The makers of Pride Tape are “extremely disappointed” by the NHL’s decision to ban players from using rainbow-colored tape to support the LGBTQ+ community this season.

“The league has used language in recent days that would ban the tape from anywhere near NHL hockey. We hope the league and teams will once again demonstrate their commitment to this important anti-homophobia symbol,” Pride Tip said in a statement. .

The NHL announced in June that teams were no longer allowed to wear “specialized” jerseys during warmups, practices or games. The unilateral ban came after a season in which many players refused to participate in warmups when their teams wore Pride night jerseys. Defenseman Ivan Provorov, then of the Philadelphia Flyers, was the first player to withdraw in January, citing his Russian Orthodox faith. Because of these objections, individual teams, including the New York Rangers, Minnesota Wild, and Chicago Blackhawks, decided that no players would wear Pride jerseys in warmups.

The ban on “professional” T-shirts goes beyond Pride Nights to include those supporting causes such as Hockey Fights Cancer and T-shirts commemorating black and Latino heritage months and military appreciation.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the league’s new policy “has been misunderstood and misrepresented” and that the NHL still encourages “theme nights where groups of all different types are honored and awareness is raised.” The NHL also donates money to groups participating in theme nights.

“What happened last year was that the issue of who wanted to wear a certain kit on a certain night overshadowed everything our clubs were doing. So what we said, rather than having that distraction and having our players have to decide whether they were going to do it or not.” “We wanted to do something or do something and get singled out, so we said, ‘Let’s not touch that,'” Bettman told ESPN Radio’s “UnSportsmanLike” on Tuesday.

“Anything related to the game, anything off the ice. Our teams and players are constantly encouraged to give back to communities and get involved in causes they find important,” he continued. “But what I think we’ve done is we’ve taken the distraction away. Now we can focus on the causes we want to highlight.”

Last week, the NHL sent a memo to teams clarifying what players are allowed to do during nighttime festivities this season. Although they can voluntarily participate in themed off-ice ceremonies, the updated guidance reiterated that players’ on-ice uniforms and gear worn during warmups, official team practices and games cannot be changed to reflect “themed” evenings.

An NHL spokesperson told ESPN that Pride tape has been allowed for years as an exception to duct tape restrictions, which otherwise would allow players to use only black or white tape. The league said the current ban on the Pride stripe was to prevent teams and players from using it as an “end” for violating the new uniform policy.

Stickers and ribbons are also prohibited on players’ uniforms, although coaches are allowed to wear ribbons.

Like game-worn night jerseys, NHL players’ sticks wrapped in a pride ribbon have been auctioned off by teams to raise money for charity. Depending on the player, a signed, player-worn jersey can cost upwards of $1,500. The price of a player-signed Pride ribbon can range from $600 to $1,000.

Proceeds from the auctions will benefit You Can Play, the NHL’s longtime social activism partner, said Jeff McLean, co-founder of Pride Tape. It would help local LGBTQ+ charities in several NHL cities; It will be used to fund the donation of the Pride Ribbon to hockey organizations around the world.

Both McLean and the NHL said their relationship will continue despite the player bar ban. Help the NHL ship Pride Tape to various hockey teams and leagues. Pride Tape expects to have a presence at nightly Pride events around the league this season.

McLean, who was informed of the ban last week, praised the league’s role in growing the initiative. “The Pride Bar wouldn’t exist without the NHL,” he said.

Pride Tape was launched six years ago as a symbolic way for players to show their support for the LGBTQ+ community. NHL stars such as Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers and Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils participated in the effort.

Ironically, McLean said his organization chose the tape because it “didn’t want to have something that players had to do” as a collective mandate to support the LGBTQ+ community.

“We knew it wouldn’t be accepted by everyone, but it was a way of personal expression by the players,” said McLean, who has also worked with the Premier Lacrosse League, Major League Baseball and Softball, and most recently with the rugby team. League on Pride Bar initiatives. “What we learned from the tape is that it was a personal choice of the players.”

McLean said he had received no indication that the NHL might reconsider the ban, which was met with widespread backlash after Outsports broke the story on Monday.

“It’s really weird, but I’m actually optimistic about it,” McLean said. “When the Provorov thing happened, we had the best 48 hours after that. There are a lot of people who care.”