Coyotes’ Travis Dermott Says NHL Decision to Rescind Pride Tape Ban Is ‘Amazing’

The Arizona defenseman was the first player to defy the league's controversial edict.

Counting off from the beginning of the regular season, the NHL's prohibition on Pride tape lasted 14 days.

The season opened on Oct. 10 with a new mandate from the league's board of governors banning players taping their sticks to show their support for Pride or other special initiatives. By Oct. 21, Coyotes defenseman Travis Dermott had defied it, applying rainbow-colored tape to his stick during a 2–1 win over the Ducks.

On Tuesday, the NHL formally lifted the ban. Dermott weighed in on the decision before Arizona’s 6–3 loss to the Kings, calling it "amazing."

“You really become proud for who you’re working for when people are able to second-guess their choices and just kind of take a step back and see who they’re affecting and how they’re affecting [them],” Dermott told reporters, via The Athletic. “To be able to have them really take a step in the right direction here in my eyes is unbelievable. It really makes me proud.”

The NHL reversed its ban on Pride tape Tuesday, after Arizona Coyotes defenseman Travis Dermott defied the new rule :: Stephen R. Sylvanie/USA Today network

Dermott, a champion of LGBTQ causes, expressed hope that the league will learn from its handling of the issue in order to create a more inclusive environment.

“Just them rescinding that choice, I think, speaks wonders,” Dermott said. “It’s just given the players their voice back. If everyone wants to wear it, if one guy wants to wear it—no one is going to be forced to wear it—but now just having that voice, I think, really speaks volumes into what the league thinks of us, what the league thinks of the community and really backs up their line that hockey is for everyone.”