Elias Peterson: “Everyone is welcome”
Another NHL player chose not to wear a Pride jersey.
This time it was the striker of the Russian Vancouver Andrei Kuzmenko.
In the warm-up before tonight’s game against Calgary, the Vancouver players wore colorful jerseys to warm up.
But not Kuzmenko.
After the match, the Russian forward chose not to go into the details behind his decision.
translator
Respect everyone’s choices. His colleague Vitaly Kravtsov, who translated for Kuzmenko, said, according to Sportsnet, that he asks all of you to respect the decision and his family.
Vancouver coach Rick Tochet said before the game that Kuzmenko, after a discussion with his family, had chosen not to wear the shirt.
I won’t go into it because we don’t know what’s going on there. But he says I respect his decision.
Several players before
Kuzmenko is the latest in a string of NHL players who have chosen not to wear the Pride jersey this season. And previously, the Russian Philadelphia defender Ivan Provorov and his compatriot Ilya Lyubushkin in Buffalo, San Jose goalkeeper James Reimer, and the duo of Florida’s brother Eric and Mark Stall had previously refused to wear shirts.
Several players in Vancouver spoke before the game about the importance of inclusivity. Among others Elias Peterson:
– The Swedish star said it’s important to show that everyone is welcome so I’ll wear the shirt.
