CH-Sabres: a player refuses to wear the jersey of pride

< /p> UPDATE DAY

The Buffalo Sabers will hold their annual Pride party Monday night before the game against the Montreal Canadiens at KeyBank Center, and Russian defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin has given up on the idea of ​​wearing the multicolored jersey.

If his participation in the meeting is assured, it is quite the opposite for that in the warm-up session. Citing security concerns related to Russia's tightening laws promoting the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community, Lyubushkin made a decision identical to that of some, including fellow Philadelphia Flyers Ivan Provorov.

The principal concerned did not comment on the case, as reported by the daily The Buffalo News. However, a Sabers spokesperson recalled that the 28-year-old lives in his native country during the summer, while his family remains there all year round.

For his part, the captain of the club, Kyle Okposo, says that the whole group supports the hockey player.

“As an American, I don't think I can understand the psychological decisions he has to make and some of the constraints of that. type he has to experience as an athlete from a different place in the world, he said.

“I don't think it's fair to judge him from the same parameters as us. We press “Boosh” in the locker room and we want to make sure he is comfortable. We respect their choices. In my opinion, to try to judge him without understanding the full context of his decision would be short-sighted.”

All other Sabers colors will wear the diversity and inclusion awareness bib, clarified the local newspaper.