Read the full article from Managing Director Todd Kelman
Pictured above: The four captains in this year's Pride Jerseys (photo James Assinder)
We read the article for this week's match night programme from Todd Kelman and felt that it was something everyone needed to read on what Pride means to him. Enjoy.
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Pride Night 2023
This is one of my favourite events we do at the Devils, and I believe this is the 7th season we are doing this event.
We did our first Pride Night back in the 2016-17 season and the way it came about is what makes it such an important story. I spoke to the team about picking an official charity or a particular cause they wanted to support. I left it at that and let them have a meeting and get back to me. They had their meeting and decided they wanted to support Pride and the ‘You Can Play’ Project.
It wasn’t a league initiative back then, it wasn’t something that ownership or management or staff brought to the players and made them participate in, this came from the locker room and from the players themselves.
And I remember the fanbase and how much all of you embraced it, and you know what? I actually didn’t expect anything less from you. I knew this was something the Cardiff Devils fans would run with, and you have, for 7 seasons and counting.
Before we ever held a Pride Night, part of our pre-season induction with the players always included the importance of being inclusive and how our sport was a sport for everyone. I suspect the other nine teams in the league have similar talks with their players before they ever step on the ice.
I think that is what people in the UK love about our sport, this game truly is for everyone. It’s not just a clever strapline to sell t-shirts, but it really is a safe place for anyone that wants to enjoy the experience of live ice hockey.
This concept shouldn’t be something we have to celebrate and that is why I constantly tell people that yes, we do a Pride Night, but we are a sport that really doesn’t need to pick one game and seem inclusive, because we are doing it week in and week out, across rinks up and down the country, from amateur leagues to the Elite League, and have been for years.
There have been recent rumblings in the NHL about teams not participating in Pride Night events, which seems insane. Pride to me is much more than an LGBTQ+ movement or event. It is celebrating acceptance of every race, religion, sexual orientation, gender – and it is saying we don’t care, take pride in who you are and know you are welcome here. It is 2023, we have bigger things to worry about in the world than who loves who or what someone looks like or what god they worship.
In closing, I want to tell you all that there are a lot of things I love about the Devils fanbase and the way you have embraced Pride is at or near the top of that list. So thank you, and if you see me around on Sunday night, feel free to stop me and tell me what Pride means to you. I will be the guy in the suit, holding the mic with the rainbow on my face. Proud as always.
Todd Kelman
