Minnesota Wild players took warmup Tuesday in their normal uniforms, despite the club reportedly announcing they would wear special Pride-themed jerseys as part of the team's Pride Night festivities.
According to Michael Russo of The Athletic, the Wild had previously announced that they would wear the Pride jerseys and had also planned to auction off the jerseys after the game, according to a post on the club's website viewed by Russo that has since been deleted.
“Part of the themed game programming includes custom-designed Wild Pride jerseys worn by the team during pre-game warmups,” the deleted post said, according to Russo. “The custom warmup jerseys will be signed and auctioned off starting March 7.”
Instead, players used rainbow tape and Pride-themed pucks during warmups.
While the players didn't wear the jerseys, fans still got a glimpse of what they looked like when Jack Jablonski — an openly gay Minnesota hockey icon — was shown on the jumbotron before the game wearing one.
The Wild did donate suites to LGBTQIA+ organizations Twin Cities Pride, TCQHA and Team Trans, while players — including defenceman Jon Merrill and his wife Jessica Molina — donated tickets to QUEERSPACE Collective and planned to host a meet-and-greet after the game.
"The Minnesota Wild organization is proud to continue our support of the LGBTQIA+ community by hosting our second annual Pride Night tonight, which we are celebrating in many ways," the Wild said in a statement provided to Russo. "It is important to host nights like this to show all players, fans, and the LGBTQIA+ community that hockey is for everyone. We will continue to utilize our platform to strengthen our community and create a greater state of hockey."
Wild players did wear Pride uniforms for warmup in 2022, the first time the club hosted a Pride night.
The Rangers and Islanders also chose not to wear Pride uniforms during warmups earlier this season, and Flyers defenceman Ivan Provorov chose to sit out of warm-ups for a Pride Night game against the Ducks instead of wearing the themed jersey. Provorov cited his religious beliefs in his decision and the NHL later said in a statement that "players are free to decide which initiatives to support."
