PHILADELPHIA — Not long ago, John Tortorella would’ve benched a player for kneeling during the national anthem. These days, if you wear your homophobia like a Pride flag, you earn Tortorella’s respect.
Oh, how far we’ve come.
There will be some who will equate that asking Ivan Provorov to skate in a Pride-themed jersey Tuesday night was like forcing him to kneel during the national anthem back in 2016. That’s ridiculous, of course.
Kneeling protested systemic racism aimed at Black men in the criminal justice system of the United States. Meanwhile, warming up in a jersey with rainbow numbers and nameplates simply supported the right of LGBTQ+ people all over the world to exist without persecution. For anyone, that’s pretty simple.
So, let’s not complicate the issue. Provorov refused to warm up Tuesday night against Anaheim because he does not support the right of LGBTQ+ people to even exist. He cites his devotion to the Russian Orthodox church; in his eyes, their life is a sin. About that: Patriarch Kirill, the church’s leader in Russia and reportedly a former KGB agent, in May justified Russia’s invasion of Ukraine because Ukraine allows Gay Pride parades, and if Russia and other homophobic states do not oppress LGBTQ+ persons, “then human civilization will end there.”
This is homophobia at its most extreme. If you subscribe to this belief, you are a homophobe. A little rainbow tape on Provorov’s hockey stick wasn’t going to send him to hell.
So yes, if the Flyers were staunch in their advocacy, Provorov should have been benched.
From its “Hockey is for Everyone” initiative to hosting a transgender and nonbinary hockey tournament, the NHL has spent millions of dollars in the past decade to erase its image as a non-inclusive, racist, homophobic business that prefers straight, white players to entertain its straight, white audience. The Flyers have been leaders in the initiative, and they shined all day and night Tuesday. In addition to the warmup jerseys, the team held a pregame skate for LGBTQ+ youth, provided complimentary tickets for members of nine LGBTQ+ organizations to attend the game, and hosted a meet-and-greet with players Scott Laughton and James van Riemsdyk.
And, then, Provorov.
Provorov’s refusal came from his dedication to an oppressive religion — apparently.
Provorov, to his credit, addressed the media after the game and said: “I respect everyone. I respect everybody’s choices. My choice is to stay true to myself and my religion.”
Provorov, to his discredit, refused to answer obvious follow-up questions, such as:
“Why do you still believe that sexual orientation and gender identity is a choice? Do you also believe that the Earth is flat and that dinosaurs didn’t exist? Do you respect Vladimir Putin’s choice to attack a benign neighbor and kill 7,000-plus civilians to date?”
Because the answer to that — believing that LGBTQ+ persons choose a life that can be rife with alienation, discrimination, abuse, and often death — is patently homophobic, and, frankly, rather ignorant.
Where he comes from, homophobia is official policy, not just religion.
Provorov comes from Russia, whose leader, Putin, in December signed a bill that strengthened an anti-gay 2013 law. Now, any pro-LGBTQ+ so-called “propaganda” that suggests that any relationship that is non-heterosexual is “normal” will be met with stiffer fines. Rainbow Europe, which annually analyzes the countries’ legal policies and social climate as it pertains to these marginalized groups, currently ranks Russia 46th out of 49 European countries.
Now that we’ve established what Provy is, let’s consider what should have been done, and why.
Bench him?
Yes. Bench him.
If he’d been playing on the U.S. national team in 2016, kneeling would have gotten him benched by current Flyers coach John Tortorella.
Provorov’s refusal to wear a Pride jersey Tuesday not only didn’t get him benched by Tortorella, it got him respected. Shocker.
“It’s one thing I respect about Provy, he’s always true to himself,” Tortorella said afterward.
Asked if he considered benching Provorov, Tortorella said, “No,” and then cut off further questions.
The justification for scratching Provy is simple. Actually scratching him would have been brave, and proper, but complicated.
A first-year coach benching a $6.75 million defenseman for refusing to join his teammates in a team-sanctioned act that supports inclusion due to his commitment to homophobia would have been unprecedented.
Then again, Tortorella, in his 20 years as an NHL coach, has had no problem benching anyone else, for pretty much any other reason. Torts is kinda nuts. He still hasn’t named a captain. Last week, he took away the iPads.
To be fair, not benching Provorov wasn’t solely Tortorella’s decision. Not if he lacked the stomach for it.
This was a Flyers decision. A decision that fell to general manager Chuck Fletcher, or to president and CEO of Comcast Spectacor Sports & Entertainment Valerie Camillo, or even to Spectacor chairman and CEO Dave Scott. Neither Camillo nor Scott was made aware of the situation in real-time, according to a league source.
No Flyers officials were made available for comment concerning the issue. Rather, they offered a corporate press release that ignored the Provorov issue, and finished:
“The Flyers will continue to be strong advocates for inclusivity and the LGBTQ+ community.”
Unless it means taking a stance with one of its own players.
The NHL has offered a milquetoast statement on Provorov’s actions, which read, in part:
“Players are free to decide which initiatives to support.”
So, yes, homophobia will be tolerated. Good to know things haven’t really changed.
Laughton, the team’s de facto captain, and a Hockey is for Everyone and You Can Play ambassador, said afterward, perhaps naïvely, “I’m sure conversations will happen down the road.”
Perhaps.
People change. Torts has, sort of.
Tortorella in 2020 said he’d changed his mind about benching a player who might protest during the anthem — that is, as long as the player discussed the protest with Tortorella beforehand. (Eye roll.)
Over 20 years, President Barack Obama evolved from advocating what he called “strong civil unions” but opposing same-sex marriage — citing his own Christian beliefs — to supporting same-sex marriage.
People do change.
We hope.
