As NHL teams, players opt out of Pride Night events, concerns grow about league's commitment to change

Growing up in Edmonton, Daylen Mitansky didn't feel like the hockey rink was a place that would welcome him. 

"Don't say gay was a huge thing," he said. "Jocks were never [openly] gay, you know. It was just unheard of." 

He eventually found his way onto the ice in 2017 at 29, playing with an LGBTQ hockey team in Calgary. He's now on the board of the Calgary Inclusive Hockey Association, which includes two teams — the Pioneers and the Villagers.

Mitansky marvels at how far hockey has come since he was a kid, and at seeing the NHL make strides toward inclusion. But now he's watching with a bit of concern that the league is taking a step backward. 

The NHL and some of its teams are facing fallout over players who don't want to take part in Pride Night — a show of support for LGBTQ fans and athletes. 

There are concerns the league's handling of the situation could set back years of progress on LGBTQ inclusivity — though some would say the sport has not progressed far enough — and the timing couldn't be worse. Not only is hockey facing a reckoning over toxic culture in the sport, including sexual misconduct and various forms of discrimination, but this situation coincides with LGBTQ people facing a new surge of hate and, in parts of the U.S. at least, a rollback in long-fought for rights.

Pride Nights have become an annual affair for the NHL, with all 31 teams hosting their own versions of the event in 2018. Although there are a several components, the highlight is often seeing players on the ice for warm ups with rainbow logos on their jerseys or rainbow tape wrapped around their sticks. 

But this year, some players have said wearing any sort of symbol supporting LGBTQ people goes against their religious beliefs. Meanwhile,