Connor Bedard stands up to Gary Bettman with a heartwarming gesture

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Tyler Ball
March 27, 2024 (10:27 PM)

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Last night Chicago Blackhawks phenom Connor Bedard decided to take a stand against an NHL policy. Connor Bedard decided to support Pride Night in spite of the ban.

Last year the NHL decided that they wanted to ban NHL players from being able to support Pride Night at NHL games by wearing jerseys or using pride tape. This ban was met with mixed reactions but largely negative reactions from those wanting player representation to stay.

Since the ban, several players have defied the ban on pride tape and went on to wear it anyway. Last night this continued with Chicago Blackhawks star Connor Bedard. During warmups for last night's contest against the Chicago Blackhawks Connor Bedard proudly sported the rainbow pride tape.

Connor Bedard was not alone in his support of the LBGTQIA+ community last night. Several other players also spoke out in support of those represented on Pride Night.

Several Blackhawks players speak out in support of Pride Night

First up was Seth Jones who spoke about how the lack of Pride jerseys has not dampened the Blackhawks' support of the community on Pride Night. He then goes on to talk about other ways the team has found to support the cause.

"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 addition, Chicago Blackhawks veteran Nick Foligno spoke about the topic. His answer was a bit more nuanced in understanding why the policy was put in place but saying ultimately if a person wants to show support they should be encouraged to.

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.

The NHL has not addressed the ban on Pride Jerseys since the move was made earlier this summer. They have not discouraged players from showing support in any case but they also have not changed the policy. As of now, players like Connor Bedard run the risk of facing punishment for supporting a marginalized community.

Source - Hawks Insider: Connor Bedard faces backlash following stance on Pride movement