When Travis Dermott takes the ice in Los Angeles on Tuesday night, he will do so without removing the Pride tape that thrust the Arizona Coyotes defenseman into one of the most controversial topics in the NHL over the weekend. .
“I think this one game probably made enough of a splash and got enough attention,” Dermot said. The Athletic upon Monday night.
But this doesn’t mean the 26-year-old will be silenced or deterred.
Not exactly.
On Saturday afternoon, about 48 hours after Dermot wrapped Pride tape around the shaft of his Warrior stick and skated in violation of new NHL rules that prohibit displaying “cause messages” on equipment, Dermot I hadn’t even heard from anyone directly yet. League officials.
But he had a chance to gauge the tremendous amount of coverage and attention his actions as an LGBTQ+ ally received, and was given time to reflect on how it put members of the Coyotes organization in an awkward position. Considering this, he believes his point has been effectively made.
And that other avenues still exist for him to continue to be successful.
“The war is not over. It never will be,” Dermot said. “You don’t want to completely back down and shut up when something like this happens, but you have to find the right strategy to deal with it.
“I support my organization, I don’t want to make them look bad, I don’t want to step on the league’s toes and actually start a fight with them, but I still tell them I think this is important.”
Without consulting management, the coaching staff or any of his colleagues, Dermot wrapped rainbow tape around the shaft of his stick just before a 2-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks at Mallett Arena.
This is a habit he has done regularly since his AHL days, and the only reason it took him until the fifth game of Arizona’s season to use tape again is because he misplaced his previous tape during the offseason. After relocating from Vancouver, it was because they were waiting for new shipments.
Dermot was aware of the NHL’s new regulations, but felt it was important to continue to show support for causes and communities near and dear to his heart.
“None of the players actually saw me put the ball on my stick,” Dermott said. “It’s just, ‘Okay, I’m doing this, I’m going to deal with the consequences and move on and hopefully have a positive impact on some people who need that positive impact. It was something like, “I hope so.”
While Dermot’s decision to come out in the name of supporting the LGBTQ+ community is not surprising given his long history, “I was around someone who was part of that community. “I was completely reluctant to come out, and yet I haven’t really done it,” he said, but it comes at a time when he’s fighting to re-establish himself in the league. That it did is even more noteworthy.
Dermott was limited to just 11 games with the Canucks last season due to lingering concussion issues, and is currently playing on a two-way contract and will be eligible for salary if the Coyotes choose to send him to AHL Tucson. will be reduced.
If he had been wearing his skates, it would have been much easier to do nothing given the current atmosphere at NHL headquarters.
So why was he the first player to break a rule that caused considerable consternation in locker rooms across the continent?
“It’s easy to forget that it’s a battle when there’s no battle in front of you,” Dermot says. “It’s easy to forget that there are groups of people who don’t feel like they belong when they’re not seen every day, when they’re swept under the rug, when they’re hidden from naked eyes. I feel like I belong.
“I think once you stop thinking about it, that’s when it becomes dangerous.”
Dermot openly admitted he felt a little anxious after Saturday’s game. He never imagined the reaction would be so significant and widespread. That feeling began to fade when it became clear that the Coyotes were willing to side with him.
“The response I’ve gotten is full support from the team,” Dermot said.
He said he silently apologized to facility staff for using pride tape.
“They’re supposed to make sure all of our equipment is up to spec, legal, and everything else,” he said. “I felt like I betrayed them. … But at the same time, I think they were very understanding and knew that I had no ill will towards them.”
The challenge now is to find a way to continue supporting the Pride’s efforts against the backdrop of new NHL rules.
The Coyotes are scheduled to host Pride Night on Friday, making them the first team to do so since the league clarified the rules in an Oct. 9 memo distributed to teams, but Dermott will commemorate the occasion. We are still considering our own plans to do so.
“My Instagram is going to be more active from now on,” he said. “I’m now going to actively find a way to not shut up completely and not anger the league and follow their rules.
“But yeah, I’m still here. The fight isn’t over yet. We’ll continue to talk about this. And if the league doesn’t want us to play games on league time. , we will find another way.”
Like many of his colleagues, Dermot was emotional when he learned the NHL was banning cause messages this season. The decision comes after several players made headlines last season when they refused to join their teammates and wear Pride sweaters during warm-ups. It was given down.
“You can see the league taking away our voice,” Dermott said. “We can’t speak. We don’t have that expression anymore. I think that’s the right way to think, and it’s easy to think that way. Many people do it and will continue to do it.
“There’s a fine line between the league wanting to look good and the league wanting to support all of this, but at the same time, we don’t want all the negativity that could come from someone not supporting us, and we don’t want to support them.” I completely understand the point of view of getting people who don’t support something to support something.
“If you step back and look at it, it’s definitely fine. But at the same time, we want to allow players to express themselves however they wish. You’ll still want to have that.”
Since Dermot first publicly supported the LGBTQ+ community, he speaks passionately about the people he has met in the LGBTQ+ community. Through his heartfelt conversation, he explains that sometimes the most outgoing personalities in the room personally benefit from seeing NHL players “with tape on their sticks.” I learned that.
“I don’t hear many people actually spending time with the LGBTQ community and feeling alienated from them,” Dermot says. “You just get used to things like that and you realize that they’re human too. They’re perfectly normal people who spend most of their lives just like you. So why do we treat them like that?” Do we treat them special just because of who they are?” Interested or not interested?
“That seems insane to me.”
And it seems that way for many others as well. Mr Dermott was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support following Saturday’s decision. He estimated that the tone of these messages was “99.99% positive.”
“As athletes, we have a great platform to spread love. If we’re not spreading that love, then what the hell are we doing?”
(Photo: Zach Bondurant/Getty Images)
