After Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office warned the NHL about a “discriminatory” job fair in Fort Lauderdale, the league backed down and said the event is open to all individuals ages 18 and older.
The event, titled “Pathway to Hockey Summit,” is scheduled for February 2nd during the 2023 All Star Festivities.
The “Pathway to Hockey Summit” seeks to help “diverse job seekers who are pursuing careers in hockey.”
In a now-deleted job fair post on LinkedIn, the NHL had said it was only permitting those who meet the following qualifications:
Participants must be 18 years of age or older, based in the U.S., and identify as female, Black, Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino, Indigenous, LGBTQIA+, and/or a person with a disability. Veterans are also welcome and encouraged to attend.
Bryan Griffin, press secretary for Gov. DeSantis, said that the event is discriminatory.
“Discrimination of any sort is not welcome in the state of Florida, and we do not abide by the woke notion that discrimination should be overlooked if applied in a politically popular manner or against a politically unpopular demographic. We are fighting all discrimination in our schools and our workplaces, and we will fight it in publicly accessible places of meeting or activity,” Griffin said.
Griffin also said that the NHL should “immediately remove and denounce the discriminatory prohibitions it has imposed on attendance to the 2023 ‘Pathway to Hockey’ summit.”
“@NHL: You are officially on notice about your planned events in Florida. Unlawful discrimination will not be tolerated,” Christina Pushaw wrote.
.@NHL: You are officially on notice about your planned events in Florida. Unlawful discrimination will not be tolerated. https://t.co/thkSWaumZB
— Christina Pushaw 🐊 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) January 14, 2023
FOX News reported:
In a statement to Fox News Digital, the NHL said the “original wording of the LinkedIn post associated with the event was not accurate.”
“The Pathway to Hockey Summit is an informational and networking event designed to encourage all individuals to consider a career in our game – and, in particular, alert those who might not be familiar with hockey to the opportunities it offers,” the NHL spokesperson said.
The NHL deleted the event posting from its LinkedIn account on Friday night.
In a further clarification, the spokesperson said the event is open to anyone ages 18 and older.
Several hockey teams are sending representatives to the event, including the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, San Jose Sharks, Chicago Blackhawks, Pittsburgh Penguins, Anaheim Ducks, Nashville Predators, Seattle Kraken, Washington Capitals, and the Carolina Hurricanes.
Florida’s Voice shared screenshots of the original ads:
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