The Philadelphia Flyers were hosting their 'Pride Night' so the entire team went onto the ice with rainbow jerseys, all except for one. Ivan Provorov refused to wear the pride jersey so he was not on the ice for warmups.
After the game he was asked about his decision, which he responded:
«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
The National Hockey League has taken a big stance on making the league a very fair and welcoming sport, so people were eager to see what they would say on the situation.
Here is the announcement from the NHL:
NHL's statement on Ivan Provorov's refusal to participate in Hockey Is for Everyone Night, and the Flyers' support of that decision... pic.twitter.com/uRCaO8wPYX� luke fox (@lukefoxjukebox) January 18, 2023