He will miss a participant in a portion of the celebration surrounding the evening of the Pride of the Montreal Canadiens.
Forward Denis Gurianov will not participate in the warm-up period so as not to wear the Habs’ special jersey on Thursday before a game against the Washington Capitals.
Head coach Martin St-Louis cited security reasons for Gurianov’s decision. A Russian law prohibits LGBTQ+ “propaganda”.
“We don’t know what the repercussions are there. I’m not judging “Guri”, I’ve never been in his shoes. I respect his decision,” insisted St-Louis.
Gurianov was not made available to offer further details on his situation. The team was unable to confirm if he would return to Russia in the off-season.
The special jerseys worn during the warm-up will be auctioned and the proceeds will be donated to You Can Play, a non-profit organization fighting against homophobia in sport, and to GRIS-Montréal, a research and intervention group. which demystifies homosexuality, bisexuality and gender identities in the school environment.
A small group of NHL players have refused to wear Pride jerseys during warm-up this season, including Ivan Provorov of the Philadelphia Flyers, Andrei Kuzmenko of the Vancouver Canucks, James Reimer of the San Jose Sharks, Eric and Marc Staal of the Florida Panthers and Ilya Lyubushkin of the Buffalo Sabres.
Some teams have changed or canceled their plans for similar nights.
The Canadiens players who spoke Thursday noon insisted they could celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and inclusion, while also respecting Gurianov’s decision.
“Two things can be true at the same time. We can support the decision of the league and the organization to promote inclusion and respect, while also respecting the decision of our teammate, who must deal with the fact that there are laws against “propaganda” in Russia and that he must protect his family,” said Brendan Gallagher.
The veteran added that the culture in the locker room has evolved over the years, as it has in society in general.
“Since I played hockey, growing up and today with the Canadiens, players have been judged by their work and their respect for their teammates, not their sexual orientation or their race,” Gallagher said. You are judged by your character.
“We have a family culture. We have always supported our teammates, no matter what they are going through. »
For his part, captain Nick Suzuki, who is of Asian heritage, said the hockey world is very inclusive.
“There are a lot more guys supporting the cause than players who opted out of the parties,” Suzuki said. In hockey, we support each other like brothers. »
For his part, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard said he believes that a player coming out of the closet would be welcomed with open arms in the locker room of the NHL.
“Everyone is included in hockey, they say, hockey is for everyone,” said the 24-year-old Quebecer. There are no exceptions in the locker room. If a player is homosexual, he is welcome. »
Members of the Canadian also wanted to ensure that the spotlight remains as much as possible on the positive sides of the evening.
“As a company, we’re moving in the right direction,” Gallagher said. Each time we organize a party like this, it becomes more popular.
“These evenings are important. We want to be a sport that is for everyone, where everyone feels respected. We want everyone to feel welcomed and respected when they come to watch a hockey game,” he concluded.