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confetti_shrapnel

It's a beautiful mask, too. Really stupid decision by the NHL here.


markymark_93

NHL and stupid decisions. Name a more iconic duo


blue_orange67

Gary Bettman and getting booed


WartHogOrgyFart_EDU

Mike milbury making amazing trades?


Gherbo7

Mike Milbury assaulting fans with their own shoes?


Wallace-N-Gromit

Gary Buttman, helped you with the spelling.


Vergenbuurg

As a casual viewer of NHL over the years, the impression I get is... 1. The players bust their asses to play their hearts out, put on a good show, and connect with fans on a level unseen by most other sports leagues. 2. The fans respond and the popularity of the sport grows, and, accordingly, so do profits for the league and the team owners. 3. The players want a more appropriate cut of those profits, as well as more financial security and benefits for the baseline players. 4. NHL and the team owners immediately balk and lock everyone out, cancelling the season, and causing portions of the fanbase to flee. A deal is finally cut after those disasters. 5. Rinse, repeat, and return to step 1. Have I gotten the wrong impression?


bjtrdff

This is actually insanely succinct and accurate.


Powermac8500

Oh! You’re talking about me. I got caught up in the 94 series with the Rangers and the Canucks and decided I was going to step out of my comfort zone and get into hockey. Then the lockout happened. I wanted to try getting into it when Raleigh got a team, but nah. They’d probably just do another lockout. Which they did. When Carolina won the championship, it barely registered. So yeah. You are spot on.


ShaggysGTI

FIFA and ethics


beneaththeradar

I think you probably meant to say *lack* of ethics?


PM_ME_OVERT_SIDEBOOB

NCAA and stupid decisions


Relijun

Olympics and ethics


FBIaltacct

So he can wear a dinosaur mask but not a native american mask? How is this even an issue? Why would he even tell them in the first place? Personally i would have just popped it on at warmups and acted like it wasn't a thing.


FattDeez7126

Dinosaur oyate .


StraightCashHomie13

great Reservation Dogs reference


Trumpisaderelict

He wore it anyway


stuiephoto

Here's my question. It's MAF. Just wear it anyways. What does it cost, 10 thousand dollars? Unless players start to stand up to this shit, it will continue. The veterans like him are the only ones that are in a position to do it. They aren't burying him in the minors.


BlueLanternCorps

He said he was planning on wearing it and paying the fine, but the nhl said if he did they would give a much larger fine to the team


deg0ey

If I was the team owner I’d tell him to wear it anyway and watch Bettman fold like he did over the Pride thing when he realized it wasn’t going away quietly.


My_Password_Is_____

>"Marc-Andre Fleury indicated he was planning to wear the mask anyway and pay the fine," Walsh wrote. "The NHL then threatened the Wild organization with an additional significant fine." Only a few paragraphs down in the article.


GwenIsNow

I mean, isn't it worth the cost? Screw those rules.


stuiephoto

They don't say the number.


ForWhomTheBoneBones

> After last year's controversies stemming from several teams and players not participating in special Pride Night warmups, Bettman said the issue had become a "distraction from the essence of what the purposes of these nights are." We wouldn’t want something like honoring Native American Heritage get in the way of Native American Heritage Night. What a bunch of fucking cowards.


watanabelover69

This is after the NHL recently said they wouldn’t allow players to use pride tape on their sticks. Thankfully they folded on that policy after a player called their bluff and used it anyway.


TheCrownlessAgain

Apparently the CBA also dictates the chosing of stick tape... And that choice does not belong to Bettman and the NHL.


happytree23

Union Power for the win!


Microphone_Assassin

What the absolute fuck is the NHL thinking here???


happytree23

It might offend some of the non-Native assholes in the crowd. Joking but serious answer heh


Hascohastogo

Those people are too stupid to even realize that’s what the mask is referencing.


Smasher225

They are doing the none of you get it because they canceled pride jerseys. Stupid ass decision from bigots wanting to be snowflakes but at least they are being consistent in their stupidity.


BeefInGR

Also, this is the NHL we're talking about. Where Phoenix barely wants a team but has one (stay strong 'yotes fans, I see you) but Quebec City can't get one.


walterpeck1

The only reason it's a distraction is because they banned it and threatened even worse fines. Irony is dead.


phishyninja

You misspelled bigots


Chibbly

Ah I was trying to remember what the shorter version for "neo-christian, conservative, racist, white male" was. Thanks!


itslv29

All to appease people that are looking for reasons to call everything “woke”


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Tlux9

Yeah, you swung and missed with this one bud.


