Canadian Press
Date: April 4, 2023, 12:06 PM EST
Last updated Tuesday, April 4, 2023 at 12:06 PM EST
TORONTO — The Toronto Maple Leafs will not be wearing their team jerseys in preparation for Tuesday night’s annual Pride celebration.
The organization has held Pride Nights to support the LGBTQ community since 2017, but has not worn special T-shirts to keep warm.
The Leafs say the rainbow strip will be available to players while they skate before the game, and that the team has a number of other events planned throughout the night.
Toronto players and head coach Sheldon Keefe donned rainbow-themed jerseys at a press conference Tuesday morning before facing the Columbus Blue Jackets.
A small group of NHL players declined to wear warm Pride jerseys this season, including Philadelphia Flyers quarterback Ivan Provorov, San Jose Sharks goalie James Reimer, Florida Panthers Eric and Mark Staal and Buffalo Sabers defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin.
Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly has participated in a pride parade in Toronto with General Manager Kyle Dupas and Team President Brendan Shanahan in the past.
“I think actions speak louder than words,” Riley said Tuesday. Especially speaking louder than clothes.
The Leafs will carry Pride badges on their helmets, but Russian goaltender Ilya Samsonov is not expected to wear one on the back of his mask.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on April 4, 2023.
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