The Washington Capitals held their “Pride Night” festivities on Saturday, during which fans and players wore LGBTQ-themed apparel to show support for or demonstrate pride in gay, lesbian, and transgender lifestyles.
Yet, most of the team decided not to participate.
Of the 20 Capitals players who took to the ice Saturday for their matchup against the Florida Panthers, only eight – John Carlson, Nic Dowd, Brandon Duhaime, Hendrix Lapierre, Connor McMichael, Dylan Strome, Logan Thompson, and Trevor van Riemsdyk – were seen sporting the rainbow tape on their hockey sticks, which has become the prevalent manner in which NHL players participate in Pride Night.
The majority of the team, most notably all-time leading goal scorer and future Hall of Famer Alex Ovechkin, declined to put the rainbow tape on their sticks.
In 2023, the NHL banned themed jerseys, prompting rainbow tape to become the preferred way to show solidarity with the LGBTQ community.
The fault lines among those who chose to participate and those who didn’t could be best seen in the players’ national origins. Of the eight players who participated, all of them hailed from the United States or Canada. Of the 12 who did not, all were European, primarily Russian, Slovakian, or Scandinavian.
The fact that only a minority of the players participated did not dissuade the team from launching a full-on sensory offensive to celebrate Pride Night. Fans were bombarded with a series of videos and statements from the Capitals organization supporting the LGBTQ community.
We proudly stand with the LGBTQ+ community, and celebrate the importance of inclusion every day,” said Caps center Dylan Strome in one of the videos.
The issue of player participation in NHL Pride Nights came to the fore in 2023, when Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov refused to wear the pride-themed jersey Philadelphia had given its players. Provorov declined to participate because he is a Russian Orthodox Christian and wanted to “stay true to myself and my religion.”
The NHL issued a statement after the incident, reaffirming that players can choose which initiatives they want to support.
The Capitals lost to the Panthers, 5-2.