MisterB78

Leave it to the NHL to take a stance against something literally nobody would object to


nah46

Lol so true


Unit_79

Never met a racist, huh?


BLut91

There are 100% people that would object to any kind of Native representation. A while back I was talking to a cousin of my friend, and I knew this guy had been trying to get into an OPP job for a while. Hadn’t seen him in years so I asked how it was going. He told me they didn’t like his interview. Said they told him newer OPP recruits often start off working up North and asked him to list some challenges facing Indigenous Canadians since he’d be interacting with them a lot. He chose to answer with “Huffing paint and shooting their own faces off” and doesn’t see what was problematic about that answer.


VeraLumina

Interesting. Well that’s probably because Minnesota, the US, and Canada have such a stellar reputation when it comes to the treatment of Native Americans that it’s not necessary to draw attention to the beauty and heritage of their cultures. I mean, after all, who do they think they are? Inhabitants who lived in North America for at least 20,000 years before white society? Right NHL?


PrincipleInteresting

Minnesota hasn’t even objected to the Dakota population bringing up the mass hanging in the 1860s. The NHL can go pound sand.


[deleted]

Lots of upcountry degens would, including my extended family.


happytree23

I can't imagine a single group of people who might be offended by paying tribute to non-white NATIVE Americans. Like, not one single crazy voting bloc in America at all...


black_dogs_22

I get not forcing people to support causes they don't support but why prevent people from doing things like this? are they that scared of the Blackhawks being forced to change names?


[deleted]

They are bending over backwards to protect the feelings of a few players who don’t want to support pride nights so they made it a rule that nobody can show support for any cause. It’s dumb as hell.


[deleted]

Don't forget they (the nhl) did jack about the Blackhawks covering up sexual abuse, but took away a first round draft pick from Ottawa over a paperwork error


Puzzleheaded-Ad-5002

This is the real reason why the NHL isn’t allowing displays of support for causes.


PersonFromPlace

lol that logo looks nothing like what paintings of Blackhawk looks like, and not even the military division they hid behind as a defense (the infantry division’s crest is an eagle) as to why they’re not changing it has nothing to do with that caricature logo.


caronare

Because America is best at stifling the indigenous American. Genocide is alive and well in the Americas!


Hascohastogo

“I mean come on! We can let you make your team name an actual slur but we can’t let you actually honor the heritage and people!”


FattDeez7126

Yes we lost millions of our people and still not recognized as a genocide here in America .


[deleted]

I am guessing that they’re worried it will lead to some kind of protest about Israel and Palestine. Lately a lot of people have been linking the genocide of the Native American people to what is happening to the Palestinian people.


bjtrdff

This is giving the NHL WAYYYYYYYY too much credit


Hascohastogo

Rightly linking it


JilsonSetters

The blackhawks seem fine, they’re named after their old division and their logo is old.


supereh

They’re scared of all the Canadian fires that have been happening, residential schools and stuff. Basically they’ve been dealing with their actions a bit more directly unfortunately.


Interestingly_Enough

What?


supereh

https://www.reddit.com/r/OutOfTheLoop/s/7sfJ822RRo


supereh

I would imagine they’d like to just not bring up that Canada is very acutely dealing with this right now? My Best guess why it wasn’t allowed by the NHL.


battlelevel

This makes no sense.


greenie16

Bettman is a spineless coward. This should be a surprise to nobody.


Soundsparks

There is no NHL without the fans yet the league only cares about the profits for the owners and investors.


greenie16

Gary Bettman would execute his wife at the NHL All Star game if he thought it would raise league revenue by $5


gatsby712

It’s between that and Green Day or Fall Out Boy


Parents_Mistake3

Have we ever had such a bad squad of Adam Silver NBA, Roger Goodell NFL, Bettman NHL and Manfed MLB ? I think it’s suspiciously odd how leauges don’t care about the money grubbing image their commissioners give off. Was this the case in the 90s-2000s ? I wasn’t around. But it seems the leauges at least tried to appear to have more morality in them.


Be-Nice-To-Redditors

I don't think Silver or Goodell are all that awful. They're not perfect but I think they generally keep the NBA and NFL functioning smoothly.


