Flyers coach John Tortorella defended Russian defenseman Ivan Provorov鈥檚 decision to cite religious beliefs as his reason to boycott the team鈥檚 pregame Pride celebration.
鈥淧rovy did nothing wrong,鈥� Tortorella said Thursday. 鈥淛ust because you don鈥檛 agree with his decision doesn鈥檛 mean he did anything wrong.鈥�
Before Tuesday鈥檚 game against the Anaheim Ducks, the 26-year-old Provorov sat out warmups, during which the Flyers wore Pride-themed jerseys and used sticks wrapped in rainbow tape.
Provorov is Russian Orthodox, and said after the game that he respected 鈥� everybody鈥檚 choices.鈥�
鈥淢y choice is to stay true to myself and my religion. That鈥檚 all I鈥檓 going to say,鈥� he said, declining to answer follow-up questions.
Tortorella said had 鈥渧ery healthy鈥� conversations with Provorov, general manager Chuck Fletcher and select players days ahead of the game. Provorov鈥檚 decision was not a surprise to the organization.
The first-year Flyers coach also said he never considered benching Provorov.
鈥淲hy would I bench him? Because of a decision he鈥檚 making on his beliefs and his religion?鈥� Tortorella said. 鈥淚t turned out to be a great night for Pride night.鈥�
The Flyers, led by players James van Riemsdyk and Scott Laughton, have been staunch supporters of the LGBTQ community and launched a program in support of LGBTQ youth in the greater Philadelphia area. The Flyers also hosted a pregame skate for local LGBTQ youth, and Laughton and van Riemsdyk met after the game with about 50 people from the community.
鈥淚 think ultimately I鈥檇 like to look at the positives from the night,鈥� van Riemsdyk said Thursday. 鈥淲e were able to host a few different groups and meet with them after the game. I think that鈥檚 where I鈥檇 like to keep the focus on, about the good things that happened. Ultimately, when you play a team sport, and there鈥檚 lots of different people from different backgrounds, there鈥檚 different causes that people support.鈥�
Tortorella dismissed criticisms that Provorov鈥檚 actions 鈥渆mbarrassed the organization,鈥� saying, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 look it at like that all.鈥�
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said Thursday that few outliers, such as Provorov, undermine the league鈥檚 overall commitment to inclusion.
鈥淚 think everybody knows what the league stands for in terms of our values, what the Flyers stand for in terms of their values, but in the final analysis, individual players are going to make decisions and follow their beliefs,鈥� Bettman said before the Buffalo Sabres game. 鈥淗aving said that, when you look at all of our players and the commitments that they鈥檝e made to social causes and to making our game welcoming and inclusive, let鈥檚 focus on the 700 that embrace it and not one or two that may have some issues for their own personal reasons.鈥�
Tortorella has coached five NHL teams and drew comparisons to his own controversy in 2016 in Columbus, when he threatened to bench any player that protested or took a knee during the national anthem. His comments came in the wake of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick鈥檚 decision to sit or kneel during the anthem because he said the country 鈥渙ppresses Black people and people of color.鈥�
Tortorella has since said, and reiterated Thursday, he was wrong.
鈥淚 learned a lot through that experience,鈥� Tortorella said. 鈥淢y feelings toward any kind of protest to the flag during the anthem, it disgusts me, to this day. It disgusts me. It shouldn鈥檛 be done. Those are my feelings. I can鈥檛 push those feelings on to someone else. So I was wrong in saying that back then. I didn鈥檛 realize I was.
鈥淏ut as I went through it all, who am I to push my feelings on to someone else. Same situation here.鈥�
The Russian Orthodox Church, like other major Eastern Orthodox branches, doesn鈥檛 perform or recognize same-sex marriages. Its leader, Patriarch Kirill, has been supportive of moves by Russian President Vladimir Putin鈥檚 government to implement anti-LGBTQ legislation.
The NHL also champions the You Can Play Project, which aims to ensure equality, respect and safety for all athletes, without regard to sexual orientation. The NHL has never had an openly gay active player. You Can Play co-founder Brian Kitts said in a statement that 鈥渞eligion and support for fans and teammates aren鈥檛 mutually exclusive.鈥�
The NHL said that clubs 鈥渄ecide whom to celebrate, when and how鈥� and that players 鈥渁re free to decide which initiatives to support, and we continue to encourage their voices and perspectives on social and cultural issues.鈥�
Tortorella said Provorov knew 鈥渉e was going to have some blow back.鈥�
鈥淧rovy鈥檚 not out there banging a drum against Pride night,鈥� he said. 鈥淗e felt strongly with his beliefs and he stayed with it.鈥�
The Flyers have only 19 wins but have won four of five headed into Thursday鈥檚 game against Chicago and are 8-2 since an overtime win Dec. 29 at San Jose.
Tortorella insisted the lingering affects of Pride night would not splinter the locker room.
鈥淣ot for a second,鈥� Tortorella said. 鈥淭he meeting at the end of the game, the 15, 20 minutes we spent together was very healthy. Really good process in a very important situation. To me, it bonds the team going through something like that. I鈥檓 not concerned about speculation of a team splitting up. Not a chance.鈥�
鈥� Dan Gelston, The Associated Press
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