The president of the Chicago Gay Hockey Association, Andrew Sobotka was hard to miss in the United Center’s East Atrium before Sunday night’s game at the United Center. Sobotka was decked out in the Hawks’ 2022 Pride jersey that featured rainbow numbers, and a nameplate that read CGHA.
Meanwhile, the Hawks had already chosen not to wear special jerseys for warmups as part of their 2023 Pride Night festivities, when they lost to the Canucks 4-2. The Hawks opted out of the jerseys due to fear for Russian players and families in Russia, sparking discourse on the importance of warmup sweaters and Pride nights in general.
Sobotka himself had conflicting thoughts on the Hawks’ decision.
“Obviously, a little bit of disappointment, but we’re committed to working with the Blackhawks to make sure that hockey is a very inclusive place for everyone who wants to play,” Sobotka told the Sun-Times. “We’ll take the disappointment and use it as a lesson learned.”
The Hawks, who also did not use rainbow tape in warmups, are the latest NHL team to get in the middle of a controversy around Pride jerseys. Citing religious beliefs, the Flyers’ Ivan Provorov, the Sharks’ James Reimer and the Panthers’ Eric and Marc Staal have refused to wear the team’s Pride jersey in warmups. The Wild and Rangers have hosted Pride Nights without the special jerseys.
Brian Hull, vice president of the CGHA, chose to focus on what the Hawks have done, recalling they were the first team to bring the Stanley Cup to a Pride parade.
“The jersey issue is such a small part of this celebration,” Hull said. “Just looking around you, to have the Gay Men’s Chorus, there’s LGBTQ people all over the place, and to make it such a huge celebration. There’s so much positivity to take away from it.”
The relationship between the Hawks and the CGHA still seems positive.
Sobotka said the Hawks were “very forthcoming” about their decision, and called CGHA representatives to explain the choice. Questions were asked and answered, and the two sides talked through the situation.
“Obviously our intention is not to put anyone in harm’s way, players or players’ families,” Sobotka said.
In an odd twist, two of the Hawks players who are Russian or have family in Russia didn’t play Sunday. Goalie Anton Khudobin was assigned to Rockford on Saturday, and forward Philipp Kurashev remained out with an upper-body injury, with just defenseman Nikita Zaitsev in the lineup.
Even without the special jerseys, Sobotka found value in the Hawks’ efforts. That included a pregame event in the United Center East Atrium that featured the rainbow-colored “Glam-boni” and a first-intermission performance by the Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus.
Of course, the Hawks also had plenty of Pride-themed merchandise for sale, with a portion of the proceeds going to a team foundation that would be used to support non-profits in the LGBTQ community.
Sobotka indicated the conversation around the jerseys - even if they weren’t worn - would be a positive and drive talk about the importance of Pride nights.
“With the spike in anti-LGBTQ legislation and anti-LGBTQ hate crimes, the message is: Pride Nights still have to occur,” Sobotka said. “People ask on the internet, right? You see them in the comments: why is there Gay Pride Night, right? This is why, because people’s lives are at risk.”