Andrew Sobotka, the president of the Chicago Gay Hockey Association, was hard to miss in the East Atrium before the Blackhawks’ 4-2 loss Sunday to the Canucks at the United Center. He was decked out in a Hawks jersey featuring rainbow numbers and wore a nameplate that read ‘‘CGHA.’’
The Hawks, meanwhile, already had chosen not to wear special jerseys for warmups as part of their 2023 Pride Night festivities. They opted out of wearing the jerseys out of fear for Russian players and families in Russia, sparking discourse about the importance of warmup sweaters and Pride nights in general.
Sobotka had conflicting thoughts about the Hawks’ decision.
‘‘Obviously, a little bit of disappointment, but we’re committed to working with the Blackhawks to make sure that hockey is a very inclusive place for everyone who wants to play,’’ Sobotka told the Sun-Times. ‘‘We’ll use it as a lesson learned.’’
The Hawks are the latest NHL team to get in the middle of a controversy around Pride jerseys. They also didn’t use rainbow-colored tape during warmups.
Defenseman Connor Murphy didn’t know why there wasn’t rainbow tape available. He did, however, make sure to pre-record a video welcoming LGBTQ fans to the game.
‘‘I thought it was nice to be able to do that and show fans that we support the night and that it’s important that hockey’s inclusive, especially in this building and this locker room,’’ Murphy said. ‘‘It’s important hockey is for everyone, and I think it was a great night to celebrate that.’’
Before the game, CGHA vice president Brian Hull chose to focus on what the Hawks have done, recalling they were the first team to bring the Stanley Cup to a Pride parade.
‘‘The jersey issue is such a small part of this celebration,’’ Hull said. ‘‘Just look around you. To have the [Chicago] Gay Men’s Chorus, there’s LGBTQ people all over the place and to make it such a huge celebration, there’s so much positivity to take away from it.’’
Sobotka said the Hawks were ‘‘very forthcoming’’ about their decision and called CGHA representatives to explain their reasoning. Questions were asked and answered, and the sides talked through the situation.
‘‘Obviously, our intention is not to put anyone in harm’s way, players or players’ families,’’ Sobotka said.
Coincidence or not, two Hawks players who are Russian or have family in Russia didn’t play Sunday. Goalie Anton Khudobin was assigned Saturday to Rockford, and forward Philipp Kurashev remained out with an upper-body injury. Defenseman Nikita Zaitsev was the only Russian in the lineup.
Even without the special jerseys, Sobotka found value in the Hawks’ efforts. Those efforts included a pregame event in the East Atrium that featured the rainbow-colored ‘‘Glam-boni’’ and a performance by the Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus during the first intermission.
The Hawks also had plenty of Pride-themed merchandise for sale, of course, with a portion of the proceeds going to a team foundation that would be used to support nonprofits in the LGBTQ community.
Sobotka indicated the conversation around the jerseys — even if they weren’t worn — would be a positive and drive talk about the importance of Pride nights.
‘‘With the spike in anti-LGBTQ legislation and anti-LGBTQ hate crimes, the message is: Pride Nights still have to occur,’’ Sobotka said. ‘‘People ask on the internet? You see them in the comments: Why is there Gay Pride Night? This is why. Because people’s lives are at risk.’’
