The Vancouver Canucks’ much-lauded series of warm-up jerseys has come to an end.
Sports
NHL bans Canucks from wearing special warm-up jerseys, including for Pride
“What I can say is if this is the case, what is very disappointing is that over 95 per cent of the NHL players who proudly wore (Pride jerseys) to show support and their values to the community will not get an opportunity to do so again. Of course pride should be 365 and we will continue to work toward that with everyone involved,” Palumbo said.
The Canucks led the way with acknowledging Pride, first wearing sweaters with rainbow numbers on them for warm-up in 2017, eventually designing full warm-up jerseys in recent seasons for their players to wear.
The Canucks expanded their warm-up jersey program in recent seasons to recognize a number of cultural events, including First Nations Night, Diwali and Lunar New Year. Other teams have created similar campaigns.
Every team in the NHL hosted a Pride night last season, though not every team wore a Pride jersey.
An NHL spokesperson confirmed the ban applies to all specialty warm-up jerseys, including those previously worn as part of leaguewide campaigns, such as Hockey Fights Cancer, military appreciation and St. Patrick’s Day.
Bettman acknowledged that the news of ending the warm-up jersey campaign wouldn’t be well received in many quarters, especially since June is Pride month.
“In the final analysis, all of the efforts and emphasis on the importance of these various causes have been undermined by the distraction in terms of which team, which players,” Bettman went on, nodding to the handful of players and a couple teams who chose at the last minute not to wear Pride warm-up jerseys this past season, including the Canucks’ Andrei Kuzmenko.
The players who skipped out on wearing the jerseys, citing either family or religious reasons, were heavily criticized.
“This way we’re keeping the focus on the game and on these specialty nights,” Bettman insisted.
Other Canucks players were outspoken in their support of wearing Pride jerseys.
“I think every year we’ve worn it since I’ve been here. I think it’s a great night and I’m glad we’re doing it and I don’t think there’s ever been any discussion for doing it or not doing it,” Quinn Hughes said before the Canucks’ March 30 Pride game.
“Every time we’ve done Pride night, I’ve worn the jersey and celebrated the night.”
“It’s important for everyone to be included. No matter whatever your gender, your sexuality, your race, it doesn’t matter. Everyone’s welcome in the game,” Ethan Bear told Sportsnet in late March.
“It’s important,” he said, emphatically.
Bettman acknowledged that the jerseys associated with these theme nights have become very popular for many teams.
“All of those nights will continue, the only difference will be we’re not going to change jerseys for warm-up,” he said.
Teams can still sell specialty jerseys, Bettman said.
Requests for comment have been made to both the Canucks and the NHLPA.
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The French league’s legal commission has ordered Paris Saint-Germain to pay Kylian Mbappé the 55 million euros ($61 million) in unpaid wages that he claims he’s entitled to, the league said Thursday.
The league confirmed the decision to The Associated Press without more details, a day after the France superstar rejected a mediation offer by the commission in his dispute with his former club.
PSG officials and Mbappé’s representatives met in Paris on Wednesday after Mbappé asked the commission to get involved. Mbappé joined Real Madrid this summer on a free transfer.
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former football star Reggie Bush was at his Encino home Tuesday night when three male suspects attempted to break in, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
“Everyone is safe,” Bush said in a text message to the newspaper.
The Los Angeles Police Dept. told the Times that a resident of the house reported hearing a window break and broken glass was found outside. Police said nothing was stolen and that three male suspects dressed in black were seen leaving the scene.
Bush starred at Southern California and in the NFL. The former running back was reinstated as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner this year. He forfeited it in 2010 after USC was hit with sanctions partly related to Bush’s dealings with two aspiring sports marketers.
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VANCOUVER – A fresh face has been gracing the B.C. Lions‘ highlight reels in recent weeks.
Midway through his second CFL campaign, wide receiver Ayden Eberhardt has contributed touchdowns in two consecutive games.
