Sports
Premier League Rainbow Laces campaign explained: What is it and what has sparked controversy?
The Premier League’s Rainbow Laces campaign, an annual show of support for the LGBTQ+ community, has been overshadowed this week.
Ipswich Town captain Sam Morsy twice refused to wear the accompanying rainbow armband in games, citing his religious beliefs, while Crystal Palace skipper Marc Guehi chose to write two pro-Christian messages on the armbands he’s worn in their past two matches.
The Athletic also reported on Wednesday morning that Manchester United abandoned plans to wear rainbow-themed Adidas warm-up jackets ahead of Sunday’s 4-0 win over Everton after defender Noussair Mazraoui refused to join the initiative. The Morocco international, like Morsy, pointed to his Muslim faith as the reason for his reluctance.
A well-intended campaign from the Premier League has found itself at the heart of a wider, divisive debate but one that is not unique to English football.
The Athletic analyses the origins of rainbow laces and whether the initiative can retain a place in the game’s calendar.
What is the Rainbow Laces campaign and why was it introduced?
The campaign dates back to 2013 when Stonewall, the LGBTQ+ charity, initially teamed up with UK bookmaker Paddy Power to send rainbow-coloured laces to all professional footballers across England and Scotland.
Players were encouraged to show their support for LGBTQ+ communities by wearing them and its success led to the Premier League formally partnering with Stonewall in an attempt to improve inclusivity across the top level of English football. A report released by Stonewall last month showed that one in four LGBTQ+ people still did not feel welcome at live sporting events.
It has become customary for the Premier League to allot two matchweeks to the Rainbow Laces campaign every season, presenting all 20 clubs with the opportunity to mark the event with a home fixture. The Premier League distributes rainbow-branded corner flags, ball plinths, handshake boards and substitution boards to its clubs, as well as the laces and captain’s armbands.
The wider period, this season running between November 29 and December 5, also sees clubs encouraged to highlight the work they do to “embed equality, diversity and inclusion”.
That typically includes content with managers, players and supporters to celebrate LGBTQ+ communities. One example this year was Southampton and England goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale speaking out on the challenges faced by his brother, Oliver, who is openly gay.
Why has it proved a talking point this year?
Morsy’s decision not to wear a rainbow armband for Ipswich’s 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday made him the only one of 20 captains in the Premier League not to do so. A club statement, released on Monday, confirmed the “religious beliefs” of Morsy, a Muslim, had been behind the step, with Ipswich saying they would “respect” the midfielder’s actions.
Also on Saturday, Guehi, a devout Christian, wore the rainbow armband in the 1-1 draw with Newcastle United after having written ”I (heart) Jesus” across it. Doing so contravened the Football Association’s rules banning any religious messaging being carried on playing kits.
By chance, Morsy and Guehi were on opposing teams on Tuesday night as Palace won 1-0 away to Ipswich. Morsy again chose not to wear the rainbow armband, while Guehi had changed the written message on his to “Jesus (heart) you”.
Speaking to Sky Sports on Wednesday, Guehi explained his thinking behind writing the messages.
“I think the message was pretty clear, to be honest,” he said. “It’s a message of love and truth as well and a message of inclusivity, so it speaks for itself.”
On Wednesday, The Athletic revealed United’s plan to wear rainbow-themed warm-up jackets ahead of Sunday’s game with Everton was scrapped due to Mazraoui, who is Muslim, refusing to take part.
Is this the first time it has provoked controversy?
This is the second year that a Premier League side’s captain has opted against wearing the rainbow armband, after Sheffield United’s Anel Ahmedhodzic, the Bosnia and Herzegovina international defender, did so last December.
Ahmedhodzic, a Muslim, wore the standard Premier League armband for a 2-0 defeat at home to Liverpool, in what was his first game as the team’s captain. Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder told reporters after the game that he had been unaware of Ahmedhodzic’s decision, and when asked by Swedish outlet SVT Sport why he had chosen not to have a rainbow armband, the defender answered, “Guess.”
Are players allowed to not wear a rainbow armband or laces?
