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NHL players won’t be allowed to put Pride-themed tape on their sticks while on the ice this season as part of a decision made by the board of governors in June, multiple league sources confirmed to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun. Outsports first reported the news. As the league prepares for the opening of its 2023-24 regular season on Tuesday, the topic of players not being allowed to use Pride-themed tape on their sticks was a talking point around the league. “It’s their decision. We’re going to support Pride any way we can other than the tape,” Flames captain Mikael Backlund said. “We’re going to follow the rules and do what we’re told.” When asked how he could show Pride allyship without using tape on his stick, Backlund pointed at other initiatives available to players. “The Calgary Flames Foundation has always marched in the Pride parade. I’ve done it in Sweden and guys have done it in different places in the world,” Backlund said, “So that’s an easy way for us to show our support and that we support Pride.” Calgary forward Jonathan Huberdeau has used Pride-themed tape on his stick for an entire game in the past and sounded like he might be willing to continue that tradition, even in light of the new policy. “For me personally, I support it,” Huberdeau said Tuesday. “If I get the chance to do it, I’ll do it.” But when pressed if he would be willing to risk a fine or punishment for going against league policy, Huberdeau conceded that he likely wouldn’t push the envelope. “No. I probably won’t,” said Huberdeau. “I don’t want to get in trouble.” “This organization, we’ve always been supporters of the LGTBQ community,” Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving told reporters Tuesday. “Nothing is going to change with that.” On Tuesday afternoon, The You Can Play Project — an organization that works “to ensure the safety and inclusion for all who participate in sports, including LGBTQ+ athletes, coaches and fans” — issued a scathing statement about the NHL’s decision on X. “It is now clear that the NHL is stepping back from its longstanding commitment to inclusion, and continuing to unravel all of its one-time industry-leading work on 2SLGBTQ+ belonging. We are now at a point where all the progress made, and relationships established with our community, is in jeopardy. Making decisions to eradicate our visibility in hockey — by eliminating symbols like jerseys and now Pride Tape — immediately stunts the impact of bringing in more diverse fans and players into the sport,” the statement read in part. “We call on all allies, players, fans, and coaches at every level in hockey to amplify their voices and join us in this important conversation and to remind the NHL #WhyThisMatters. This includes the NHLPA and the NHLCA. Hockey is safer and better when more of us belong.” Last week, the league reportedly sent two memos to teams clarifying its guidance about what players and teams can do for “special initiatives,” including Pride night, Black History night, Hockey Fights Cancer night and Military Appreciation night. The latest memo said restrictions cover “on-ice activity” and said “players should be encouraged to express themselves off the ice,” ESPN reported. It also reportedly said players and teams are allowed to “celebrate and support” specialty causes, and host themed groups at games, while players can wear “whatever they want” as long as they adhere to their team’s dress code. At the NHL board of governors meeting in June, league officials decided not to wear specialty jerseys during warmups during the 2023-24 season. “I suggested that it would be appropriate for clubs not to change their jerseys in warmups because it’s become a distraction and taking away from the fact that all of our clubs, in some form or another, host nights in honor of various groups or causes, and we’d rather those continue to get the appropriate attention that they deserve and not be a distraction,” NHL commissioner Gery Bettman said June 22. NHL rules around Pride nights, specifically, came into the spotlight last season as some players took issue with participating in them. Multiple players and teams opted to not wear the Pride warmup jerseys, citing religious reasons or safety concerns. Multiple Russian players opted out of wearing the Pride night warmup jersey as Russian anti-gay laws escalated. Russian players including Buffalo Sabres defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin did not wear the jersey and Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Ivan Provorov, then on the Philadelphia Flyers, sat out of warmups entirely. Some of the teams, like the St. Louis Blues, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild, scrapped the warmup sweaters entirely. In March, San Jose goaltender James Reimer declined to wear a Pride jersey to participate in the Sharks Pride Night, citing his religious beliefs. “There’s a bunch of teams starting to wear them and I just came to the conviction through my faith that it went against what I believe the Bible says,” he said. “I don’t want to really go into too much detail about the behind-the-scenes stuff. But it’s something that I tried to do my due diligence and just came to the fact that the best way to stand up for what I believe in was just to not wear the jersey and then to try and make this as loving and least offensive as possible.” Florida Panthers players Marc and Eric Staal also did not participate in warmups as part of the Florida Panthers Pride night in March. The brothers cited their Christian beliefs in their decision to not take part in wearing the themed warmup jerseys as the Panthers host the Toronto Maple Leafs. “After many thoughts, prayers and discussions we have chosen not to wear a pride jersey tonight,” the Steal brothers wrote in a statement. “We carry no judgment on how people choose to live their lives, and believe that all people should be welcome in all aspects of the game of hockey.” In June, Bettman told team governors all theme nights were important and should be continued, but the uniforms had “become a distraction” and teams would not wear them this season. Bettman said players can “choose to model” those jerseys, but the new rule was about “what’s on the ice.” https://theathletic.com/4946564/2023/10/10/nhl-pride-tape-ban/

GEE! @Becket is as good a prognosticator about Texas as @BuffaloKyle is about St Louis!

