Travis Dermott defends use of Pride Tape: ‘Hockey is for Everyone’
The NHL has been playing with fire recently, banning all alternative warmup jerseys only months ago. Now the league has banned all rainbow-colored pride tape for skaters – causing a mass outcry among players, coaches, fans, and the LGBTQIA+ community. Well, Arizona Coyotes defenseman Travis Dermott is having none of that.
Dermott recently used the banned Pride Tape around the shaft of his stick, causing a lot of controversy among the 26-year-old defenseman.
“You don’t really want to go against rules that are put in place by your employer, but there’s some people who took some positive things from it,” Dermott told Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports. “That’s kind of what I’m looking to impact.“
“You want to have everyone feel included and that’s something that I have felt passionate about for a long time in my career. It’s not like I just jumped on this train. It’s something that I’ve felt has been lacking in the hockey community for a while. I feel like we need supporters of a movement like this; to have everyone feel included and really to beat home the idea that hockey is for everyone.”
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman released a statement regarding the ban of the alternate jerseys including calling them a distraction.
“I’ve suggested that it would be appropriate for clubs not to change their jerseys in warmups because it’s become a distraction and taking away from the fact that all of our clubs in some form or another host nights in honor of various groups or causes,” Bettman said in an interview with Sportsnet following an NHL board of governors meeting in New York. “And we rather them continue to get the appropriate attention that they deserve and not be a distraction.”
Travis Dermott isn’t the only NHL player who has rioted against the ban of pride tape. Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly has his own opinions on the banning.
“I wish players had the right to kind of do more and be more involved,” Rielly told the media Tuesday, including TSN. “I’m going to continue to be involved in the community and offer support to those communities and those groups that want that (and) need that.
“As players, we’re going to continue to be involved pretty much no matter what the league says.”
Dermott doesn’t want to put other members of the Coyotes organization into any controversy. He says the use of the pride tape was something he did by himself.
“I don’t want to put my teammates or my coaches or my GMs or the equipment managers in any kind of bad light when it’s their job to kind of look out for something like this happening,” he said. “It was definitely something that I did just by myself and was prepared to kind of deal with whatever repercussions the league decides to push towards that. I’m not going to back off and say that this battle is won, but we’re going to find better ways to do it.”
The NHL has yet to make their next move regarding the pride tape. Will they continue to outlaw the tape or will they allow players to use it once again? Let us know in the comments down below.
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