Neither the laces nor the armband are considered compulsory but there has been an unwritten expectation that all players help promote the campaign. No Premier League captain, until Ahmedhodzic did so, had shown any resistance to the pro-LGBTQ+ messaging.
What are the rules around footballers promoting political symbols or messages on their kits?
Doing that, in short, is prohibited by the FA, who have specific kit requirements for players at all levels of English football. “Equipment must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images,” it outlines under Law 4.
The theory is that football, and a player’s kit, should not be used for the promotion of any beliefs, ensuring religion and politics are kept at a distance.
Those lines, though, can be blurred.
The annual poppy appeal, raising money for veterans of Britain’s armed forces, sees clubs carry the charity’s logo on their kits but James McClean, now of Wrexham in League One, has long considered it a political symbol and refused to commemorate the occasion, owing to his roots as a Catholic growing up in Northern Ireland.
“The poppy represents, for me, an entire different meaning to what it does for others,” McClean posted on Instagram in November. “Am I offended by someone wearing a poppy? No, absolutely not, what does offend me though, is having the poppy… forced upon me.”
The same stance was adopted by Nemanja Matic as a Manchester United player, because of Britain’s historic involvement in a military campaign in his homeland of Serbia.
It’s not just players either. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was fined £20,000 by the FA in 2018 for wearing a yellow ribbon — a symbol of solidarity with members of the independence movement in the Spanish region of Catalonia, where Guardiola is from, who had been arrested by Spain’s authorities — during an FA Cup tie against Wigan Athletic.
What has been the response of the football governing bodies and LGBTQ rights groups?
The FA has been in contact with Palace since Guehi wore his modified rainbow armband to remind them of the kit regulations, but no formal action will follow. Palace manager Oliver Glasner told reporters on Tuesday night he had spoken with Guehi ahead of the Ipswich game. “He’s no child. He’s an adult and he has an opinion,” said Glasner. “We respect that, and accept every opinion.”
Though the FA and Premier League are yet to make any formal comments on Morsy refusing to wear a rainbow armband or Guehi’s messaging, Stonewall released their own statement this week. “It has been incredible to see so many football teams at all levels support our Rainbow Laces campaign to make sport safer and more inclusive for all. When clubs like Ipswich Town FC show their support, it helps people feel safe and welcome both on and off the pitch,” a spokesperson said. “It is up to individuals to choose if and how they show their support for LGBTQ+ inclusion in sport.”
GO DEEPER
‘We deserve our rights’: How LGBTQ+ fans feel about Rainbow Laces controversy
Is the campaign likely to keep going?
There is no indication the actions of Morsy and Guehi, or the events at Manchester United, will lead to any changes in the Premier League’s allyship with Stonewall. It has been a long-running partnership designed to welcome LGBTQ+ communities and heighten inclusivity and the resistance to the campaign has been nominal.
Ahead of this year’s event, the league’s chief executive Richard Masters suggested it remained a long-term commitment.
“There has been considerable progress to make football a more inclusive environment for the LGBTQ+ community since the Rainbow Laces campaign launched a decade ago,” Masters said. “We are determined to maintain this momentum to make sure football is welcoming for everyone and send a clear message that discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated.”
Are there equivalent campaigns in other sports?
The Rainbow Laces campaign is not confined to football in England, with Stonewall saying “over a million” people have participated since its launch 11 years ago, including elite athletes from the worlds of rugby union, rugby league and cricket.
Other countries have adopted similar initiatives and, like the Premier League, run into problems.
Clubs from French football’s top divisions wear shirts carrying rainbow colours once a season to promote LGBTQ+ causes, leading some players to make themselves unavailable for that round of games.
Midfielder Idrissa Gueye, now in the Premier League with Everton, was twice left out of Paris Saint-Germain squads after refusing to wear the modified shirt. Mauricio Pochettino, the club’s manager at the time, said in 2022 that Gueye had missed one particular match for “personal reasons” and there was support from Cheikhou Kouyate of Palace and Watford’s Ismaila Sarr (now a Palace player himself) on social media. All three play at international level for Senegal, where homosexuality is illegal.