Dog dubbed 'Cheeto' rescued after three days with head stuck in bucket of cheeseballs

You have my condolences... Oh, wait a minute...

you're welcome:

Get 31% off TUSHY's bidet attachment during Amazon's October Prime Day Sale

THE VIEW started off Monday's show with a live report by James Longman from Israel. Today they started with a report from Matt Gutman, but 3 minutes in he was ushered away from the scene by Israeli personnel because there was an active battle ratcheting up in the area. He rejoined them later.

Shuttered British boarding school for sale as palatial country place Following the fresh closure of Abberley Hall School, its grounds and buildings are now available for purchase, the price available upon application, Mansion Global first reported. Located in Worcester, the approximately 93-acre estate includes an array of amenities worthy of what was, until its closure at the end of the 2022/2023 academic year, a “leading independent preparatory school” and one of the highest-ranked private educations to be gotten in the English countryside, according to press materials provided to The Post by Savills, which holds the listing. Outside, the grounds include two tennis courts, a heated swimming pool with changing facilities, a climbing wall, a fishing lake and mountain bike trails. There’s also an indoor shooting range and sports hall with a gymnasium, riding stables, multiple flat grass pitches, a stable block, a coach house and a theater. What’s more, there are 16 residential properties, a yellow sandstone principal hall and a 161-foot-high historically protected clock tower which, during World War II, was used as an observation post to report enemy aircraft targeting Birmingham.

No Sooner said than dumb.

AUSTRALIA GETS A WOODY! World’s tallest wooden skyscraper is set to rise in Western Australia The structure on South Perth’s Charles Street will be the tallest wooden building in the world. On Thursday, Perth’s Metro Inner-South Joint Development Assessment Panel gave Grange Development the green light for the behemoth, called C6 and slated to be composed of a hybrid of materials, 42% of which will be timber and the core of which will be reinforced concrete, CNN reported. The current title-holder for the tallest wooden tower — Wisconsin’s 284-foot, 25-story Ascent building — is less than half of C6’s proposed 627-foot height and 50 stories. C6 also trumps Sydney’s in-the-works Atlassian Headquarters, which is slated to stand at 599 feet once complete in 2026, meaning it may get a few years with the tallest wooden tower crown before C6 takes it. Both C6 and the Atlassian building will combine a steel exoskeleton with laminated timber beams in what is being hailed as a more eco-friendly construction style. “We can’t grow concrete,” developer Grange’s director, James Dibble, wrote in a building proposal given to authorities, which referred to C6’s plan as “a new open sourced blueprint that utilizes hybrid construction methodology to offset the carbon within our built environment, which is the single biggest contributor to climate change,” CNN reported. “This is our opportunity to state that we genuinely care about both the housing crisis before us and the climate crisis we are doing very little about as an industry,” Dibble added. Other Earth-conscious features of the record-breaker will include a rooftop garden and an urban farm. Also, residents of its over 200 apartments will have access to 80 entirely-electric Tesla Model 3s.

gayforit.eu has been around for years and has an extensive library. Are you connecting foot to foot, or fish to fish? Or foot to fish? (because that would be weird)

I got the impression it is new construction. A CLOSED THREAD ABOUT SOMETHING SIMILAR:

How a lonely mountain lion led to the creation of the world's largest wildlife overpass It sounds like the plot of a Disney movie: a mountain lion named P-22, trapped from finding a mate by the Los Angeles freeway, becomes famous and inspires the construction of the world's largest wildlife overpass. Read in CNN: https://apple.news/AU6Do-7umSAOU0eSPH1rUfw

Dear Abby: Ever since we first began dating, I told my wife I never wanted to own a dog. She seemed to be OK with it, but over the last 10 years, she has put intense pressure on me to get one. She now says she “doesn’t remember” our original conversation and says she never would have agreed to it. She works, and I stay at home with the kids, so it would be my responsibility to take care of the pet, which I refuse to do. I feel physically sick around dogs, but because I don’t actively sneeze around them, she thinks I’m making up my sensitivity. She is now rallying the kids against me. We live a transient lifestyle that would force us to kennel the dog for one to three months a year, which would cost money we don’t have. I’m tired of this conversation, and tired of feeling like I’m “ruining her life.” What should I do? — Dogless in Oklahoma Dear Dogless: Since you are outvoted, ask your doctor to refer you to an allergist, a physician whose practice involves the diagnosis and treatment of allergies, because there are solutions to the problem. Once that’s dealt with, INSIST before adopting a dog that YOUR CHILDREN be responsible for feeding, walking and training the animal — with penalties if they don’t. The responsibility will teach them lessons that will prove valuable when they are older. As to what to do with the new family member during the time you’re traveling, either find pet-friendly places to stay or make it your wife’s task to find a boarding situation for “her” dog that won’t break the bank. STICK YOUR WIFE & KIDS IN A KENNEL AND LEAD A SINGLE LIFE… IT’LL BE CHEAPER & MUCH LESS STRESSFUL.

