NHL player's boycott of team's Pride night tribute 'disrespectful' to gay community, says agent

A hockey agent says an NHL player's refusal to take part in his team's LGBTQ+ Pride Night warmup is an indication that more work needs to be done to make the sport more inclusive. 

Philadelphia Flyers defenceman Ivan Provorov did not participate in pre-game warmups Tuesday night when the team wore Pride-themed jerseys and used sticks wrapped in rainbow Pride tape.

He cited his Russian Orthodox religion as the reason.

"I respect everybody's choices," Provorov said after the game. "My choice is to stay true to myself and my religion. That's all I'm going to say."

Bayne Pettinger, a Toronto-based NHLPA certified player agent who came out as gay in 2020, said he was disappointed by Provorov's decision to use his platform for "essentially a protest" that sends a message to hockey fans and his teammates who did take part in the warmup. 

"[It] just says that, 'Hey, it's making it about me,'" Pettinger told CBC's All Points West. "I found it selfish and frankly disrespectful towards the the gay community."

He says the NHL has made great strides when it comes to making the sport more inclusive — the league's Hockey is for Everyone initiative encourages teams to celebrate the diversity that exists in their respective markets — but Provorov's actions signal something different.

"I get asked all the time, 'When is an NHL player going to come out?' And you see something like last night — that's not a safe environment to do that yet," he said.

"We still have some steps needed to create a safe environment for a player because they will have that spotlight upon them."

Pettinger, who grew up in Victoria, B.C., says Provorov's views don't reflect those of many NHL players he deals with. 

"I don't want to let the squeaky wheel get the