Talking about sexuality in regards to sports, and especially professional sports can be very difficult. Many want to separate the two, preferring that we only see athletes for their play and nothing else. But in recent years there has been a trend in teams and players to start talking about it. To bring light and acceptance to an issue that really shouldn't be such an issue. A program that exemplifies this new shift in thought is the NHL's "Hockey is for Everyone" initiative.
The NHL like many major professional sport organizations does a lot of charity work for different groups in their communities. But nothing is quite as unique as the NHL and it's partnership with the You Can Play organization. You Can Play project was founded in 2012 by Patrick and Brian Burke after the death of Brenden Burke, Brian's son and Patrick's brother. Brenden was an openly gay man who was a student manager for the hockey team at the University of Miami Ohio. Brian, a former hockey player and general manager of several teams, launched You Can Play to honor Brenden and to try and get rid of casual homophobia in professional sports locker rooms. It's mainly about the idea that if you can play the sport, you should be able to play without worry of discrimination or an unsafe environment.
In the past the NHL has done different events with the You Can Play project. Things like small videos feature prominent NHL players, the occasional Pride night at certain arenas, and players walking in support in the city's Pride parades. But nothing had been done on a scale like "Hockey is for Everyone". This year the NHL with their partnership with You Can Play, dedicated the entire month of February to the LGBTQ community and their acceptance in the sport of hockey.
Part of this initiative included naming an ambassador on every NHL team who will lead in their teams respective locker room to help with issues of diversity, equality, and inclusion. Not only this almost every team also had a Pride game during the month of February at their home arena. Or at the very least they had a hockey is for everyone game, even if it wasn't LGBTQ specific. The full schedule of when this all happened throughout the month is on the NHL's website. It was an exciting month of inclusion and awareness in the NHL.
It has been incredibly heartening to see the many events being put on by the NHL to raise awareness. As someone who is a bisexual hockey fan, it makes me feel welcome in an NHL building. Just because my sexual orientation is different, it doesn't mean that I can't enjoy the sport. It's nice to know that the players for my favorite team are also supportive as well. I'm a Chicago Blackhawks fan, and they had their Pride game on Saturday February 18th. The team was very active on social media, making multiple posts about the players pride taped sticks, and highlighting the cause of the night. And afterwards several of the players took to social media to talk about the event, including captain Jonathan Toews and Swedish center Dennis Rassmussen. The Blackhawks also held a separate event, hosting a floor hockey for kids in partnership with Chicago's Gay Hockey Association to discuss the issues. Complete with pride tape rapped around the blade of the kids sticks.
The best thing to see out of this initiative though, is how much the players have embraced their role in helping with inclusion and acceptance around the league. Many players have gone out of their way this month to reach out to the LGBTQ community and make them feel welcome on the ice. The van Riemsdyk brothers, James and Trevor who play for the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Chicago Blackhawks respectively, have been very vocal about their support. James knew the Burke family when he first started playing in the NHL for the Philadelphia Flyers. Patrick was one of the Flyers scouts and would routinely watch James play games, talking highly of his brother Brenden in conversations as well. So ever since college the Van Riemsdyk's have been very adamant about supporting the LGBTQ community.
Another notable players who have been very vocal about the initiative are Eddie Lack of the Carolina Hurricanes and Bradyn Holtby of the Washington Capitals. Just this past Friday Lack started in his first game since a long injury kept him on the sidelines for the Hurricanes. Lack was able to earn a shutout in that game and afterwards dedicated the win to love, equality, and togetherness. He also quite adorably had his entire goalie stick covered in pride tape during warm ups of that game as well. Holtby in the past has been known to be very supportive of the LGBTQ community. He walked in the DC Pride parade back in June and attended Pride in 2015 as well. This month he had a mask specially designed to support the You Can Play project that he signed and is being auctioned off with the proceeds going to local charities tat help with the community.
As you can see, the players have been very active when it comes to the Hockey is for Everyone month. And the impact this is making on the hockey community is huge. I have seen so many posts on social media from minority hockey fans that are feeling so welcomed and loved in their favorite sport. Many are talking about how they feel like a real part of the community and how nice it is to have hockey be a safe space for them. Especially because it is still hard to find places that strive for inclusion of everyone.
This was made evident when I went onto the Tampa Bay Lightning's Facebook page after a post was made about their upcoming Hockey is for Everyone night. In the comments section there were so many people who were incredibly angry about the event. From those who were upset it wasn't for "more important causes" like veterans and then those who wanted the team to "stick to sports" and not get involved in anything political. There were many comments that were hard to read. Seeing someone completely devalue your identity along with your love of sports can be pretty difficult to take.
Which is exactly why this initiative is so important. Most people that say these kind of hurtful things are just ignorant and don't understand. Initiatives like this are meant to help educated them, so they can hopefully learn why it's important. It can work, just look at Andrew Shaw. He's the perfect poster boy for this kind of change. Back in April of last year, Shaw was caught on camera yelling a homophobic slur at a referee for being put in the penalty box at the end of a playoff game against the St. Louis Blues when he played for the Chicago Blackhawks. In response to this incident, Shaw was suspended for a game, payed a fine of $5000, and had to take sensitivity training. But since then Andrew Shaw has been active in learning about inclusion, becoming a better ally, and helping his teammates learn as well. Shaw is actually the Montreal Canadiens "Hockey is for Everyone" ambassador because he truly wanted to, not as some PR stunt.
"Hockey is for Everyone' has been such an important and impactful initiative from the NHL. It is truly making a difference in the lives of hockey fans in minority groups. Who don't always feel welcome everywhere, but are learning they are welcome around hockey. I have been so glad to see this initiative take off. I can't wait to see it grow when it comes back next year. Thank you NHL for this, so many of us appreciate it.