Coyotes have ‘expanded their turf’ in NYC with spike in sightings Coyotes are increasingly roaming the Big Apple, according to a report. The animals have “expanded their turf” throughout much of New York City, with several sightings of the four-legged friends recently in Claremont Park in the Bronx. Plenty of food and space make the city hospitable for coyotes, who now live in every borough except Brooklyn, officials told Pix 11 news. Sightings surged in 2019, when a coyote was spotted in Central Park and even charged at a person. Earlier this year, a coyote took a leisurely morning stroll through Queens and a month later, one was rescued from the East River. Officials said sightings are more likely this time of year because the sun is setting earlier. Coyotes are generally more active at night. They are usually not dangerous and try to avoid people, but should be reported to Wildlife NYC if seen.

ENJOY!

Excuse me, but what language are you using?

JOHNNY OLEKSINSKI “Priscilla,” the superb drama about Priscilla Presley’s complicated marriage to Elvis, does not end with an Elvis Presley song. Instead, the final minutes of writer-director Sofia Coppola’s affectionate movie, which had its North American premiere Friday at the New York Film Festival, come courtesy of another Tennessee music legend: “I Will Always Love You” by Dolly Parton. Actually, we hear hardly any sustained Elvis hits throughout the film’s near-two-hour runtime. When 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu (Cailee Spaeny) first falls for the 24-year-old King (Jacob Elordi) on a US Air Force base in Germany, where he and her father are stationed in 1959, she sweetly floats through her high-school hallway as “Crimson and Clover” by Tommy James & the Shondells plays. Talk about all shook up — that song wasn’t even released until 1968. When Elvis is a jerk to his wife, he can’t cheaply earn the viewer’s forgiveness by crooning “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” He sure behaves like a hound dog when he’s away filming “Viva Las Vegas” with Ann-Margret, but he never sings a ditty about it. With Coppola’s shrewd eschewing of Elvis tunes, she makes two requests of the audience: One, to evaluate this storied relationship like we would any other — divorced from Elvis’ musical genius. And two, to allow the film to truly be about its fascinating title character rather than usurped by her iconic ex-husband. If you agree to the director’s terms, you’ll be rewarded in dividends. Coppola’s movie is packed with many similarly smart, but never egotistical storytelling decisions and is easily one of the finest films of her career. She’s also brought out two sensitive, restrained performances from Spaeny, in her biggest role so far, as Priscilla and the fast-rising Elordi (“Euphoria”) as Elvis. Spaeny’s not-at-all-belabored transition from shy teen to prematurely adult woman — Priscilla gets poofy, black hair and snug dresses picked out by controlling Elvis — creeps up on you and then is totally shocking, like a morally questionable Eliza Dolittle. And that’s what might make some viewers queasy: the 10-year gap between the duo when Priscilla is a mere 14. The risque nature of their courtship, though, is deftly and tastefully handled onscreen. Elvis and Cilla are smitten, of course, but the parents and friends around them are vocally skeptical of the age difference. The film, which is based on Priscilla’s 1985 memoir “Elvis and Me” also sticks to her story that she didn’t have sex with Elvis until the two got married when she was 21. And, anyway, it happened. You can’t change history. “Priscilla” starts out as a light and lovable fairytale — what young person doesn’t dream of dating a celebrity? — and then becomes gradually more corroded as she moves away to Graceland and the mansion goes from palatial escape to prison. When the still-teenaged Priscilla wants to get a job working in town to make her own money and pass the time, her husband tells her by phone, “It’s either me or a career baby.” Over and over again, she chooses him. Elordi, who’s having quite a year with “Priscilla” and Emerald Fennell’s “Saltburn,” has got the requisite Elvis voice down, but he elevates it above a hokey impression. His Presley is a fleshed-out, complex, insecure person, and the actor is proving himself a formidable leading man. Devotion becomes a struggle for Priscilla as Elvis’ infidelity and worsening drug problem form a wedge between them. His temper flares up, and the two start leading separate lives. Their daughter Lisa-Marie Presley, who died in January, is born and Priscilla seeks calm and refuge in Los Angeles. Clearly, Coppola isn’t putting on a fireworks display here. Her movie ends before Elvis’ dramatic death in 1977 at 42 and thank God it doesn’t feature Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker like Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis” did last year. The eccentric manager is only mentioned in passing. Subtle and lovely as it is, though, “Priscilla” is craftily gripping as Priscilla tries so hard to carve out a normal, healthy, reciprocal life with one of the world’s most famous men. Luhrmann’s film, by the way, was differently wondrous, and lest fans of it worry they’ll be all King’d out, “Priscilla” and “Elvis” make fabulous companion pieces. Kind of like Dolly and Whitney Houston’s versions of “I Will Always Love You.”

Excuse me, but what language are you using?