This past year was filled with firsts & setbacks from a ban imposed by the NHL on Pride Jerseys to the triumphant return of Brittney Griner
Hockey Fights Cancer has been an incredibly powerful initiative in terms of raising money for research and raising awareness
Earlier this year, the NHL also adopted a policy banning players from wearing the rainbow-colored Pride jerseys during warm-up sessions
7 of the 1,123 active players objected, The autographed Pride jerseys are typically auctioned off to raise money for LGBTQ+ charities
Blackhawks defenseman Nikita Zaitsev is a Moscow native, & there are other players with family in Russia or other connections to the country
"NYC Pride was not made aware in advance of our participation in last night's ceremonial puck drop that Pride jerseys would not be worn"
Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov cited religious beliefs for why he refused to wear a Pride-themed jersey
The Flyers regularly wear special warmup jerseys pregame & raffle them off. This was the first time that they had done Pride jerseys