Designers of special-themed Canucks jerseys disappointed with NHL ban

Designers of several special edition jerseys for the Vancouver Canucks say they're disappointed and frustrated at a decision from the NHL to ban players from wearing special 'cause-based' jerseys during warmups next season. 

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in an interview with Sportsnet that themed nights at games were being undermined by the decisions of some players not to wear special jerseys at Pride Nights during the 2022-23 season.

"That's just become more of a distraction from really the essence of what the purpose of these nights are," Bettman said. "We're keeping the focus on the game. And on these specialty nights, we're going to be focused on the cause."

The move affects jerseys designed for all special events or causes. Bettman told Sportsnet that themed nights will continue in the league as normal and said Pride jerseys will still be designed and sold, and players who wish to model them are free to do so.

The Vancouver Canucks released special jerseys for themed nights such as Pride, Diwali, Lunar New Year, and Black History Month, among others, last season. When reached by CBC News, the organization said it couldn't comment further on the issue.

Seeing themselves in the sport

Jay Odjick designed the Vancouver Canucks 2023 First Nations jersey in honour of his cousin Gino Odjick, who was a former Canucks enforcer and who passed away earlier this year at the age of 52. Both cousins hail from the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation near Maniwaki, Que.

"Those kinds of things, I think, help it seem possible for kids that [hockey] can be for them — not just us fans as people going to cheer on their favourite team, but to help see themselves someday in their jersey … Imagine what it's like to be a kid who's never seen himself represented in their favourite sport, and to see their favourite players wearing a jersey with their culture on it, just one time, just one time," Odjick said.

"The amount of guys who I had reach out to me, who are Indigenous NHL players, who said, 'Gino was what inspired me to play in the NHL' — we need to do things to acknowledge and celebrate individuals like that."

He said apart from being a physical sign of inclusivity and acceptance, special jerseys have raised funds for charities directly supporting underrepresented communities. 

"If we're going to be taking things away that are doing good, we need to begin a dialogue in so far as —what can we do to replace those and how? The NHL, I think, needs to be able to say, 'Well, what can we do and how can we help'?" Odjick said.

Odjick said he would still consider designing a 2024 Canucks First Nations jersey if asked to, as long as the Canucks look at other community outreach programs with local First Nations.

Vancouver-based visual artist Jag Nagra, meanwhile, who designed the Canucks 2023 Diwali jersey, said part of the thrill of the special jerseys was seeing the players themselves wearing them on the ice.

Her design included the name of each player written on the back of their jersey in the Hindi and Punjabi alphabets, something that she said felt like a huge win for her South Asian community.

"Seeing our writing on the back of their jerseys, and them wearing that [on the ice] — it was huge," Nagra said.

'We're going to keep celebrating'

Meanwhile, hockey fans in the Lower Mainland will still see special jerseys worn at B.C. Hockey League events.

Coquitlam Express Hockey Club general manager Tali Campbell said the NHL's decision — and particularly Bettman's characterization of questions to players who choose not to wear Pride jerseys as a "distraction" — is "incredibly disappointing."

Campbell called the incident a "black eye" on the sport of hockey and said his team would continue to wear jerseys for special events. 

"This is not politics. This is a humanitarian thing to say that everyone is welcome … We're going to keep celebrating these different causes and awareness and bring in inclusion to a sport that we all love so much."