Tipsheet

Liberals Lose Their Minds Over NHL Player Who Refused to Wear Pride Gear

Leah Barkoukis
Leah Barkoukis  |  January 18, 2023 3:15 PM

Ivan Provorov, a defenseman for the Philadelphia Flyers, is getting heat from the far-left for refusing to wear a Pride Night jersey and use hockey sticks wrapped with rainbow tape during a Tuesday night game against the Anaheim Ducks. 

Provorov, a Russian Orthodox Christian, cited his faith for his decision. 

“I respect everybody. I respect everybody’s choices,” he told reporters after the game. “My choice is to stay true to myself and my religion.”

Commenting on the matter, the team reaffirmed its commitment to “inclusivity” and expressed its support for the gay community.

“Many of our players are active in their support of local LGBTQ+ organizations, and we were proud to host our annual Pride Night again this year,” the statement added. “The Flyers will continue to be strong advocates for inclusivity and the LGBTQ+ community.” 

Recommended

Trump Has a New Attorney General Nominee Matt Vespa
Is This Why Gaetz Withdrew His Name From Consideration for Attorney General? Matt Vespa

In a postgame press conference, Flyers coach John Tortorella defended him. 

"I think the organization has sent out a release regarding the beliefs that we have," he said. "It was really a great night. With Provy, he is being true to himself and to his religion. This has to do with his beliefs and his religion. That is one thing I respect about Provy, he is always true to himself, so that’s where we’re at with that."

He said he didn't think it would be fair to bench Provorov for boycotting the pride gear. 

"I just think it’s unfair. I know you are probably going to talk to Provy," he said. "I’m not going to spend a lot of time on it. I think it was a great night, and I’m not going to get too deep into the conversation."

In addition to the social media mob attacking Provorov, Canadian journalist Sid Seixeiro lost it on air, going on a tirade against religious people and demanding the NHL fine the Flyers $1 million over the "incident." 

“Nothing scares me more than any human being who says ‘I’m not doing this because of my religious beliefs’ because when you look at people’s lives who normally say that publically you’d throw up at what you saw,” Seixeiro said. “I’ve seen that a million times in a lot of different ways, so don’t give me that…don’t feed me the religious beliefs line.”

His position was praised by conservatives on social media, however.  

Provorov's boycott comes after the NHL not only hosted a tournament for transgender and nonbinary players recently, but also declared on Twitter, “Trans women are women. Trans men are men. Nonbinary identity is real."