NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said tolerance of varying viewpoints was part of being 'open, welcoming and inclusive' following Pride Night situations.
Bettman said the NHL was not accepting bigotry or promoting homophobia. Provorov cited his Russian Orthodox religion for his decision, which coach John Tortorella supported, while the Rangers said in a statement:"Our organization respects the LGBTQ+ community and we are proud to bring attention to important local community organizations as part of another great Pride Night.
"Our ratings are fine," Bettman said. “Let’s not get too carried away with ratings because viewership overall is up nationally.”Some All-Stars, including longtime face of the league Sidney Crosby, have said they would prefer going back to the old playoff format that seeded teams 1 through 8 in the Eastern and Western Conferences.
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