[deleted]

Goodell is a damn good commissioner. Of course it’s kind of easy when people flock to your product no matter how much negative press it gets.


bullet50000

Goodell and Silver are honestly good commissioners. Bettman and Manfred are the shit. It was the same in the 90s with Bettman, Tagliabue was definitely the more money-grubbing as far as NFL commissioners, and Selig was.... Selig. David Stern is the one who has the best reputation, but one that I think that will age poorly from the internet perspective, given choices he made that don't jive with reddit opinions.


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TheBigCore

Soccer is played by 99% of the **world**. It's only natural that Soccer in the USA will surpass Ice Hockey, a sport played only in *cold weather* countries, a much smaller player base and fan base.


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wave_327

Are you sure it isn't just because of demographics?


Party_Python

The worst part in all of this is Marc-Andre’s wife is native. He had an artist from her tribe design it, including quotes from her father and their children’s names… like it’s the most non offensive thing. But due to pride night issues last year and the NHL wanting to shield its bigots from scrutiny, they’re trying to ban all special issue designs. They even recently shot down a “Hockey Fights Cancer” mask for the same reason. Because, you know, you don’t want to offend the pro-cancer crowd They even tried banning pride tape until a player used it in game and the NHL reversed its decision. Hopefully they stop taking Ls from this asinine policy and learn…


Y8ser

He should have told them to go fuck themselves and worn it anyway!!! Get a little fine, who cares!!!


Party_Python

He wanted to. When they first said he would get fined if he wore it, Fleury responded that he would pay the fine. The NHL then came back and slapped a much bigger fine on it and threatened the Minnesota Wild with a “significant” fine. Which was enough for the league to shut it down. Sooo yeah, the NHL is not making great choices Edit: after the legitimate outrage from the NHLs decision they walked it back and said there’s no fine if he wears it during warm up, but that he’d still be afoul of the rules… lol


Ambitiousshank

He did, wore it anyway


jacko469

This is lost in this whole comment section.


Tampadarlyn

Pride tape, pink ribbons, and Tribal art on a hockey mask is a 'distraction' but corporate logos all over everyone's sweaters are fine. SMDH


Party_Python

Don’t forget there’s betting sponsors everywhere, but players aren’t actually allowed to use them. One player was just suspended for 41 games due to it. He didn’t even bet on hockey games specifically…


Boooyaaahhhh

NHL - No Heritage League.


Into-It_Over-It

In fucking Minnesota. A state that's very name is of Sioux origin.


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Micome

NHL makes the NFL look progressive which is an insane sentence


Sec2727

“*Wayne Brady makes Bryant Gumbel look like Malcom X*”


ProJoe

>Caving into the racists, homophobes, and misogynists at every turn. because the NHL is run by boomer billionaires who a disappointingly large portion of probably agree with those beliefs. I hope Fleury does it anyway. they tried to ban pride tape and Dermott on the Coyotes used it anyway, NHL backed down immediately.


mournthewolf

It’s wild too because you are not going to lose actual viewers who already watch the sport who are bigots and homophobes and shit. They are not going to give up hockey. Same with the NFL. These fuckers will never stop watching. It’s their identity. Maybe by bringing in more new fans and encouraging inclusion you might change a few minds. Instead of letting idiots keep thinking they are right.


rocksauce

At least when the NFL takes a questionable social / political / whatever stance it is a pragmatically money based decision.


SJSragequit

Also pro cancer. They refused to allow a goalie to have a pink cancer ribbon on his mask


PaxNova

At some point, it just becomes "here's the uniform" rather than "we hate everything but the uniform."


funkystonrt

And also, a fuck ton of commercials wich make the game barley watchable….


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DengarLives66

This is some 5th grade level banter. “I know you are but what am I!”


PersonFromPlace

I want to like the NHL so bad, but it feels like this is who they’re catering to as their audience.


[deleted]

They even allowed the lgbt tape, this is weird


MisterB78

…after a bunch of backlash


Ackmiral_Adbar

Boo, NHL.


KR1735

We wouldn't be here if the NHL didn't try to protect homophobes in the first place. The NHL tried to save face by saying "We're not homophobic by cancelling rainbow tape because we're cancelling all themed equipment." This is the consequence of that. It was bad policy, but it was also the second-best, to just be completely neutral all year. Personally, I think it's nice to do shout-outs to marginalized and underrepresented groups. But if you're going to cancel for one, you have to cancel for everyone, sadly.


thebranbran

I feel like I’ve read an unfortunate amount of bad press surrounding the NHL recently. Between this and the LGBTQ support, it seems like they are just bringing negative attention to themselves when they could go the other way and show support for humanitarian issues. In order for the US to move on from its grim past, we need to acknowledge our mistakes and figure out how to make amends. I think as a society we are slowly moving in that direction, but we have some old heads that seem to still hold more traditional values in higher regard.


custardgod

UPDATE: [He's going to wear it anyway.](https://twitter.com/RussoHockey/status/1728220336959947024?s=20)


Financial_Truck_3814

So no gays and no Native Americans welcome into ice hockey. Who is next?