Toulouse and Morocco forward Zakaria Aboukhlal also decided not to appear for his French club in 2023 when rainbow kits marked the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia. Monaco and Mali midfielder Mohamed Camara was handed a four-match ban at the end of last season after covering up an anti-homophobia message on his shirt during a match in Ligue 1, the top division of club football in France. Amelie Oudea-Castera, the country’s sports minister, called Camara’s actions “unacceptable behaviour.”
The rainbow colours also created an issue in the NHL, North America’s top ice hockey league, last year. The NHL reversed a ban on players wrapping multi-coloured ‘Pride’ tape around their hockey sticks in support of LGBTQ+ communities.
(Top photo: Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images)
Sports
Texas fan narrowly misses $1.2 million kick on ESPN's 'College GameDay'
One Texas fan had two chances at a life-changing kick on ESPN’s “College GameDay” Saturday.
Corbin Cessna graduated from Texas in 2017. He said he majored in civil engineering but is now a lawyer and still has some debt from law school.
What was Cessna’s strategy for his big kick?
“Keep it easy, keep it smooth, it’s like a nice little 9-iron, you know, don’t over-kick it, that’s it,” Cessna said.
The kick was originally going to be $200,000, but Pat McAfee volunteered his co-host Kirk Herbstreit to match the money he put up, making it a $400,000 kick.
The problem? Cessna kicked it way too soft. The kick was a soft bloop that barely made it halfway towards the uprights sitting 33 yards away.
The kick was so bad, McAfee blurted out, “This guy sucks” immediately after Cessna made contact.
“This guy is the worst of all-time,” McAfee said.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL FANS PUZZLED OVER ESPN’S ‘COLLEGE GAMEDAY’ SPECIAL GUEST PICKER
After peer pressure from the crowd, McAfee gave Cessna another chance to nail the field goal with the stakes greatly raised.
McAfee volunteered Herbstreit for another $200,000 with McAfee matching, bringing the total up to an $800,000 kick.
McAfee then asked special guest picker Timothée Chalamet whether he wanted to match as well, and the Hollywood movie star was all in, making it a $1.2 million kick.
The levity of the moment then hit McAfee.
“Holy hell, everything just got very real all of a sudden. That first attempt was God-awful, but now you got a $1.2 million operation.”
Cessna’s second attempt he will probably think about for the rest of his life. He struck his second attempt much better, giving it the distance required, but he barely missed as the ball hooked left.
Cessna doubled over in disbelief, missing out on $1.2 million by a matter of a few feet.
While Cessna missed the kick, his no. 2-ranked Texas Longhorns are taking on the no. 5-ranked Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship game at 4:00 p.m. ET Saturday with a lot at stake.
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Sports
High school basketball: Friday's scores from boys’ and girls’ games
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
FRIDAY’S RESULTS
BOYS
Acaciawood 69, Magnolia Science Academy 55
AGBU 59, Santa Monica Pacifica Christian 54
Aliso Niguel 73, Upland 52
Alliance Ted K. Tajima 62, Aspire Ollin 39
Aquinas 68, Carter 63
Arcadia 78, Maranatha 56
Artesia 67, Marquez 40
Baldwin Park 67, Mountain View 50
Banning 65, Tahquitz 46
