Provorov declines pre-game pride night skate

[DrJockitch]

8 minutes ago, Bell said:

They should stop doing all the pre-game celebrations and ceremonies.  I tune into a game to watch a game and for those two and a half hours all the bs that is happening in the world is tuned out.  All the things they are trying to bring awareness too is important but I don't think pro sporting events are the avenue for it.

Have been saying for a long time, the best solution to the anger over the anthems from either side was to do them before the broadcast begins. Tedious on broadcast anyway. 

[Strawbone]

1 minute ago, DrJockitch said:

He is a hockey player and professional athlete. He opted out of a pre-game skate. 
‘Cant force our opinions on someone.
Don’t agree with his opinion and don’t think churches should preach hate but that has nothing to do with whether a guy who plays hockey took a pregame skate. 

I'm just saying that those special pre-game jerseys that support various causes probably mean a lot to many people. Your comment felt dismissive. I'm pretty sure there's a few gay kids out there who want to play hockey who feel much better about their chances of making it when they see a pro NHL team supporting them. Thatss what it's all about.

[Gurn]

5 minutes ago, Bell said:

They should stop doing all the pre-game celebrations and ceremonies.  I tune into a game to watch a game and for those two and a half hours all the bs that is happening in the world is tuned out.  All the things they are trying to bring awareness too is important but I don't think pro sporting events are the avenue for it.

I have a lot of room for this idea.

Not so much because it interferes with the fun of watching; but rather because it seems to be merely symbolism.

hold a ceremony- look we are 'fixing things'.

military night- good for the team - nice acknowledgement of people's service- but I wonder how many ex military people can get a job working for the team?

Every home game we get the "Unceded"  native land video- but how many native folk have jobs in the organization? I'm actually impressed with the amount of native players on the team, but who works the concession stands, janitorial, maintenance, security, communications and the countless other jobs at the rink?

 

 

If all we do is 15 second symbolic gestures- nothing will change.

 

[nuckin_futz]

7 minutes ago, Odd. said:

I think if anything Torts having an issue with players kneeling for the flag but have no issue with players not wearing a the jersey shows what type of person he is. Not Provorov or any player that expresses their freedom.

A few years back Torts had a change of heart.......

 

John Tortorella reverses hardline stance on kneeling

Jun 10, 2020

• 
  Greg WyshynskiESPN

Columbus Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella once threatened to bench any player who protested during the national anthem. But as he's watched protests against racial injustice grow around the globe, he said his stance has changed.

 

Tortorella told The Athletic on Wednesday that he would no longer punish a player that protested during the anthem.

 

"I would hope that if one of my players wanted to protest during the anthem, he would bring it to me and we would talk about it, tell me his thoughts and what he wanted to do. From there, we would bring it to the team to discuss it, much like it's being discussed in our country right now," he said.

 

Tortorella said he's been reconsidering his stance on anthem protests since 2016, when as head coach of Team USA at the World Cup of Hockey he told ESPN: "If any of my players sit on the bench for the national anthem, they will sit there the rest of the game."

 

His passions were stoked by the fact that his 30-year-old son, Nick, is an Army Ranger. But four years later, Tortorella said he can separate the intentions of the protesters and their love of country.

 

"I have learned over the years, listening and watching, that men and women who choose to kneel during this time mean no disrespect toward the flag," he said.

 

Tortorella suggested that there be a moment of "unity and reflection" prior to the national anthem at sporting events "dedicated to protesting the racial injustice in our world."

 

More than 110 NHL players and all 32 teams -- including the expansion team in Seattle -- have made statements over the past two weeks regarding the killing of George Floyd, the protests that followed and racial inequality in hockey.

 

[PlanB]

34 minutes ago, Fanuck said:

What would be interesting is if the NHL decided to put a patch on ALL team jersey's that had a pride flag for example for a day or week or a month - then would he refuse to wear his team jersey and then subsequently get disciplined/punished for that? 

The 'disruptor' in me really, really wants to see this happen.....

[DrJockitch]

10 minutes ago, Strawbone said:

I'm just saying that those special pre-game jerseys that support various causes probably mean a lot to many people. Your comment felt dismissive. I'm pretty sure there's a few gay kids out there who want to play hockey who feel much better about their chances of making it when they see a pro NHL team supporting them. Thatss what it's all about.

I get that but one player opted out and did it without making any public statements or disparaging comments.  He didn’t go on Tucker and get touted as a hero. 
‘Would it have been better and less destructive to force him out there in a rainbow jersey and made even more of a media circus of it?
This isn’t like a clerk refusing to marry gay people when it is a part of their job description.  This isn’t part of Provorov’s job description. 
I wouldn’t consider signing him in Vancouver if I was GM, I wouldn’t buy his jersey if I was a flyers fan but I am not going to crap all over him because his opinion is different than mine.  As best as he could as a public individual, he tried to follow his beliefs in a quiet non-public way. It is the media and the socials that have amplified this. 
 

Edited January 18, 2023 by DrJockitch

[DeNiro]

14 minutes ago, Canuck You said:

anti-gay demonstration!?!?!?!?!

This is exactly what's wrong with society ..All of a sudden it becomes 'Anti' ...when a person doesn't follow something they don't believe in.

He’s showing he doesn’t believe in equal rights and inclusion of gay people.

 

Calling it a demonstration is obviously stupid, but his actions definitely expressed that that’s what he believes.

[rekker]

26 minutes ago, Bell said:

They should stop doing all the pre-game celebrations and ceremonies.  I tune into a game to watch a game and for those two and a half hours all the bs that is happening in the world is tuned out.  All the things they are trying to bring awareness too is important but I don't think pro sporting events are the avenue for it.

I'm all for stopping the indigenous ceremonies before games. Enough already. 

