Coyotes Travis Dermott explains why he used Pride Tape in spite of NHLs ban

Arizona Coyotes defenseman Travis Dermott became the first player to defy the NHL's memo banning Pride Tape when he used it on the shaft of his stick in the team's 2-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday. Dermott has since explained his decision and why going against the league's policy was so important to him.

Over the summer, the NHL sent out multiple memos to all 32 teams about how to handle specialty nights. Amongst the new policies were a ban on special warmup jerseys and the use of Pride Tape -- rainbow-colored tape often used to express support for the LGBTQ community on Pride Nights.

Despite that, Dermott took it upon himself to decorate the top of his stick with Pride Tape on Saturday. In an interview with The Athletic, Dermott said he was going to ask for forgiveness instead of seeking permission.

"None of the players really saw me put it on my stick," Dermott said. "It was kind of just an, 'All right, I'm doing this, and we're going to deal with the consequences and move forward, and hopefully I'll have a positive impact on some people that needed that positive impact.'"

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