Bell 43, L.A. Roosevelt 42
Bellflower 54, El Segundo 41
Bernstein 94, Mendez 15
Beverly Hills 76, L.A. Hamilton 50
Bishop Alemany 63, Sun Valley Poly 54
Bishop Amat 54, L.A. Wilson 50
Bishop Diego 73, Nordhoff 33
Blair 74, Aveson Global Leadership 48
Bloomington 36, Granite Hills 28
California 71, Irvine University 67
California Lutheran 76, Bethel Christian 53
Cajon 52, West Torrance 41
Camarillo 70, Rio Mesa 32
CAMS 52, Harbor Teacher 35
Canyon Country Canyon 65, West Ranch 62
Canyon Springs 88, Vista del Lago 56
Capistrano Valley Christian 76, San Dimas 62
Carpinteria 65, Cate 64
Cerritos 83, Servite 81
Chaffey 55, Ontario 25
Channel Islands 87, Malibu 49
Chino Hills 66, Walnut 51
Clovis East 63, Thousand Oaks 60
Clovis North 83, Santa Barbara 58
Coastal Christian 77, Coast Union 32
Colton 69, Rubidoux 66
Corona del Mar 57, Irvine 56
Corona Santiago 66, Arlington 60
Crescenta Valley 83, Canoga Park 22
Cypress 86, Indian Springs 71
Desert Christian 69, Immanuel Christian 32
Desert Mirage 40, Palm Valley 24
Dorsey 55, Los Angeles 52
Eastside 57, Highland 43
East Valley 49, Fremont 42
Etiwanda 64, Summit 44
Flintridge Prep 93, EF Academy 14
Foothill Tech 53, Santa Clara 44
Foshay 61, Middle College 55
Fresno Christian 76, Simi Valley 68
Fullerton 52, Brea Olinda 41
Garden Grove Pacifica 36, Godinez Fundamental 31
Garey 64, Eastside Christian 23
Gateway 58, Corona 47
Glendora 71, San Marino 54
Granada Hills 50, Granada Hills Kennedy 42
Great Oak 74, Apple Valley 42
Hacienda Heights Wilson 62, Western 48
Hawthorne 72, Lennox Academy 51
Hemet 67, Elsinore 61
Heritage 51, Redlands 49
Highland 67, Crossroads 55
Hoover 71, Northridge Academy 27
Huntington Beach 67, Incline (Nevada) 22
International School of LA 56, Southwestern Academy 50
JSerra 63, Millennium (Arizona) 61
Knight 82, Highland 51
La Costa Canyon 52, Linfield Christian 43
La Habra 68, Churchie (Australia) 64
L.A. Jordan 98, Hawkins 17
Lakewood 79, San Pedro 75
L.A. Leadership Academy 30, School of Los Angeles 20
Lancaster 83, Palmdale Academy Charter 37
L.A. Lincoln 66, Torres 27
La Palma Kennedy 52, Oxford Academy 41
Legacy Christian Academy 74, Lynwood 40
Liberty 70, Paloma Valley 40
Locke 51, Port of L.A. 43
Loyola 90, Los Altos 71
Los Alamitos 67, Corona Centennial 65
Los Amigos 55, Downey 54
Lucerne Valley 55, Trona 18
Manual Arts 77, USC Hybrid 22
Maricopa 43, Cuyama Valley 11
Marina 76, South Torrance 64
Mary Star of the Sea 52, Wilmington Banning 35
Math & Science College Prep 85, Horace Mann UCLA 26
Mesrobian 51, San Gabriel 41
Millikan 60, Palos Verdes 57
Mira Costa 78, Culver City 63
Newport Harbor 57, Warren 43
Newport Park Adventist 51, Grace 48
Norco 73, Eisenhower 55
Norton Science & Language Academy 44, Grove School 37
Orange County Pacifica Christian 61, Spanish Springs (Nevada) 52
Orange Vista 68, Grand Terrace 54
Orthopaedic 52, Gertz-Ressler 27
Oxnard 63, Buchanan 60
Palmdale Aerospace Academy 75, Lone Pine 46
Palm Desert 64, Northview 37
Pasadena 49, Chula Vista Mater Dei 44
Pasadena Poly 60, Sierra Vista 57
Patriot 75, Jurupa Hills 64
Peninsula 50, Chadwick 40
Pioneer 69, Duarte 43
Placentia Valencia 86, Anaheim 49
Point Loma 78, Dos Pueblos 47
Providence 83, Compton Centennial 11
Quartz Hill 62, Temple City 40
Rancho Christian 85, La Jolla Country Day 56
Rancho Cucamonga 71, Redlands East Valley 44
Rancho Mirage 66, Hillcrest Christian 54
Redlands Adventist Academy 57, Nuview Bridge 37