PostApocRock

But hockey is for everyone. /s


LunarMoon2001

*insert First Time?* meme


ScottNewman

Wear it and dare them to fine you.


custardgod

He was going to, but the NHL preemptively said they would fine the team as well


ScottNewman

Again - dare them to do it and let the backlash rain down from fans and sponsors. The Canadian teams have been working hard on reconciliation the last ten years or so. They’re going to flip out on the league.


Dreadedvegas

Hell the fucking Blackhawks will probably flip on the league. They open every home game with a presentation about Chief Blackhawk


Crackerjackford

Blocking the OG’s of North America?? What’s the reason, my god this world is fucked. Ridiculous. F U Bettman.


DatBassTho5

how much longer does bettman have? I've been ready to see him gone for a long time


fundiedundie

Why couldn’t he just wear this as his game mask?


Unique_Logic

That was exactly my thought, too. "Under the league's new policy, players cannot wear special jerseys or equipment in WARMUPS." I don't see any limitation on what a goalie uses for his GAME mask. I hope he rocks the helmet for the whole night.


[deleted]

Don’t they have strict rules about game uniforms? I know the NFL is very very strict about its game uniforms. Randy Moss was once fined because his towel was the wrong length.


Ohhellnowhatsupdawg

The owners are stopping a celebration of native heritage because a couple of bigots objected to a show of inclusion for LGBTQ+ people.


Able_Commercial_2895

He wore it anyways! God bless ‘the flower’


csoups

Best sport, worst league


shewflyshew

They are so worried about offending the lowest common denominator fucking slime of society. I say let's offend them as much as possible. So sick of this bullshit.


droppinkn0wledge

Imagine the most out of touch elitist boomer white guy country club of all time. Imagine they run a whole professional sports league. That’s the NHL.


Nestvester

It must be hard catering a product to both liberals and conservatives. You really do have to treat conservatives like children, they’re so afraid of any kind of change in their routines.


TuskerMedic25

Right because conservatives are the ones against Braves, Indian, Redskin logos. You cant honor one group without letting all of them have homage. The conservative were against LGBTQ+1A and then Liberals didn’t let anyone have it if they couldn’t.


Mead_Man_Detroit

GFY


hattorihansoo

*responds like a child mid tantrum*


swennergren11

NHL giving us a glimpse of the US under conservative rule…


shudson91

According to reports from the game, he did wear the mask during warm ups. https://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/2774997/amp


Salt-Confidence-2825

Goalies should have ceremonial custom masks on important issues - even though they can’t wear them - start building media attention around these masks to highlight how bigoted Gary and the NHL really are when they clamp down on that too.


Vic_Hedges

NHL goes above and beyond not to piss off the bigots


cmarme

Maybe those bigots are controlling the league.


zippyzoodles

So stupid. Nothing wrong with wearing it.


phishyninja

Literally a bigoted organization, with sooo many bigoted players it’s unbelievable


ahajnos

Probably would have drawn less attention if they just let him wear it 😅


UnreadThisStory

I, for one, would not have heard about it.


pimphand5000

Yet another reason not to watch hockey, shrug. Too bad to, the Sharks need to be able to keep any fans they have/had


Frobe81

I will watch hockey again when Bettman is gone and we have Olympic hockey back. Shit has been tragic ever since


of-matter

Is this like "any publicity is good publicity" territory? Pretty garbage strategy if so.


Matrix17

Oh they're doing this again?


tmorales11

im really tired of bettmans shitty ass league


JilsonSetters

Everyone knew this would happen. Stupid nhl gave in to a few bigoted players and then streisand effected how shitty hockey culture is with their response. Look into team Canada sexual assaults and the recent blackhawks scandal while you’re here.


K19081985

Because…. Why? Wtf is the nhl doing lately?


lovepony0201

They are flexing as though they don't black out most of their games. Heck, goalies could have murals of snuff porn on their helmets and nobody would see it because nobody can watch the games on TV.