[Canuck You]

5 minutes ago, DeNiro said:

He’s showing he doesn’t believe in equal rights and inclusion of gay people.

 

Calling it a demonstration is obviously stupid, but his actions definitely expressed that that’s what he believes.

Yepp and it's his right, It's freedom of speech and freedom of expression..

 

I can careless what sexuality you choose, I'm sure if there was a straight pride jersey and someone decided not to wear that jersey no one would care..

 

We get it. You're gay , You chose that, People have a religion and they chose that also.

 

Big sports should never be included in these type of things anyways, Just shuddup and play the dang game.

[Slegr]

26 minutes ago, Canuck You said:

anti-gay demonstration!?!?!?!?!

This is exactly what's wrong with society ..All of a sudden it becomes 'Anti' ...when a person doesn't follow something they don't believe in.

He boycotted a pregame practice, which I’m guessing players don’t generally have the option of doing. That is a demonstration. It’s a societal issue, not a religious one. It was an anti-gay demonstration from my perspective. 

[Gurn]

2 minutes ago, Canuck You said:

We get it. You're gay , You chose that,

Seems you actually don't get it.

 

Gay is not a 'choice'.

[Sharpshooter]

2 minutes ago, Canuck You said:

Yepp and it's his right, It's freedom of speech and freedom of expression..

 

I can careless what sexuality you choose, I'm sure if there was a straight pride jersey and someone decided not to wear that jersey no one would care..

 

We get it. You're gay , You chose that, People have a religion and they chose that also.

 

Big sports should never be included in these type of things anyways, Just shuddup and play the dang game.

Did you choose to be straight? 
 

 

[Slegr]

2 minutes ago, Canuck You said:

We get it. You're gay , You chose that, People have a religion and they chose that also.

I have several friends and colleagues who are gay, and they did not choose that. 

[DeNiro]

6 minutes ago, Canuck You said:

Yepp and it's his right, It's freedom of speech and freedom of expression..

 

I can careless what sexuality you choose, I'm sure if there was a straight pride jersey and someone decided not to wear that jersey no one would care..

 

We get it. You're gay , You chose that, People have a religion and they chose that also.

 

Big sports should never be included in these type of things anyways, Just shuddup and play the dang game.

Except sports and social issues have always and will always intersect. Better get used to it.

 

These athletes have a platform to spread their beliefs and their initiatives. He chose this time to spread a message of intolerance. That’s his right for sure, but it’s also everyone else’s right to call him out if they want. That’s part of being in a society.

 

Its quite obvious what some peoples beliefs are on here with their veiled homophobia. All these righteous people standing up for freedom of speech all sound the same. “Well I’m okay with gay people but” or “I know a gay person so”. It’s all BS you just can’t say what you wanna say.

 

Also being gay isn’t a choice people are born that way. 
 

 

Edited January 18, 2023 by DeNiro

[Strawbone]

5 minutes ago, rekker said:

I'm all for stopping the indigenous ceremonies before games. Enough already. 

I dunno man, indigenous people have suffered pretty severe abuse and discrimination at the hands of European settlers for centuries, and if these pre-game ceremonies bring even a little more respect for their plight, I'm OK with having to wait a couple extra minutes to watch my hockey game. That's a pretty damn small inconvenience. I know plenty of people that have no sympathy for "indians" and feel like they need to suck it up and deal with their problems on their own, which to me feels really unfair.

 

I agree it sometimes feels like a bit of a hollow token gesture, but over time I think these things really do start to sink in to the collective consciousness of our society and, very slowly, being indigenous (or gay, black, whatever) becomes more and more normalized as it should be.

[rekker]

16 minutes ago, Strawbone said:

I dunno man, indigenous people have suffered pretty severe abuse and discrimination at the hands of European settlers for centuries, and if these pre-game ceremonies bring even a little more respect for their plight, I'm OK with having to wait a couple extra minutes to watch my hockey game. That's a pretty damn small inconvenience. I know plenty of people that have no sympathy for "indians" and feel like they need to suck it up and deal with their problems on their own, which to me feels really unfair.

 

I agree it sometimes feels like a bit of a hollow token gesture, but over time I think these things really do start to sink in to the collective consciousness of our society and, very slowly, being indigenous (or gay, black, whatever) becomes more and more normalized as it should be.

Nope. Leave sporting events out of it. 

[Strawbone]

1 minute ago, rekker said:

Nope. Leave sporting events out of it. 

Sporting events are a big part of society. Do you not think the plight of indigenous people in our country should be part of our public discourse? Keeping these conversations private does nothing to improve things, and it takes nothing away from the game other than a couple minutes of people’s time, and nobody is forced to even pay attention. For example I don’t like the anthems and always skip them. No biggie. It doesn’t seem like an inconvenience worth complaining about. 

[Canuck You]

Yeah I get it, I phrased that wrong but I should have said that you choose your partner, Game over. Here's a cookie because you love each other. Shuddup and play the game.

[rekker]

6 minutes ago, Strawbone said:

Sporting events are a big part of society. Do you not think the plight of indigenous people in our country should be part of our public discourse? Keeping these conversations private does nothing to improve things, and it takes nothing away from the game other than a couple minutes of people’s time, and nobody is forced to even pay attention. For example I don’t like the anthems and always skip them. No biggie. It doesn’t seem like an inconvenience worth complaining about. 

I have my feelings on the subject, and this isn't the place to discuss them. One ceremony, ok. Every game? Nope, don't like it at all. 

[Canuck You]

46 minutes ago, Slegr said:

He boycotted a pregame practice, which I’m guessing players don’t generally have the option of doing. That is a demonstration. It’s a societal issue, not a religious one. It was an anti-gay demonstration from my perspective. 

Before you get more likes for being woke, Yes it was...