Riverside King 75, Ramona 59
Riverside Notre Dame 61, San Jacinto 57
Riverside Poly 62, Damien 54
Riverside Prep 65, University Prep 26
Riviera Prep (Florida) 68, Southern California Academy 57
RFK Community 87, Belmont 47
Royal 62, Sanger 58
San Clemente 71, Woodbridge 24
San Jacinto Valley Academy 56, California Military Institute 48
Santa Margarita 68, Sage Creek 49
Santa Rosa Academy 86, St. Jean de Lestonnac 47
Savanna 62, Saddleback 56
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 75, Village Christian 65
Silver Valley 53, Academy for Academic Excellence 31
South East 55, Huntington Park 46
South Gate 60, Legacy 51
St. Bernard 56, Rolling Hills Prep 48
St. Bonaventure 75, Galena 47
St. Francis 56, Renton (Washington) 44
Taft 98, Compton 60
Temecula Prep 66, Lakeside 54
Tesoro 55, Edison 54
Thousand Oaks 67, River City 45
Torrance 79, Santa Fe 43
Trabuco Hills 66, Chaparral 62
Tustin 40, Sunny Hills 38
VAAS 88, Central City Value 41
Valencia 58, Saugus 55
Valley Christian Academy 62, San Luis Obispo Classical 34
Valley View 60, Yucca Valley 27
Villa Park 90, Konawaena (Hawaii) 62
Vistamar 67, New Roads 43
Vista Murrieta 59, Hillcrest 47
Webb 58, Mesa Grande Academy 39
West Adams 67, Maywood CES 34
Whittier 69, Montebello 35
Woodcrest Christian 78, Jurupa Valley 45
Workman 61, Katella 38
Yorba Linda 57, Bonita 46
Yucaipa 64, Silverado 57
GIRLS
Alliance Ted K. Tajima 26, Aspire Ollin 24
Anza Hamilton 37, Marlborough 33
Apple Valley 52, Don Lugo 15
Arleta 47, Glendale 39
Arrowhead Christian 52, California Lutheran 14
Arroyo 42, Mountain View 12
Arroyo Grande 45, Corona del Mar 27
Bell 47, L.A. Roosevelt 4
Bishop Amat 60, Colony 47
Calvary Baptist 25, Pomona Catholic 23
Campbell Hall 67, Oak Park 29
Canoga Park 60, VAAS 13
Cantwell-Sacred Heart 40, Fountain Valley 35
Canyon Country Canyon 71, West Ranch 21
Carter 77, Pacific 13
Castaic 46, Golden Valley 43
Corona Centennial 62, Orange County Pacifica Christian 40
Century 33, Capistrano Valley Christian 24
Chaffey 32, Webb 17
Charter Oak 59, Edgewood 29
Clovis 66, Birmingham 54
Coastal Christian 68, Coast Union 8
Cobalt Institute of Math & Science 37, Rancho Mirage 10
Crescenta Valley 56, Granada Hills 43
Cypress 51, La Serna 48
Diego Rivera 52, Elizabeth 24
Dos Pueblos 69, Oaks Christian 64
Eagle Rock 63, Muir 43
Eastvale Roosevelt 66, Beaumont 62
Edison 45, Mayfair 39
Esperanza 82, Brea Olinda 47
Fillmore 31, Cate 10
Fontana 46, Montclair 30
Glendora 66, Compton Centennial 33
Godinez Fundamental 48, Irvine 36
Granada Hills Kennedy 51, Grant 20
Grove School 42, Norton Science & Language 8
Harbor Teacher 50, Fremont 14
Harvard-Westlake 45, Westlake 31
Hawkins 69, L.A. Jordan 33
Hawthorne 42, Lennox Academy 14
Heritage 54, Corona 52
Hollywood 46, Contreras 20
Holy Martyrs 63, Bishop Diego 29
Hoover 43, Northridge Academy 34
Huntington Beach 45, Whittier 44
Huntington Park 36, South East 32
Inglewood 51, Compton 33
Jurupa Hills 37, Kaiser 27
Jurupa Valley 31, Bloomington 30
La Canada 35, Village Christian 32
Lakewood 62, Torrance 35
Lakewood St. Joseph 68, El Segundo 54
La Salle 59, Oakwood 43
Lawndale 56, Valley Christian 45
Legacy 76, South Gate 16
Linfield Christian 63, Lakeside 26
Locke 22, Port of LA 16
Lompoc Cabrillo 37, Taft Union 20
Long Beach Cabrillo 59, CAMS 34
Long Beach Jordan 54, Gardena 30
Lucerne Valley 42, Trona 14
Manual Arts 33, USC-MAE 16
Maranatha 35, Simi Valley 30
Marina 57, McFarland 24
