Ivan Provorov explains why he would NOT take the ice in Pride Colours (VIDEO)

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Ryan
January 18, 2023 (1:57 PM)

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Last night when the Philadelphia Flyers hosted the Anaheim Ducks, it was their official ''Pride Night'' and for warm ups the Flyers wore a jersey with the Pride Colours on it.

One of their best players though in Ivan Provorov was not on the ice. Many believed this was due to him being a scratch for the game, but that ended up not being the case.

Late in the third period of the game, it came out that Provorov would not wear the Pride Jersey and that was the reason he was not on the ice for warm ups, which led to the Flyers issuing the following statement:

The Philadelphia Flyers organization is committed to inclusivity and is proud to support the LGBTQ+ community. Many of our players are active in their support of local LGBTQ+ organizations, and we were proud to host our annual Pride Night again this year. The Flyers will continue to be strong advocates for inclusivity and the LGBTQ+ community.

There is word that #Flyers' Ivan Provorov did not participate in warmups tonight because he declined to wear the team-issued Pride Night jersey, celebrating the LGTBQ+ community.

The Flyers offered the following comment.

Provorov is expected to be available to media postgame. pic.twitter.com/h3XEcwErph� Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) January 18, 2023

After the game Provorov spoke to the media about his decision:

«I respect everybody and I respect everybody's choices. My choice is to stay true to myself and my religion.»

Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov on refusing to wear a rainbow jersey for warm ups during «Pride Night» due to his Russian Orthodox faith.
pic.twitter.com/wCUl8slmRB� Greg Price (@greg_price11) January 18, 2023