Wed Jan 18, 2023 – 3:55 pm EST
(LifeSiteNews) — Professional National Hockey League (NHL) player Ivan Provorov was the only member of the Philadelphia Flyers who refused to wear a rainbow-colored jersey ahead of Tuesday night’s annual pride game against the Anaheim Ducks.
The team donned the jerseys for warmups but did not keep them on for the game, which they won 5-2.
During a media scrum following the match up, Provorov told journalists that his Russian Orthodox beliefs prevented him from participating in the pre-game exercises.
“I respect everybody and I respect everybody’s choices. My choice is to stay true to myself and my religion.”
Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov on refusing to wear a rainbow jersey for warm ups during “Pride Night” due to his Russian Orthodox faith.
pic.twitter.com/wCUl8slmRB
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) January 18, 2023
“I respect everyone. I respect everybody’s choices. My choice is to stay true to myself and my religion,” he said.
When pressed by multiple reporters for further comment, the seven-year NHL veteran simply stated, “that’s all I’m going to say.” He swatted away an additional question by saying, “can you respect [my views]?”
Provorov’s coach John Tortorella fully
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