from Colin Horgan of the Guardian,

This spring, the NHL and its players' union were both excited about something else. In April, both formally partnered with You Can Play, an advocacy group that promotes acceptance of LGBT athletes in sport. Bettman said he was "delighted" that the venture would reaffirm the NHL and NHLPA's policy of "inclusion on the ice, in our locker rooms and in the stands".

It's the last bit of that that is worth thinking on now. The news out of Russia for LGBT people who might fill the ice and certainly the stands in Sochi is pretty bleak these days. And the NHL should have taken a stand on the issue.

To recap recent events: in June, Russia's parliament passed a law that bans gay "propaganda". Included in that bill is a fine of up to 5,000 rubles (around $155) for anyone who disseminates information "directed at forming nontraditional sexual setup" among minors or, reportedly, anything that would lead anyone to understand that gay and heterosexual relationships are socially equivalent. The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, claimed at the time that the law was about protecting children.

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added 3:26pm, You can read what Patrick Burke has to say on this topic at Buzzfeed.