sold out online after he made headlines by opting not to wear an LGBTQ-themed jersey during warm-ups ahead of his team’s game against the Anaheim Ducks on January 17. The jerseys of the Russian defenseman, who has played for the Philadelphia Flyers since first starting his NHL career in 2016, were advertised...

The Gateway Pundit reported on Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov decision to boycott his team’s “Pride Night” on Tuesday night. Provorov, a devout Russian Orthodox Christian, refused to wear his team’s gay pride jersey saying he made a choice to stay true to himself and his faith, “I respect everybody and I respect everybody’s choices. My choice is to stay true to myself and my religion.”

NHL star Ivan Provorov declined to participate in the Philadelphia Flyers' Pride Night or wear a rainbow-colored jersey, saying if he wanted to support the gay agenda he would have played soccer instead of hockey. "Listen, man, I got nothing against the gays," said Provorov to a crowd of outraged sports writers as the rest of his team pranced across the ice gracefully in their colorful outfits. "But I ain't wearing that thing. Let's leave all that gay stuff in soccer where it belongs. Also, I believe in God and stuff, and I don't want to disobey him, so there's...

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Ivan Provorov, a Russian player in the National Hockey League (NHL), sparked controversy on Tuesday night after declining to wear a jersey with LGBTQ+ "Pride" markings during pregame warmups with fellow members of the Philadelphia Flyers team, citing religious objections. "I respect everybody’s choices. My choice is to stay true to myself and my religion," Provorov told reporters. Provorov, born in Yaroslavl, Russia, is a member of the Russian Orthodox Church. Provorov has played for the Philadelphia Flyers for his entire NHL career, which began in 2016, and has also represented Russia at various international hockey events....

Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov did not take the pregame skate on Tuesday night because he refused to wear the team's LGBTQ+ Pride Night warmup jersey, citing his religious beliefs. Provorov, 26, told reporters after the Flyers' 5-2 home win over the Anaheim Ducks that it was his choice "to stay true to myself and my religion," which he identified as Russian Orthodox. "I respect everyone. I respect everybody's choices," he said.

Gino Odjick, who gained a reputation during his 12-year NHL career as an enforcer and fan favorite, has died at the age of 52. Odjick had been diagnosed with amyloidosis in 2014, which attacks the organs and the heart. Odjick reportedly died of a heart attack at a Vancouver hospital

The National Hockey League is hosting an upcoming conference for “diverse” job-seekers looking to pursue careers in the sport that is open only to racial and gender minorities. On February 2 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., the NHL — a professional association composed of 32 teams in the United States and Canada — will hold a new diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiative called the Pathway to Hockey Summit. The event is exclusive to female, black, Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino, Indigenous, LGBTQIA+, and/or disabled registrants.In a separate line on the advertisement, the NFL writes, “Veterans are also welcome and encouraged to attend.”...

Trans hockey player Danny Maki was left concussed after a much larger player collided with him during a trans hockey tournament last month. The tournament saw a championship match in which a team dominated by trans women trounced a team of mostly trans men. Despite the NHL promoting the tournament and VICE filming the tournament, next to nothing has been published about it. Quilette magazine Jonathan Kay suggested that because of the outcome of the tournament, the NHL has opted not to give it coverage A female-to-male transgender hockey player was left concussed after being flung to the floor by...

The National Hockey League has jumped to Twitter to celebrate its support of the first “transgender and nonbinary” tournament in Middleton, Wisconsin. On Tuesday, the NHL tweeted out the news. “The NHL is proud to support this past weekend’s Team Trans Draft Tournament in Middleton, Wisconsin. This was the first tournament comprised entirely of transgender and nonbinary players, with around 80 folks participating!” the league wrote on its official Twitter account. The NHL is proud to support this past weekend's Team Trans Draft Tournament in Middleton, Wisconsin. This was the first tournament comprised entirely of transgender and nonbinary players, with...

Peter McNab, the former NHL player and television color analyst for more than 25 years with the Colorado Avalanche, died on Sunday. He was 70. McNab, who was the color analyst for the Avalanche since their inception in 1995, was diagnosed with cancer last year. Peter McNab had a 14-year career that saw him finish with 363 goals and 818 points over 954 games with the Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins, Vancouver Canucks and New Jersey Devils. McNab's contributions as a player and broadcaster resulted in his induction in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2021.

The NHL released a “diversity & inclusion” report on Monday declaring its commitment to implement hiring practices related to “racial demographics,” “gender identity,” and “sexual orientation.” “We are working to better understand and accelerate our engagement across all layers of diversity – including nationality, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, and religion – and their nuances and intersections,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman wrote in the report’s introduction.

This link includes stories covering all 32 teams. In fact, it has several links discussing the status of each team, stories of each team's needs, links discussing rookies this year and a general, all-around heavy dose of all thing's hockey.

VIDEO AT LINK.................. FROM DAILY CALLER: BY: KAY SMYTHE September 01, 2022 9:32 AM ET 20-year-old junior hockey captain Eli Palfreyman died in the locker room Tuesday during a preseason game in Ontario. The newly-appointed captain collapsed in the first intermission of an Ayr Mutual Global Invitational tournament game on Tuesday night, according to the Toronto Sun. Efforts to revive him at the North Dumfries Community Centre hockey arena and Cambridge Memorial Hospital were unsuccessful, the outlet noted. “Eli had the best of care from our medical staff and quick response from the ambulatory staff,” Centennials vice president Brian Shantz...