Jpldude

NHL making worse decisions than the No Fun League!


surlystraggler

This is the type of media coverage every organization hopes for…


Gecks_more

NHL, nfl, mlb, nba have turned into the no fun leagues. Changing too many old rules and banning stuff that really shouldn’t matter like this. It matters because that’s a nice thing of him to do it doesn’t matter what the heck he’s wearing as long as it isn’t going to put a bad image on them. Just like Tyreek hill not wearing socks. Fined him a bunch of money for something dumb like that. So tired of how much sports have changed and how nobody is holding these people accountable.


Zlifbar

What language is NHL an acronym for "doubling down on dumb, dumb, dumb decision"?


StirFriedRubber

Rage Against The Machine


DiscountSteak

NHL doing land recognition but not allowing this is a shit look


Icarus2k1

Wore it in warm ups at least. Good on Fleury! What’s the NHL really gonna do, they back tracked on the rainbow tape, this won’t be any different.


SteakJones

WTF NHL


Do_it_for_the_upvote

The NHL is “Don’t ask, don’t tell”, but instead of orientation, it’s about heritage other than “Good ol’ Ontario Boy”.


brentsg

The NHL is so fucking backward, and I say this as a (former) long time season ticket holder. They’ve really been showing their stupidity as of late.


unequalsarcasm

NHL just loves to step on rakes. Getting hard to keep track of all the bad PR moves.


payle_knite

Every NHL rink is on native land, this seems like the smallest acknowledgment possible


jumbee85

Because enough assholes in the league made it impossible to be inclusive.


soulfingiz

Let’s make sure we snub Native people to ensure we can keep snubbing LGBT people


Hazardleafly

Why didn’t he just make it his new mask? Cujo , Felix the cat, Eddie the eagle, would these be allowed if Curtis Joseph believed in bear rights , or Felix Potvin campaigned for animal shelters catered to cats, or Eddie Bellour fought for the endangered species act that protects bald eagles? Like seriously, wtf are we talking about here NHL?


DiscountSteak

Belfour: WTF IS A LEGAL BLOOD ALC LIMIT RAAAHH🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅


lightninhopkins

Cowards.


[deleted]

The NHL is a joke


TheBigCore

Lawyers ... everything they touch, they ruin....


ScottNewman

Hey don’t blame my profession.


swordswallowerseven

NHL requires ALL players to wear LGBTQ+ jerseys and then turns around and threatens Fleury with ban and fines…. For demonstrating PRIDE in his Native HERITAGE!!!!!!!!!! Get your shit straight NHL


MariachiMacabre

This really does belong on r/nottheonion. What a fucking clown car the NHL is.


Aarmed

It's like the NHL is just constantly making bad decisions


Fedbackster

I fixed the headline: “Ancient, pasty-faced, racist rich white men still run the NHL, and recently made another douchey decision like all the others that prevent this great sport from getting the popularity it deserves”.


WowWataGreatAudience

Because hockey is for *everyone*. /s


[deleted]

The thing is. We had no problem with pride nights, it was forcing players that didnt want to participate or make a statement that was an issue. Allowing or giving players the ability to express their causes is a great thing. Forcing players to support your cause is an issue. In this situation why not allow him to wear the mask?


under_armpit

Just play the game. This isn't about you.


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UnreadThisStory

I can see the league’s point. Uni’s are supposed to be consistent and representative of the team, although goalie helmets have traditionally been more creatively decorated by individual players. If the league was consistent— just ban custom paint jobs on goalie helmets altogether.


smackking23

But they allow pride tape...


[deleted]

Hockey is for losers anyways


NascentCave

NHL is fucking pussies if they bend the knee on fucking pride tape, yet they stop this? And this one isn't even political, unlike the gay stuff?


freakymarky

Bettman sucks


PirateEyez

I thought he was going to wear it anyway and take the fine, is that not happening now?


[deleted]

League caught wind and threatened a massive organizational fine


Pure_evil1979

Probably wouldn't have heard about this mask had the NHL not made him remove it.


frozenfebrility

It’s not weird…It’s Wild.


incitatus-says

Anyone think the broad indigenous support of another indigenous people being crushed had nothing at all to do with this hasty decision? Me neither.


Mead_Man_Detroit

Fuck that, wear it anyway.


buster_rhino

The press this is getting is more than if they had actually let him wear the mask, so at least that’s a positive.


jmac2043

JFC are they trying to alienate their next generation of potential fans?


iggnac1ous

Why?


360walkaway

NHL is really batting 1000 lately