Flyers Coach John Tortorella Is Not a Hypocrite

Ivan Provorov, a defenseman for the Philadelphia Flyers, has found himself in the unhappy position of being the latest sacrificial lamb in the cause of LGBT tolerance. On Tuesday, Provorov politely declined to join the hockey team’s “Pride Night” event, citing conflicts with his Christian faith:

The public revelation that some people still believe that Christianity is true — and worse, that they believe a version of it not uniformly consistent with the modern Democratic Party platform — has been the subject of an especially fiery backlash from progressive commentators. (One TV host mused that the NHL should “fine the Flyers a million dollars”; another suggested that Provorov should go fight on the front lines in Ukraine.) Caught in this crossfire was Flyers head coach John Tortorella, whose firm and repeated defenses of Provorov have invited their own progressive scrutiny. “He’s being true to himself and to his religion,” Tortorella said. “It’s one thing I respect about Provy, he’s always true to himself.” Tortorella also rejected any suggestion that he would consider benching Provorov:

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Nate Hochman

Nate Hochman was a staff writer at National Review.

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Ivan Provorov, a defenseman for the Philadelphia Flyers, has found himself in the unhappy position of being the latest sacrificial lamb in the cause of LGBT tolerance. On Tuesday, Provorov politely declined to join the hockey team’s “Pride Night” event, citing conflicts with his Christian faith:

The public revelation that some people still believe that Christianity is true — and worse, that they believe a version of it not uniformly consistent with the modern Democratic Party platform — has been the subject of an especially fiery backlash from progressive commentators. (One TV host mused that the NHL should “fine the Flyers a million dollars”; another suggested that Provorov should go fight on the front lines in Ukraine.) Caught in this crossfire was Flyers head coach John Tortorella, whose firm and repeated defenses of Provorov have invited their own progressive scrutiny. “He’s being true to himself and to his religion,” Tortorella said. “It’s one thing I respect about Provy, he’s always true to himself.” Tortorella also rejected any suggestion that he would consider benching Provorov: