The National Hockey League (NHL) has canceled Pride jersey nights for next season, citing that the “distraction” it causes does more harm than good.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman told Sportsnet’s Elliot Friedman of the development on Thursday. 

“I’ve suggested it would be appropriate for teams not to change their jerseys in warmups because it’s become a distraction,” Bettman said.

He added, “In the final analysis, all of the efforts and emphasis on these various causes have been undermined by the distraction in terms of which teams, which players.” 

Bettman further said that Pride-themed nights are still allowed, if teams choose. 

But without Pride jersey nights, “This way, we’re keeping the focus on the game.” 

Earlier this year, as more and more hockey players claimed that the Pride flag goes against their religious beliefs, the NHL admitted they were considering opting out of having “Pride nights” altogether. So this development seems a balance between allowing teams to host Pride nights for fans, while not pressuring players to wear something that goes against their beliefs. 

The backlash from players started in January when the Philadelphia Flyers’ Ivan Provorov refrained from stepping onto the ice during warmups while his teammates donned LGBT Pride-themed jerseys. 

Since then, players from other teams have done the same, including Eric and Marc Staal of the Florida Panthers, James Reimer of the San Jose Sharks, and Ilya Lyubushkin of the Buffalo Sabres.

The entire Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers teams also opted out of Pride night, and a few other teams minimized their original plans to represent the Pride colours.