'Only the first step': Pride Tape's impact felt in and outside of hockey

This article was written as part of the Professional Hockey Writers Association and To Hockey, With Love Mentorship Program. See the bottom of the article for more on the program.

A week before puck drop on the NHL's highly anticipated 2023-24 season - featuring the debut of Connor Bedard against Sidney Crosby - the NHL shared a memo with teams: Players were barred from using Pride Tape on their sticks, on top of the ban already in place on specialty jerseys.

"That was the No. 1 story," said Kris Wells, the co-founder of Pride Tape, which promotes equality and inclusion in sports.

Pride Tape has been involved with the NHL ever since former Oilers defenseman Andrew Ference brought it to the fore after participating in Edmonton's Pride parade years ago. However, after 11 years of solid support between the NHL, Pride Tape, and Ference, things went awry in 2022-23 when multiple players chose not to partake in warmups wearing special jerseys on designated Pride nights.

With the ban in place, fans were left wondering: How would players respond?

To a man, they mostly didn't, accepting the ban. Except Travis Dermott.

Eleven days into the new season, the Arizona Coyotes D-man used a few pieces of Pride Tape near the knob of his stick, sending the league into crisis mode. Three days later, the NHL reversed its Pride Tape ban.

For Wells, what was most important about the entire fiasco was the conversation it sparked.

"We often say that wrapping your stick in Pride Tape is only the first step, right?" Wells explained. "The more important step is hopefully the conversation that it engenders."

Impact on community organizations

The events indeed sparked positive conversations at community organizations like the Steel City Inclusive Softball Association (SCISA) and Queer Hockey Hamilton in Hamilton, Ontario.

SCISA is an organization that creates fun and active environments through slow-pitch softball. For adults 18 and older, the organization prides itself on welcoming all gender identities, sexual orientations, and body types.

SCISA commissioner Jeff Lindstrom decided to focus on softball because it's a sport that can accommodate any skill set.

"One thing I found to be unique about the game of softball is that it's uniquely accommodating for people of all skill sets and experience," Lindstrom said.

And even though SCISA isn't directly involved with Pride Tape, Lindstrom emphasizes the importance of Pride Tape to him and his organization.

"Any of the visual supports of solidarity that make it onto TV screens - onto the big field in front of spectators - really have a lot of power," Lindstrom said. "That's where most eyes are when it comes to mainstream media, when it comes to mainstream sporting events, when it comes to ticketed events."

SCISA started in the summer of 2021 and has seen growth ever since its inaugural season.

Jenelle Lewis, co-founder of Queer Hockey Hamilton, echoes Lindstrom's point about visibility.

"It's very important to show the support for that community when they haven't been so welcomed within the hockey community," Lewis said.

Queer Hockey Hamilton is an organization that's creating an open and welcoming space, as Lewis puts it, "for people to come without fear of the changeroom, without fear of slurs being used on the ice."

Queer Hockey Hamilton is in its first season of play and hosted its first exhibition game in the fall of 2023.

Many members of Queer Hockey Hamilton use Pride Tape. In fact, so do a lot of SCISA members.

"There's lots of other rainbow accessories that people will use," Lindstrom said. "Just being comfortable having that on your equipment and being visible matters."

The future of Pride Tape

After a whirlwind 2023, many have wondered what Pride Tape's future is.

Will it continue with the status quo and provide NHL teams with Pride Tape? Will it expand to other sports?

"If there are athletes out there or teams or leagues that want to get involved, we're more than happy to partner with them," Wells said.

For an organization that's made so many strides since its debut eight years ago, it's in no rush to expand to other sports. In fact, Wells points out a common misconception: Pride Tape isn't about profit.

"Pride Tape is actually not a business at all," Wells pointed out. "Some people believe we were this massive company, but we're just a small grassroots collective, right? Nobody gets paid."

Queer Hockey Hamilton's Lewis can't wait for what comes next. "I would like to see it used during a game," she said.

Like Toronto Metropolitan University's women's hockey team did during its Pride game.

"That's great!" Lewis said cheerfully upon learning the TMU news. "That visibility there is even more important, in my opinion."

For Pride Tape, the impact has been enormous - globally with the NHL and in communities like Hamilton, thanks to Queer Hockey Hamilton and SCISA. The effect has been felt in and outside of sport.

"Pride Tape is now on people's garden tools. It's on their walkers and their canes," Wells marveled. "It's on their water bottles. It's used in physiotherapy clinics. It's on golf clubs and racquetball and dodgeball, and you name it. It's really expanded because, again, it is such a simple yet powerful way to signal you're an ally, right? That you believe in LGBTQ inclusion and human rights."

This article was written by Michael Pagani, who's part of the Professional Hockey Writers Association and To Hockey, With Love Mentorship Program. The program pairs aspiring writers with established members of the association across North America to create opportunities for marginalized people who aren't traditionally published on larger platforms covering hockey. To Hockey, With Love is a weekly newsletter covering a range of topics in hockey, from the scandals of the week to critical analysis of the sport.

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