The Edmonton Oilers showcased their new pride logo featuring the transgender progress pride and Black Lives Matter colours ahead of the Dallas Star game on Wednesday.
As a replacement of the original gay pride rainbow flag, the “progress pride” flag has been increasingly adopted by LGBT activists as it incorporates several other colours, including a homage to the Black Lives Matter movement.
The Oilers suffered a 4-3 loss in the game, While celebrating their new pride logo on their official channels, fans were displeased with the political nature of the message.
One fan on X described the Oiler’s first half score of 4-0 down to the Stars as “Karma for this wokemind virus nonsense.”
Another fan said that the Oilers “deserved the Bud Light treatment” in reference to the beer company’s inclusion of transgender social media personality Dylan Mulvaney and the subsequent backlash among its mostly conservative client base.
The Oilers along with the rest of the NHL has taken several steps in the past to appease the LGBTQ lobby.
This year’s pride celebrations, as mentioned in the Oiler’s March 25th press release, have expanded beyond a single game, with a focus on long-term support across the season.
The “2025 Celebrating Pride” speciality logo will be prominently displayed throughout Rogers Place, while various LGBTQ community groups and leaders will be spotlighted by the Oilers.
Oilers merchandise featuring the new Pride logo is also up for sale, with a portion of proceeds directed to the Pride Centre of Edmonton.
This is part of a broader initiative across the NHL in an attempt to “foster inclusivity”. According to the official NHL website, “In arenas across North America, all clubs hosted a Pride Night, generating funds to support nearly 100 LGBTQ+ organizations.”
One new element to this inclusive effort was the first-ever ‘NHL All-Star Pride Cup’, which took place during the 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend, and went on for a second edition last month.
The debate over political messaging in sports is not unique to hockey; other leagues, including the NFL and NBA, have also faced similar controversies over their inclusion of social justice themes such as Black Lives Matter.
Although the NHL had initially resisted efforts to push the woke agenda by banning pride tape in 2023, the backlash from Liberal media and woke NGOs seems to have been effective.
The league now has a dedicated pride news category on the league website, highlighting all the initiatives hosted by the 32 teams in the league.
The incident follows Oilers fans being upset with Liberal Leader Mark Carney’s inclusion in a recent Oilers practice, even some dubbing the event the ‘Carney curse’ after multiple key players were injured.
Ridiculous! The wokemind virus is making a clown show out of everyday life. Enough!
Just wow.