The concept of tolerance and inclusion practiced by those folks who mounted social media soapboxes to demand that either the Flyers or NHL suspend or fine Ivan Provorov — for his refusal to participate in a pregame warmup Tuesday in which all of his teammates wore a Pride-themed jersey to mark the organization’s celebration of the LGBTQ+ community — apparently means tolerating only those who share their beliefs and excluding those who do not.
These are people who apparently believe that employers not only have the right, but also have the duty to discipline employees who do not embrace a social justice movement endorsed by the company.
Would they believe the same if a team owner demanded that all players wear warmup jerseys celebrating Right to Life?
What if, in addition to inviting former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin to drop the ceremonial first puck in advance of the Rangers-Flyers 2008-09 season opener, Philadelphia owner, “Mr. Snider,” had outfitted his players in jerseys with McCain-Palin 2008 artwork as the logo?
Oh, but those are different.
No, they are not.
Philadelphia Flyers’ Ivan Provorov AP One person’s social cause is often his or her or their neighbor’s competing political movement. NHL teams have no right to compel players to support social endeavors, whether they, you or I, believe these initiatives are righteous. The right to liberty does not end at the locker room door.
Isn’t that the argument so many of those calling for Provorov’s banishment used in support of Colin Kaepernick’s right to take a knee during the national anthem?
Oh, but that was different.
No, it was not.
The same principle that allows folks to rail about Provorov all over social media is the very one that allows the Philadelphia defenseman to make a personal choice about which causes he wishes to support and which he does not.
To those hysterics who suggested that Provorov might want to go back to Russia if he does not support the LGBTQ+ community, that kind of reminded me of being told, “Love it or leave it,” during the Vietnam protests of the 1960s.
The Flyers celebrated Pride Night on Jan 17 with special warmup jerseys.NHLI via Getty ImagesThe Flyers and NHL handled this one correctly. Provorov made his choice. It does not matter whether it was religion-based or not. No one has to like it. No one even has to respect it.
That’s part of the freedom we have. That even extends to Provorov. If you want to eliminate that, be careful of what you wish for. Be very careful.
It started with a retweet of Marty Biron’s post of a picture of himself with Ryan Miller, who was about to be inducted into the Sabres’ Hall of Fame and have his No. 30 jersey retired and raised to the top of the building in Buffalo on Friday.
I added: “As close to a Hall of Fame goalie as possible without being a Hall of Fame goalie. I mean Miller, not Biron.”
To which Biron — whom I enjoyed covering during his 2009-to-early 2012 seasons as a Ranger — retweeted that maybe he could make the Hall if it was for backups.
So here is Slap Shots’ inaugural class of Hall of Fame backup goaltenders. There is always next year for Biron.
Terry Sawchuk, Toronto, 1964-67: By acclamation the greatest goaltender of the Original Six Era, the Red Wings immortal joined the Maple Leafs as partner and understudy to Johnny Bower, and that tandem led Toronto to the 1967 Stanley Cup.
Gilles Villemure, Rangers, 1970-74: He of the Jack-o-Lantern mask combined with Eddie Giacomin to win the Vezina in 1970-71 while going 98-53-23 with a .904 save percentage and 2.62 goals-against average those four years in which the Blueshirts reached the Cup semis each season.
Cory Schneider, Vancouver, 2010-13: Went 53-21-7 with a .931 save percentage and 2.09 GAA backing up Roberto Luongo and might have won the Cup for the Canucks had head coach Alain Vigneault gone with his head and not his heart and given Schneider the start in Game 6 of the finals in Boston.
Cory Schneider with Vancouver in 2011.APEddie Johnston, Boston, 1967-72: Bumped from the No. 1 by Gerry Cheevers, E.J. went 101-36-23 with a .904 save percentage and 2.81 GAA while winning two Cups as a backup with the B’s.
Michel Larocque, Montreal, 1973-81: Named the starter for Game 2 of the 1979 finals against the Rangers following a shaky Game 1 effort from Ken Dryden, Larocque was hit in the head by a Doug Risebrough shot in warmup, rendering him unavailable. Four games and four victories later, fashioned by Dryden, the Habs were champs for the fourth straight time. But in addition to that, went 144-48-31, sharing in four Vezina’s and four Cups.
This is not the same Pavel Zacha whom I watched play for six seasons in New Jersey. Maybe it is escaping expectations based on a sixth-overall pick in 2015. Maybe it is simply the rising tide theory.
Ideally, the Devils would have this Zacha and this Taylor Hall in their lineup along with all that bursting and growing young talent — whose team had nothing to lose by giving their youth the opportunity to learn through making mistakes.
Hall has easily the most mercurial career in Devils history. On a proud franchise that has Hockey Hall of Famers in Martin Brodeur, Scott Stevens and Scott Niedermayer; and retired numbers for those gentlemen plus Ken Daneyko and Patrik Elias; it is Hall and Hall alone who has won the Hart Trophy. Within two years after that, he had become a disruptive presence.
Bruins center Pavel Zacha.Robert SaboTwo Cups never quite seemed enough for the Bruins of the early 1970s just as one World Series title has always signaled underachievement from the late 1980s Mets.
But who do you like in ’73, ’74 and ’75 if general manager Harry Sinden and Boston ownership — not yet “Mr. Jacobs” — had paid up and not allowed Gerry Cheevers, Derek Sanderson, Pie McKenzie and Teddy Green to defect to the WHA in 1972?
Then again, maybe the B’s would have become known as Harry’s Fat Cats.
I have no idea what has happened to Gentleman Jim Rutherford since he took over as chief hockey officer in Vancouver a little more than a year ago and was immediately credited with creating one of the most progressive front offices in the game through his hiring of qualified women to fill important roles.
But he and the organization are engaged in conduct unbecoming by sending endangered species Bruce Boudreau out day after day to field questions from the media after Rutherford himself acknowledged that the team was in the process of reaching out to candidates to replace the club’s head coach.
That is as cruel and unusual punishment as there is in the NHL.