The 26-year-old wide receiver from Loveland, Colo., was the lone B.C. player to reel in a passing major in his team’s 37-23 victory over the league-leading Montreal Alouettes last Friday. The week before, he notched his first CFL touchdown in the Lions’ win over the Ottawa Redblacks.
“It’s been awesome. It’s been really good,” Eberhardt said of his recent play. “At the end of the day, the biggest stat to me is if we win. But who doesn’t love scoring?”
He’ll look to add to the tally Friday when the Leos (7-6) host the Toronto Argonauts.
Eberhardt signed with B.C. as a free agent in January 2023 and spent much of last season on the practice squad before cementing a role on the roster this year.
The six-foot-two, 195-pound University of Wyoming product has earned more opportunities in his second season, said Lions’ head coach and co-general manager Rick Campbell.
“He’s a super hard worker and very smart. He understands, has high football IQ, as we call it,” Campbell said.
The fact that Eberhardt can play virtually every receiving position helps.
“He could literally go into a game and we could throw him into a spot and he’d know exactly what he’s doing,” the coach said. “That allows him to play fast and earn the quarterback’s trust. And you see him making plays.”
Eberhardt credited his teammates, coaches and the rest of the Lions’ staff with helping him prepare for any situation he might face. They’ve all spent time teaching him the ins and outs of the Canadian game, or go over the playbook and run routes after practice, he said.
“I’ve played every single position on our offence in a game in the last two years, which is kind of crazy. But I love playing football,” he said. “I want to play any position that the team needs me to play.”
While B.C.’s lineup is studded with stars like running back William Stanback — who has a CFL-high 938 rushing yards — and wide receiver Justin McInnis — who leads the league in both receiving yards (1,074) and receiving TDs (seven) — versatility has been a critical part of the team’s back-to-back wins.
“I think we’ve got a lot of talented guys who deserve to get the ball and make big plays when they have the ball in their hands. So it’s really my job to get them the ball as much as possible,” said quarterback Nathan Rourke.
“I think that makes it easy when you can lean on those guys and, really, we’re in a situation where anyone can have a big game. And I think that’s a good place to be.”
Even with a talented lineup, the Lions face a tough test against an eager Argos side.
Toronto lost its second straight game Saturday when it dropped a 41-27 decision to Ottawa.
“We’ll have our hands full,” Rourke said. “We’ll have to adjust on the fly to whatever their game plan is. And no doubt, they’ll be ready to go so we’ll have to be as well.”
The two sides have already met once this season when the Argos handed the Lions a 35-27 loss in Toronto back on June 9.
A win on Friday would vault B.C. to the top of the West Division standings, over the 7-6 Winnipeg Blue Bombers who are on a bye week.
Collecting that victory isn’t assured, though, even with Toronto coming in on a two-game skid, Campbell said.
“They’ve hit a little bit of a rut, but they’re a really good team,” he said. “They’re very athletic. And you can really see (quarterback Chad Kelly’s) got zip on the ball. When you see him in there, he can make all the throws. So we’re expecting their best shot.”
TORONTO ARGONAUTS (6-6) AT B.C. LIONS (7-6)
Friday, B.C. Place
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: The Lions boast a 4-1 home record this season, including a 38-12 victory over the Redblacks at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, B.C., on Aug. 31. The Argos have struggled outside of BMO Field and hold a 1-5 away record. Trips to the West Coast haven’t been easy for Toronto in recent years — since 2003, the club is 4-14 in road games against B.C.
CENTURION: B.C. defensive back Garry Peters is set to appear in his 100th consecutive game. The 32-year-old from Conyers, Ga., is a two-time CFL all-star who has amassed 381 defensive tackles, 19 special teams tackles and 16 interceptions over seven seasons. “Just being on the field with the guys every day, running around, talking trash back and forth, it keeps me young,” Peters said. “It makes me feel good, and my body doesn’t really feel it. I’ve been blessed to be able to play 100 straight.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
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