Calling Pride jerseys a distraction is sending the wrong message, says NHL agent Bayne Pettinger

Bayne Pettinger has always been immersed in the world of hockey.

Born in Victoria, into a family with deep roots in the sport, Pettinger embarked on a career with the National Hockey League (NHL) at 21.

Then, after working for the NHL as an operations manager, he became a hockey agent in 2019.

Despite his professional success, however, the 36-year-old says he feared he couldn't be accepted as a gay man in the sport.

"There was always this fear that I couldn't live my true life — to be accepted as a gay man — and also be a successful young executive in the game. It was a conundrum that kept me in the closet for a long time," he wrote in a commentary for Hockey Canada.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Pettinger returned to Victoria, where he said he found time for introspection and had candid conversations with friends and family about publicly coming out as gay.

With their support, Pettinger decided to come out to The Athletic, a sports news portal, in November 2020.

All of us at Hockey Canada are tremendously proud of <a href="https://twitter.com/baynep?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@baynep</a> and of the hockey community for the wonderful support they have shown him. We hope Bayne’s courage to share his story inspires others to know that they too will always have a home at the rink.

He has since received abundant support from hockey fans and become an advocate for LGBTQ+ representation in sports. 

But a recent incident left him disheartened, he says.

Last month, the NHL's board of governors decided to prohibit special jerseys during pre-game warmups on themed nights in the upcoming season. The decision came after a few players refused to wear rainbow-coloured Pride jerseys in the previous season.

NHL commissioner Gary