Gary Bettman praised ‘Heated Rivalry’ and NHL Pride Nights. The leaguewide reality doesn’t match
“Heated Rivalry” has catapulted hockey into popular culture on levels rarely seen outside of Canada. The steamy romance show, centered around two male hockey players, was recently renewed for a second season, has seen its lead actors appear at the Golden Globes and has been playfully spoofed by “Saturday Night Live.”
Even NHL commissioner Gary Bettman recently revealed he binged the entire series in one night and said that the show’s acclaim is helping to drive fans to the sport.
However, the popularity of “Heated Rivalry” has also resurfaced criticism about whether or not the NHL and its franchises do enough to support the LGBTQ+ community. One of the show’s actors, Montreal native François Arnaud — who identifies as bisexual — recently said that the NHL can do better.
The NHL faced backlash for its decisions in 2023 to ban promotional warmup jerseys — including Pride-themed jerseys — and to ban the use of multi-colored “Pride tape” (a decision that was later reversed). In defense of the NHL’s support for the LGBTQ+ community, Bettman said in a recent media availability that “every team does a Pride Night.”
That is no longer true. A Pride Night, in some form, has become a staple of every team’s promotional calendar in recent years. But this season, according to research by The Athletic, four of 32 NHL teams — the Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes, Los Angeles Kings and Utah Mammoth — have gone away from that model.
The NHL, when asked for clarification, said that Bettman was referring to last season with his “every team” comment. The league did not disclose a reason for the teams’ decision to move away from the Pride Night model this season.
“The NHL has been and continues to be intentional in fostering a game and a culture where LGBTQ+ individuals are not only welcomed, but truly valued,” said Kim Davis, the NHL’s vice president of social impact, growth initiatives, and legislative affairs, in an email.
The league does not mandate specific themed games for its teams. Instead, a support group exists to assist team officials on market-specific themed nights. Teams’ hockey operation departments are generally involved in planning, but a majority of a themed game’s events and participants fall under the marketing, sponsorship and various business arms of a franchise.
Matt Kenny, a former university and minor-league hockey player and a member of the LGBTQ+ community whose recent Instagram post about the show and his playing experience drew wide attention, said the public-facing events matter.
“Some of the conversations I’ve had with people have really been eye-opening; some people need that awareness, and Pride Nights bring visibility to a community that’s forced to be in shadows,” Kenny said. “Our society keeps people closeted and doesn’t celebrate them for who they are.
“If you are in an environment like hockey and you are considered different — say, a gay or lesbian athlete — you do absolutely feel lesser-than. Being able to see a Pride Night makes you feel recognized. But more than that, it makes you know you’re safe. And that’s just not a player thing, that’s a fan thing. There are fans that don’t feel safe. All you have to do is read social (media) posts or comments; there are a lot of people out there who have hate in their hearts. I do think a Pride Night — and hopefully it’s not just one night — hopefully it’s something an organization carries through, and we see these teams saying, ‘These players and these fans matter; we see you, we recognize you, you’re human, you’re whole, and you’re safe here.”
In terms of that support, the league points toward its extensive outreach and initiatives, including its partnerships with You Can Play, Pride Tape and other LGBTQ+ organizations, and notes that it has relationships with global LGBTQ+ hockey groups, ranging from New York to Vancouver to Sydney. But what about the individual teams? Are they showing the same level of commitment as in the past?
It’s a complicated question. If a Pride Night is by definition a themed night on the promotional calendar, meant to celebrate LGBTQ+ inclusion and explicitly marketed as a Pride Night, some teams have moved away from that model.
Two teams, the Hurricanes and Bruins, switched from Pride Night to what each is calling “Hockey Is For Everyone Night.” The Kings decided against a specific Pride Night and said they are focusing on several more targeted community events.
The Mammoth have not announced any Pride-related events, and the team did not respond to multiple requests for clarification. Last April, a few days after Utah elected officials passed a law banning the Pride and other non-official flags from flying at state schools and government buildings, the team used a home game at Delta Center to unveil a Pride-themed logo, “Utah HC Pride,” on its video boards and long-sleeved shirts given away to fans.
Until last week, there was a fifth franchise on the list of teams without an official Pride Night. The Detroit Red Wings had initially planned to fold their Pride-themed events into what they called a “People of Hockeytown” night, intended to honor multiple groups as part of a centennial anniversary celebration.
Last week, however, a spokesperson from Ilitch Sports + Entertainment, which owns the Red Wings, said the team has added the term Pride Night to the proceedings.
“We have always planned to celebrate Pride within our People of Hockeytown Night on April 11. To clarify this, we’ve added the title of Pride Night, during which we will continue our longstanding support of team partners and fans within the LGBTQ+ community.”
The teams going with a more general approach, the Bruins and Hurricanes, are including the LGBTQ+ community in their “Hockey Is For Everyone” nights. “Hockey Is For Everyone” is an NHL inclusiveness initiative that extends beyond the LGBTQ+ community. Representatives from the teams said the change in wording around the promotional night was to allow the teams to celebrate other marginalized communities, along with those who identify as LGBTQ+.
As part of its promotional night, which took place on Jan. 22, Boston hosted an online auction for what it described as autographed, rainbow-taped sticks. The team said proceeds from the auction would benefit Boston Pride Hockey, described as “New England’s first LGBTQIA+ and ally-friendly hockey organization.”
An L.A. Kings spokesperson indicated that the team has shifted its focus from a one-off annual Pride Night to multiple Pride/LGBTQ+ endeavors. Those include several youth hockey initiatives, such as training coaches on inclusive language and delivering LGBTQ+ programming to youth sports participants at a local rink. Team employees will continue to march in Pride parades throughout the Los Angeles area.
On Jan. 15, the Kings Care Foundation, the charitable branch of the organization, posted on its Instagram account that the team recently hosted a “Community Pride Night” that “brought together LGBTQ+ community members and allies from across LA sports & entertainment for an unforgettable night of inclusivity and connection.
Comments on the post largely took the organization to task for not publicly promoting the event. To that end, while Kenny said he considers the Kings’ current Pride-related initiatives to be an overall positive — especially the focus on language training and programming at the youth hockey level — it doesn’t have to be an either/or situation.
“A team can provide those services, which all levels of hockey need, and have a Pride Night,” he said.
