Arizona Coyotes defenseman Travis Dermott was anxious before a game when, against NHL rules, he adorned his stick with Pride Tape, a banned rainbow-colored stick tape used in support of the LGBTQIA+ community. Knowing that someone close to him is still closeted, he couldn’t back down.
“If I break it down to my soul, it’s probably why I have the confidence to take that first step because it beats so close to home for me,” Dermott said on Thursday.
Dermott became the first NHL player to use the tape on his stick during warmups and games this season when he wrapped the top of his stick with it during the Coyotes’ 2-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks in the home opener on Saturday.
In June, NHL announced that teams were no longer allowed to wear “specialty” jerseys during warmups, practices or games. The ruling followed a movement from last season where several players refused to take part in warmups, while their teams wore Pride Night jerseys, due to their personal or religious objections last season.
In a memo before the season began, the NHL clarified that players cannot alter gear and uniforms to reflect “specialty” theme nights in warmups, team practices, and games. Pride Tape was included in that ban.
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Dating back to his days in the AHL, Dermott has shown support with Pride Tape. The only reason he chose the fifth game to use the tape again was that he was awaiting a new shipment after misplacing his previous batch during an offseason move from Vancouver.
Following Dermott’s action, the NHL said it would review it in due course. But 48 hours after, Dermott and the Coyotes didn’t hear anything from the league regarding punishment.
Instead, the league reversed course on the ban on Tuesday. Players “will now have the option to voluntarily represent social causes with their stick tape throughout the season” after consulting with the NHL players’ union and the NHL Player Inclusion Coalition.
Although the league reversed course, Dermott knows there is more to be done in the NHL and in the hockey community.
“I think we’re still really lagging behind in the hockey community in showing our support for this community,” Dermott said. “Seeing our voice taken a little bit, it kind of hurt me and with the people close to me and giving me the confidence to take that first step, I felt comfortable enough doing it. I was going to deal with the consequences, how everything unfolded is better than I ever expected.”
Even though specialty warmup jerseys are still banned, the Coyotes will be the first NHL team to hold a Pride Night this season when the Los Angeles Kings come to Mullett Arena on Oct. 27.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Coyotes defenseman Travis Dermott stands up to NHL’s Pride Tape ban