Math & Science College Prep 59, Horace Mann UCLA 9
Mira Costa 65, South Pasadena 50
Murrieta Mesa 35, Mission Vista 19
Newbury Park 62, Santa Paula 27
Oak Park 67, Campbell Hall 29
Ontario 37, Alta Loma 33
Ontario Christian 79, Fairmont Prep 62
Orange 37, Fullerton 36
Orcutt Academy 49, San Marcos 28
Oxford Academy 31, La Mirada 24
Palisades 56, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 51
Palm Springs 31, Marymount 28
Paramount 72, Garfield 41
Pasadena 66, Blair 12
Pasadena Poly 74, Azusa 15
Providence 36, Westridge 24
Quartz Hill 69, Victor Valley 38
Rancho Christian 66, Francis Parker 57
Rancho Verde 47, Yucca Valley 43
Redondo 63, Pioneer 54
RFK Community 49, Belmont 12
Riverside King 63, San Clemente 47
Riverside Poly 61, Serrano 28
Riverside Prep 55, University Prep 46
Sage Hill 60, JSerra 52
San Jacinto 58, Eisenhower 36
San Jacinto Valley Academy 46, California Military Institute 26
Santa Ana Mater Dei 57, Moreno Valley 42
Santa Maria 50, Paraclete 27
Santa Maria St. Joseph 55, Oxnard 30
Santa Monica 47, Notre Dame Academy 35
Santa Ynez 51, Santa Barbara 28
School of Los Angeles 19, L.A. Leadership Academy 12
Segerstrom 67, Mission Bay 33
Shadow Hills 75, Chaparral 30
Sherman Oaks CES 64, Reseda 37
Silver Valley 47, Academy for Academic Excellence 34
South Hills 49, West Covina 43
St. Margaret’s 53, Long Beach Poly 33
Taft 40, Van Nuys 35
Tahquitz 81, Colton 74
Temecula Prep 58, Garey 28
Trinity Classical Academy 55, Santa Clarita Christian 14
Upland 53, Silverado 50
Valencia 55, Saugus 43
Venice 49, Lakeview Charter 24
Ventura 60, Camarillo 52
Villa Park 46, San Juan Hills 36
Vistamar 57, New Roads 9
Westminster 67, Avalon 24
Whitney 55, Gregori 35
Woodbridge 43, Garden Grove 19
Sports
Baggy nets and blue undershirts: 6 more things I miss from the NHL’s ancient days
Exactly one year ago today, I wrote a column about being old, and the subtle things I miss about what hockey used to be. No big issues, to be clear – we’re talking stuff like how the water bottles used to pop off the nets, and how linesmen used to have to climb the glass to avoid the puck. If I’m being honest, I figured it would be a bit of a throwaway, the kind of midseason filler that’s fun for a day and then fades quickly. Instead, it became one of my more popular columns of the season, and I decided to make it a regular feature.
Then I forgot. Because I am old.
But if there’s anything us old fogies do better than the occasional memory lapse, it’s celebrating the random anniversary of things that weren’t all that important to begin with. So today, one year later, I’m bringing the gimmick back, with a half dozen new items. Well, old ones. You’ll figure it out.
But first, just like last time, a disclaimer: This is all in good fun, and very much not meant to be some whiny screed about how much better things used to be, and how Gary Bettman has ruined everything by dragging the game into the 20th century. If you have strong feelings about that stuff, please take them elsewhere, because I am decrepit and fragile.
Let’s get old.
I miss when the nets were loose and baggy
How it used to be: A player would carry the puck through the neutral zone, with nobody in his way because the trap hadn’t been invented yet. Then he’d skate to the top of the circle and wind up for a slap shot because gap control hadn’t been invented yet. Then he’d rip a howitzer past a terrified tiny man because goaltending hadn’t been invented yet.
