Connor Bedard faces backlash following stance on Pride movement

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Sam Walker
March 27, 2024 (11:01)

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In the 2023 offseason, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and the league's Board of Governors decided to stop teams from wearing special jerseys for themed nights.

This happened after some players refused to wear Pride-themed jerseys last season. Some teams, like the Chicago Blackhawks, even skipped wearing them at all to avoid controversy. Some players said they didn't want to wear the jerseys because of their religion or because of anti-gay laws in Russia.

But despite this, the Blackhawks had their Pride Night at the United Center. Some players, like rookie Connor Bedard, showed their support by using rainbow-colored tape on their sticks during warmups.

Before the game, veterans Seth Jones and Nick Foligno talked about why it's important for players to support the LGBTQ+ community. They said it's about more than just wearing special jerseys.

"We're obviously all in on that as a team and as an organization," Jones said. "We respect any way of life anyone has, and Pride Night's obviously still ma big part of this league, and a big part of our organization from the top down."All the players are are still happy that the organization is at least having a Pride Night. We're not wearing the jerseys, but I think it means more than that. I think if everyone believes in it, it's not just about the jersey at the end of the day."

In an interview, Bettman said he's worried that the real reason behind Pride Nights is getting lost in arguments about jerseys. Foligno agreed, saying it's important for players to stand up for what they believe in and support each other respectfully.

"I think it's wonderful," Foligno said. "I think it's great that our league still does that. The biggest thing is everyone has different beliefs, but at the end of the day, you should be able to voice what yours is in a respectful way. It's an opportunity for us to shed light on a group of people that has felt they need more of that. So it's a great opportunity for us to do that if you feel the need to do so. It's a nice way to take on leadership yourself, whatever you feel your beliefs are. I think that's a great way to grow as a person. So if that's an important part for you, then stand up and do it and and I think everyone's there to support each other."

Now of course with all good comes bad, and for Bedard it was some controversial comments made online by those who call themselves 'fans', a lot of the comments are unable to be shown due to explicit content: