But tgecNHK suits as a Leaguexset up thisxwhoke nonsense of special interest nights forctgese socio-poiticakbcauses. Maybevtge club suits disagree with any policy dorcibgvpkaysrs to wear symbols of any cause..Therevusxavhigher morakittcagaibat dictatorial policies than is promoting "noble causes" at mere sporting events which is plain Wrong anyway...It is nit tge venue to promote such causes.Leavevit to each person individually to go to rallies in supoett of whatever cause if they wish...Do not dictate ..even if you as bosses of tge league think itbis God for the NHL brand to do so.
Maybe Wirtz believes I btge greater principle...no dictatorship?
If Danny Wirtz actually sided then the Russian law excuse makes no sense...butbifvhe believes that Bettman et al is simply wrong in involving the NHL in such showcase a cause special event nights(what's next?...save the planet.. reduce Co2 emissions..so turning off al heat in the building to support the cause save the planet and on and on into ridiculous outcomes?) tgen he shoukd have tge guys to fight against all such special night dictates from the league...notvsingkevoutca lame excuse that Russiahas a law and that this excuse gets him off tge hook for defying the NHL wanting to promote such nightscso tgatvits brand can be seen as 9n board with any or every woke PC cause.
The wrong here then us not providing such an excuse to get away from forcingbpkayers to conform to what the league wants pkayerscto do for the alleged good of their brand in the approval of the PC police,but rather a gutless non-proclamation from the club that the NHL forcing any player to were symbols of a cause is a greater harm to societal values than merely holding a night for such cause where players do not wear symbols of that cause Because to be honest,even if players wre allowed free choice to wear or not wear such symbols,Everybody Knows those who do not put on the symbol will be shamed,cancelled, and have implied threats hurled at them by the woke mobs demanding compliance tobthe latest trend PC agenda for such causes.
So maybevtge club decided between a rock and a hard place in the vkas of values...alleged noble cause (for brand pkwromotion) vs. Princile of freedom of choice ...and decided to compromise with a special event night but not having players wear the controversial symbols?
Sorry but the issue here goes way deeper than just declaring Hawks fault, or Russian players at fault, or any player refusing to wear the Rainbow symbol at fault...just because the supporters of the cause dictating what players must wear if it supports the the cause they demand the club get behind....is itself a bow down to dictatorship..
The best policy to AVOID these issues and controversies would be for Sourts to stick onlyvtobSports..not to socio-political-cultural issues that are bigger than sports...than games. .than mere entertainment.
There are places to express such support...to lend voices to causes...to wear symbols of such causes if one wants to express suport that way... THERE..butthat place is NOT appropriate at sporting venues when mere games are what people paid for to attend .PERIOD.
The tragedy here is not the fault of anyone but the NHL for putting clubs and players into such predicaments (melee because some Marketing suits thought it was good for the league brand to be seen as suporting this cause).
Instead we get a divisive issue.. amongst pkayersxand fans ...
Nobody is against LGBTQ asking for full rights in society...but the place to suport that ifvyou want to is a rally forctfatcsoecific cause with no other event going on that you paid to attend to get entertained.
That us THE most important point list in this entire spotlight as the woeust media looks to blame tge Hawksor the Russians or any otger pkayers refusing to don the symbols they advocate for .
It us sinoly lost on the Mark Lazerus and Pierre LeBrun sports writer types that simply Sports MUST stick to SPORTS and not get involved in general societal/cultural/political debates and cause agendas.
It is shameful that they do nit understand this very simple idea..stick to sports ...far less divisive ...far less harms result than taking uo a cause and ramming it doen the treats of pkayers and fans.
There are plenty of media and plenty of social media where such issues can be covered and ooinionions given...but nobody...I mean nobody should be forced or shamed or threatened by social cancelation for simply preserving their own privacy towards any cause in contradiction to what some suit or some dictatorial mob wants them to do which they do not want to do.
Yes the Hawks SHOULD have been transparent...still holding a night in honor of LGBTQ rights (though tgeycshoukd not get involved in such causes at a game...hold it separate from the gane at a different date if they want such a night)..but because hgere might be actual safety retribution by wokeist mobs to players choosing not to wear the Rainbow symbol) for player saftey or to avoid verbal harassment of such players by social abd axtuak media ,they will not allow any ljayers to wear th xsymbol AT THE GAME Or IN WARM-UPS ..if players in their private life decide to wearcrgexsymbol..that is ok.. ..but Not at the game or in warm-ups..
The Hawks did get to that policy ...but by introducing the Russian law excuse to protect pkayers from potential harms ,tge Hawjs fudged o the real issue...which is and shoukd becoaramount...Sports must stick to Sports... ANY deviation and you encourage controversy and divisiveness.