And then the puck would stay in the net. Somewhere.
You see, kids, back in the old days the nets were loose and baggy. That made sense to us because their job was to stop the puck when a goal had been scored. So even if you lost track of the puck, which you definitely did thanks to the 14-inch standard-definition TV the whole family was crowded around, you’d see a big bulge in the back of the net and know that goal had been scored.
Why it changed: Presumably because the linesmen complained about having to go elbow-deep in fishing twine to retrieve a puck while everyone else waited for the game to start. And sure, I get that. But at some point, net-tightening technology got out of control, to the point where the things barely seem to have any give at all anymore.
Why I miss it: First of all, because I’m tired of being confused about whether a goal was even scored because the puck goes into the net at 95 mph and comes out at roughly 96, eventually embedding itself in the boards at the opposite end of the rink.
But there was also just something cool about the visual. In last year’s comment section, reader Tom L. once described it as “Like catching a comet in a butterfly net,” at which point he was immediately perma-banned for writing something better than I ever could.
I miss when a team’s three best forwards were on the top line
How it used to be: There was a time when a team’s first line was made up of its best center and its two best wingers. The second line was the next best center and next two best wingers. And not only did this not seem weird, we couldn’t even imagine a different way of doing it.
For the record, this wasn’t a hard and fast rule across the entire league, and you’d occasionally get guys playing higher up the lineup than you’d expect. (This was especially true when somebody like Dave Semenko would get to ride shotgun for Wayne Gretzky, just in case anyone needed to be taken for a canoe ride.) But occasional exceptions aside, it was pretty much the default setting.
That started to shift around the time the cap came in, as teams moved toward spreading their best players across three or even four lines. Often, that meant the top center would have one top winger who’d regularly play with him, and then a rotating cast of depth guys who’d fill out the third spot. Sometimes it clicked, and you’d even occasionally discovered a star-in-the-making like Zach Hyman this way. But loading up the team’s three best forwards on one line for an entire game? These days, it’s rare.
Why it changed: My guess is that two main factors came into play, both of which made balanced lineups more important. The first was the cap, and the parity it forced on the league. It’s one thing to put your three best forwards on the top line, and something else entirely when those are your only three good forwards. We also saw the game evolve to a much higher tempo than we saw back in the olden days, where players took longer shifts and rarely went full speed. With everyone mashing the turbo button at all times these days, you can’t play that top line for 25 or 30 minutes like you could before, so spreading out the offense becomes a priority.
Why I miss it: Because it was just cool to see all that talent on the ice at once, especially when teams matched top lines and there were six all-stars facing off against each other. And it was fun when your team acquired a star player and you’d start mentally shifting the lines around in your head, rather than finding out he’d been slotted in for third-line duty because the top line with the 12-goals-a-year plugger has too much chemistry to disrupt.
I miss when all the players wore the same light blue undershirts for some reason
How it used to be: I don’t know why or when it started, but when I was growing up, every NHL player wore the same light blue undershirt. (OK, yes, except for Rob Ray.)
If you looked closely, you could see them peaking out from beneath the jersey pretty much all the time. But you really got a good look under two sets of circumstances: Any time a player was interviewed in the dressing room, or whenever a guy got into a fight and had his jersey pulled off.
A significantly rarer third option that nonetheless helps illustrate our point: When players were forced to take part in intermission comedy sketches.
Why it changed: I have no idea, although I’m going to assume that somebody invented a better moisture-absorbing material that was lighter and/or more comfortable, and the modern generation adopted that because they are soft.
Relatedly, I have no idea when this changed. I know those shirts were everywhere in like 1993, and they’re not around now, but you could tell me that they disappeared gradually or in some specific year in between there and I would have no choice but to believe you.
Why I miss it: I have no idea. My brain may be broken.
I miss when referees would announce the result of goal review with a dramatic point
How it used to be: A goal would be scored, or maybe it wouldn’t, and nobody would be quite sure. So we’d go to replay review, which always worked great and everybody loved, to try to figure it out. That meant the referee would have to skate over to the penalty box area, where they’d try to hand him a beige phone with a comically long extension chord through a little hole in the glass, which was always peak comedy. He’d listen, somebody somewhere would watch a replay, and we’d all wait as the suspense mounted.
