The NHL's well intended diversity and inclusivity initiatives have not been without their faults and missteps. In the broader NHL and hockey community, five hockey initiatives are celebrating the LGBTQ+ community and shining a light on the work to be done.
Luke Prokop was one of the team captains in the Seattle Pride Classic, the largest Pride hockey event in the world that took place on June 7 to 9.Having worked with the NHL and three of its teams on inclusivity and equitable spaces, former hockey player and LGBTQ+ advocate Brock McGillis is comfortable pointing out the current state of the NHL’s inclusivity efforts.
“Do they have a long way to go? Yes. Do they have some people doing good work there in that space? Yes. Do I think they are a finished product by any means? No. Do I hope for more? Yes.”
The NHL is coming off a rocky season with its diversity and inclusivity initiatives. The start of the 2023-24 campaign was highlighted by the league’s notorious decision to ban Pride tape from warmups, practices and games. Although the decision was eventually reversed after facing immense pushback, the stain was irremovable.
Still, the NHL and the broader hockey community continue to provide reasons to celebrate and embrace the “Hockey Is For Everyone” slogan that the NHL sometimes paradoxically pushes.
Here are five initiatives from this past month that celebrate the diversity and inclusivity of hockey:
Seattle Pride Classic 2024
The Seattle Pride Hockey Association advocates for inclusivity in the Pacific northwest region. The Pride Classic brought together more than 300 athletes and 20 teams in a celebration of their diversity and love for hockey. The tournament has quickly grown from just 56 players and four teams in their inaugural 2021 tournament.
The event was hosted at the Seattle Kraken’s Kraken Community Iceplex. Despite being one of the NHL’s newest markets, Seattle has quickly established itself as a welcoming environment for LGBTQ+ hockey.
Luke Prokop, the first player under contract in the NHL to be openly come out as gay, made a special guest appearance at the tournament, as did former NHLers Andrew Ference and J.T. Brown.
Chelsea Challenge
Put on by the New York City Gay Hockey Association, the Chelsea Challenge is an adult LGBTQ+ adult hockey tournament played at Chelsea Piers in Manhattan. While they organize an eight-team recreational hockey program, their Memorial Day tournaments feature more than 15 teams. The tournament was sponsored by the New York Rangers, New York Islanders and the NHL.
Breaking the Ice
Photographer and Kraken fan Alley Rutzel embarked on her photo essay following the NHL’s decision to ban the use of Pride tape and discontinue specialty jerseys for warmups.
Rutzel photographed and profiled five hockey players who continue to play the game they love against the noise of discrimination. The five athletes each tell their story and their passion for the game alongside intimate photos of them dressed in their hockey gear.
With the project, Rutzel strove to spread awareness of LGBTQ+ hockey players and encourage them to keep playing in the face of homophobia and exclusion.
CCM x EA23 Pride Collection
PWHL Montreal defender Erin Ambrose, who identifies as being part of the LGBTQ+ community, teamed up with CCM Hockey to release a limited-edition Pride apparel line this month. All proceeds from the line’s sales are being donated to the Alphabet Sports Collective, a non-profit working to create safe and inclusive spaces in hockey.
“Things like that are really cool to see,” McGillis said. “There’s a lot of out players in the PWHL and I think that’s so cool. Throughout history, women have led the way, women have made it easier for people like me.”
“I think all men’s leagues can learn from their women’s counterparts.”
Brock McGillis
Fresh off his cross-country Culture Shift Tour, McGillis released an Instagram video this month of his visit with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He spoke to Leafs players about the impact that their words and behaviors carry, keeping in mind that the NHL does not have any players who identify as being part of the LGBTQ+ community, despite 20 percent of Generation Z identifying as LGBTQ+.
“The reality is in those rooms there’s LGBTQ+ people, period, point-blank,” McGillis said. “Not everyone’s straight.”
In addition to the Leafs, McGillis has previously worked with the Chicago Blackhawks and Buffalo Sabres on diversity initiatives.
“I appreciate the Brendan Shanahans, the Mark Frasers, the Kyle Davidsons who have been so welcoming and thoughtful in working with me.”
McGillis has two more Culture Shift tours in the works, one in the U.S. and another in Canada, after the popularity and demand from his first tour.