Jets gearing up for Pride Night

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This article was published 03/04/2023 (978 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Jets have unveiled plans for the NHL team’s annual Pride Night game.

Players will wear special jerseys and sport unique tape on their sticks during the warmup prior to facing the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night at Canada Life Centre. The merchandise will be auctioned off in conjunction with Pride month between June 1-11 at auctions.nhl.com, with all proceeds supporting the You Can Play Project and the Rainbow Resource Centre.

Four organizations will have booths set up during the concourse to educate fans about services and resources in the community. They include the Rainbow Resource Centre, the You Can Play Project, Pride Winnipeg and The Other Skaters zine.

Rainbow Harmony Project, a Winnipeg choir for the LGBTTQ+ community and their allies, will sing the national anthem.

“As part of the larger Hockey is for Everyone initiative and alongside the You Can Play Project, the Jets’ Pride Night aims to show that all are welcome in hockey and any teammate, coach, or fan who brings passion to the rink should be supported and respected,” the team said in a news release.

All NHL teams traditionally participate in a Pride Night event, although this season has involved several clubs significantly scaling back activities including not wearing jerseys. Among those that still did, there have also been a handful of players, including San Jose’s James Reimer, Florida’s Eric and Marc Staal, Vancouver’s Andrei Kuzmenko, Buffalo’s Ilya Lyubushkin and Philadelphia’s Ivan Provorov, who refused to don jerseys with their teammates for the pre-game warmup, citing religious and/or political reasons.

The Jets were off Monday, but several players are expected to speak about the event when they return to practice on Tuesday.

Winnipeg is clinging to the final Western Conference wildcard playoff spot with five regular-season games remaining. They hold a two-point lead over the Flames, making this a pivotal matchup.

All are welcome in hockey 🫶

Join us in celebrating Pride Night on Wednesday 💙

— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) April 3, 2023

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

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