And then, the decision would arrive – at which point the ref would nod solemnly, return the phone, and then take a few confident strides toward center ice before either pointing to the faceoff dot (for a goal) or waving his arms (for no goal). It was emphatic, decisive, and the only way that made sense.
Why it changed: Because the NHL realized that the NFL had its officials actually announce their calls into microphones and thought, “Hey, I bet our guys could do that too.” Spoiler alert: No they could not.
Why I miss it: First are foremost, because today’s NHL microphones seldom work. And on the rare occasions that they do, every referee who isn’t Wes McCauley clearly hates having to do the announcement and rush through the entire thing like a scared third-grader getting his public speaking presentation out of the way. Half the time the crowd is just confused about what the ref is even trying to tell us, especially since a lot of these guys don’t know how to just get to the point and say goal or no goal. It’s a mess.
But even beyond that, the point-or-wave dynamic was just better. It was more dramatic. What’s that old saying when it comes to screenwriting, show don’t tell? The NHL was better when they’d show us with an emphatic motion instead of telling us with rambling expository dialog.
One bit of good news: Unlike just about all of the other items I complain about in this column, where there’s no reasonable path back to how it used to be, we could fix this one at any time. Just call up the referees union and tell them the broken mics are history, and we’re back to pointing. I’m pretty sure they’d be thrilled. All we’d need to do is provide a little bit of training to remind them how it’s done. Maybe Auston Matthews could volunteer.
I miss when cool moments were punctuated with flashbulbs going off
How it used to be: Some key moment would come along, especially around the net, and the darkened arena would explode with camera flashbulbs.
If you’ve ever wondered why those “ol’ hockey pictures” looked so cool, here’s how they did it:
I slowed down the Mahovlich goal from ‘72. You can see the flash bulbs mounted on the glass going off simultaneously to take the pic. The resulting pic is in the thread BELOW.. pic.twitter.com/VVXQK3ctn6
— Old Hockey Cards (@oldhockeycards) December 2, 2023
It was like a mini-fireworks show, one that you came to associate with “something very important just happened.”
Why it changed: I don’t know enough about photography to say for sure, but I’d assume that better camera technology is to blame here, as well as better lightning in arenas.
Why I miss it: Because flashbulbs automatically increase the drama of a given sports moment by roughly 300 percent.
This isn’t an NHL-specific issue, by the way. Other sports have also lost their bulbs, with nighttime baseball and football being especially affected. If you’re feeling generous with your definitions, it’s possible that no “sport” has suffered more here than pro wrestling. But hockey had its moment too, and I miss them. Photography was just better back then. With one notable exception.
I kind of miss when random fans would jump on the ice to celebrate with the players
How it used to be: You’d be sitting at home, watching your team win the Stanley Cup. The final buzzer would count down, and the bench would empty in an explosion of joy and relief, as the superstar forward and stud defenseman raced down the ice pile onto the starting goalie. And then you’d look up and Gord from accounting would be there too.
Why it changed: Because it was one of the stupidest things ever, and I can’t believe there was a time when we let this happen in pretty much every sport.
Why I miss it: I know I shouldn’t because it was dumb and also legitimately dangerous. It was also unfailingly hilarious, and it only gets funnier with time, since you get to enjoy those wonderful ’70s and ’80s fashions.
The whole thing is fascinating to me as an introvert who doesn’t enjoy making eye contact with my own children. I can’t get inside the head of somebody who sees their team celebrating a huge win and thinks, “You know what I bet would make this even better? Me. Hold my popcorn, I’ll be back in a bit…”
Today, anyone who tries to jump on the ice at the final horn would be immediately tackled, arrested, and barred from the arena for life. And for the record, I have no issue with that, other than we should do it to the glass-bangers too. But there was a weird time when we all just accepted it, and I kind of miss it.
(Top photo of Wayne Gretzky with the Stanley Cup: David E. Klutho /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
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