The Chicago Blackhawks won’t wear their Pride Night jerseys, citing concerns about Russian players.

Citing safety concerns for its Russian players, the Chicago Blackhawks have given their players gay pride-related warm-up jerseys for Sunday’s Pride Night celebration before their home game against the Vancouver Canucks. Do not wear it.

The team cited the expansion of a “gay propaganda” bill that Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law in December, banning the promotion of “non-traditional sexual relationships and/or preferences.”

A source told the Tribune that the Hawks have made “any media” dangerous, including social media posts depicting players of Pride Night’s colors, without further clarification on how the law will affect Russian players. said they were willing to expose it to Players or their family members who are in conflict with the Russian government.

Hawks defenseman Nikita Zaitsev was born in Moscow and has represented Russia in eight major international tournaments.

Forward Filip Krashev grew up in Switzerland but is the son of former Russian hockey player Konstantin Krashev.

Goalkeeper Anton Hudvin is a Kazakhstan-born Russian who was playing for Russia when the Minnesota Wild drafted him in 2004.

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“The Chicago Blackhawks organization is proud to continue our annual Pride Night celebration alongside our year-round efforts fueled by partnerships and engagement with the LGBTQIA+ community,” the team said Wednesday. “Together, our work will focus on fostering conversation and a fairer space in our quest to make hockey more inclusive. We do not tolerate LGBTQIA+ rhetoric and stand firm in our community.

“We know that Game Day celebrations like this are an important way to use our platform to raise awareness, but we want our colleagues, fans and community all to feel welcome and welcome. It’s the work we do together 365 days a year that can create real impact to make you feel safe in our sport.”

Hawks CEO Danny Wertz added in the team’s release: As an organization, we are working to open up to those who have been marginalized, those who feel unsupported, and those who feel our sport is not their place.Black We do it every day to show hockey lovers that the Hawks love hockey. ”

In addition to media concerns, sources also cited recent hardline rulings by Russia regarding professional athletes. Wildstar Kirill Kaprisov’s visa troubles (probably exacerbated by US-Russian tensions). Philadelphia Flyers goalkeeper candidate Ivan Fedotov was detained as a “military evader” shortly before he planned to move to the United States and was assigned to a remote military base in northern Russia.

Kurt Weaver, chief operations officer of the You Can Play Project, an LGBTQ+ athlete advocacy group, said: We will adjust our claims according to the laws of another country. ”

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The You Can Play project is in partnership with the Hawks. Weaver said he sees the big picture when it comes to the Hawks’ support for the gay community.

Weaver also referenced recent controversies caused by NHL players such as San Jose Sharks goaltender James Reimer and Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov.

new york rangers Refrained from wearing pride-themed warm-ups Ahead of their January 27 home game against the Vegas Golden Knights, they said they “support the right of every individual to respect and express their beliefs.”

“Such coverage went to an individual or one item of Pride Nights that was considered a failure,” Weaver said. “In fact, 11 years ago when we started , one person wearing the pride tape would have made it big, and one player wearing the rainbow little one would have been big news.

“And now that the whole team, the whole community, and the whole arena are on this Pride Night, this story is a celebratory one. What a victory where we are now, to be able to even talk about things.”

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He also noted that in the summer of 2010, the Hawks became the first team to feature the Stanley Cup at the Pride Parade.

Coincidentally, You Can Play Project staff visited the Hawks’ office on Wednesday to hear about the itinerary for Pride Night at the United Center. This includes the Zamboni, garnished as “granboni”.

“Our response was a deep appreciation for such a night of visualization and the team for taking so many steps and devoting so much effort and funding to help the community. That’s it,” Weaver said.

Kim Davis, the NHL’s senior executive vice president of social impact, growth initiatives and legal affairs, told the Tribune late last month that the league’s backlash to Provorov’s opt-out decision and how it impacts the NHL’s commitment to the LGBTQ+ community. Talked about whether they are disputing support. .

“The question you have to ask yourself is, what is that team actually doing in a particular market to support a particular group,” Davis said. A night in black history.

“These are important symbols. But to me, these are the conversations I have with the club. What are you doing to support that community in your market? and they may not care. And they may want to piss you off for not wearing your pride jersey. , especially when I talk to people in the LGBTQ community, they tell me they want to know what they are doing in their community to support their safety and well-being.

“It’s easy to put on a jersey and skate, but what happens after that?”