Philadelphia Flyers Defenseman Boycotts Pride Night

Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov stayed true to himself on Tuesday night. He chose to not take part in the pregame warmups before taking on the Anaheim Ducks because the team was celebrating Pride Night in support of the LGBTQ+ community.

Provorov spoke after the game:

I respect everyone. I respect everybody's choices. My choice is to stay true to myself and my religion

Provorov is Russian Orthodox and said after the game he was only going to take hockey-related questions. The Flyers released a statement after the game which read:

The Philadelphia Flyers organization is committed to inclusivity and is proud to support the LGBTQ+ community. Many of our players are active in their support of local LGBTQ+ organizations, and we were proud to host our annual Pride Night again this year. The Flyers will continue to be strong advocates for inclusivity and the LGBTQ+ community.

The NHL released a statement and Flyers head coach John Tortorella had this to say after the game:

Here is the #NHL’s response when asked for comment on #Flyers Ivan Provorov’s decision to sit out warmups last night by declining to wear a Pride Night jersey: pic.twitter.com/VlkzknZqzW
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) January 18, 2023

Ivan Provorov didn’t participate in warmups, and head coach John Tortorella confirmed it was because he chose not to wear the team’s Pride-themed jersey on Pride Night.

Full comments: pic.twitter.com/Gdd7035pEg
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) January 18, 2023

In our opening segment the guys reacted to Ivan Provorov on the way the Flyers handled the situation last night.https://t.co/h4e2SKLzpb pic.twitter.com/ranM6txBAQ
— Donnie & Dhali (@DonnieandDhali) January 18, 2023

The Flyers have been trying to trade Provorov for weeks and there's no question this could complicate things moving forward.