NHL Pride Tape ban sends message that hockey isn't for everyone, says queer hockey player

NCAA hockey player Carson Gates came out last spring to his team after several NHL players refused to wear Pride jerseys.

Now, with the NHL banning Pride-coloured stick tape this week, Gates say he feels the push toward inclusivity in the sport is in question.

"Hockey slowly, slowly, slowly was moving forward, but I think we're taking some steps back with the Pride Tape and the jerseys," Gates, who is a goalie at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, told Day 6 host Brent Bambury.

In June, the NHL told players they would not be allowed to wear themed jerseys during warm-ups. With several players refusing to wear Pride jerseys, league officials said they believed the controversy distracted from the inclusivity work teams did in their communities.

NHL's deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed reporting by ESPN this week that the league circulated a memo before the start of the 2023-2024 season with updated guidance that on-ice uniforms and gear could not be altered for theme nights. This includes the rainbow-coloured stick tape featured previously on Pride nights. 

Current NHL players and others involved in the sport — including Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid, former NHL executive and LGBTQ-inclusion advocate Brian Burke and players with the new Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) — expressed their disappointment with the move.

Gates spoke with Bambury about growing up around hockey culture and whether he thinks a generational shift will one day normalize LGBTQ inclusion in the game.

What do you think the NHL finds so scary about rainbow stick tape?

I've been asking myself that same question ever since they, seemingly out of the blue ... decided to get rid of it.

Honestly, it just seems the really loud voices