While there have been controversies, there have also been a lot of success stories in terms of inclusivity and growing the sport's community.
Over the past few years, the NHL and its member clubs have publicly stated their desire to make hockey a more inclusive game. The Hockey is for Everyone campaign was probably the best initiative of the lot. The NHL has waffled on very important topics, famously saying “We Skate for Black Lives” instead of “Black Lives Matter.” The NHL, in the year 2023, still does not have a domestic violence or sexual assault policy, the way that other major sports leagues do. What I’m saying is, there is work to be done.
That is not what this is about, though. There has rightfully been tremendous negativity directed towards teams and individual players for sitting out of various inclusion initiatives. The problem is that we’ve allowed a small group of people to overshadow some of the tremendous work being done by allies in hockey. Those individuals and teams deserve to be highlighted. Their work shows progress, however slow it may be, and giving their efforts oxygen and coverage is important.
A lot of inclusivity in hockey has been player driven. Matt Dumba and many others in the bubble took a stand against racial injustice in the wake of the murder of George Floyd. Robin Lehner, Tyler Seguin and Jason Dickinson took a knee during the national anthem, joining Black peer Ryan Reaves. Dumba gave a stirring speech prior to a Chicago/Edmonton game and knelt as well. It was commonplace for NBA, MLB and NFL players to take the knee, but it had never been done in the NHL and had been loudly discouraged by some in the game. Since the bubble, there have been positive steps towards change in hockey, albeit very slowly. Willie O’Ree was finally inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, as was Herb Carnegie. Players have been more willing to speak up on matters of racial injustice, the Black Girl Hockey Club receives support from NHL teams and the PHWA has partnered with To Hockey With Love to create a mentorship program for aspiring writers who are underrepresented.
This season, the matter of Pride Night has been a hot topic around the league. Multiple players have opted not to wear the jersey citing religious reasons. Others for family safety reasons. Teams have shielded players by reneging on wearing Pride jerseys as well. However, the vast majority of players have participated. More notably, Brock McGillis and Bayne Pettinger launched the Alphabet Sports Collective, an organization focused on creating a safer environment for people of all sexual identities and expression of gender in hockey. Their launch party featured Ryan O’ Reilly, Morgan Rielly, Pierre LeBrun, Elliotte Friedman and a who’s who of hockey.
Brian Burke is the quintessential hockey man. He is the most prominent NHL voice for LGBTQ+ inclusion in hockey. He has marched in Pride parades in every city he has worked in. Rielly, Seguin, Brendan Shanahan, Braden Holtby, Roman Josi, and many other NHL players and executives have done the same. Travis Dermott uses Pride tape on his stick throughout the NHL season. Scott Laughton and James van Riemsdyk routinely host members of the community at Flyers games and meet with them post-game. Luke Prokop came out publicly and received tremendous support from the hockey community.
This season, there has been a noticeable shift in one area. The willingness of players and prominent hockey media to speak out in support of marginalized communities. Matthew Tkachuk, Connor McDavid, Quinn Hughes, Rasmus Andersson, Jamie Benn and Brad Marchand are among those who have made strong statements in support of the LGBTQ+ community. Darryl Sutter, arguably hockey’s grumpiest coach, said he would welcome a member of the community on his team with open arms. Multiple NHL media members have called out homophobic behavior online, written stories critical of those who oppose the community and become a part of the Alphabet Sports Collective’s ambassador program.
Hockey Night in Canada, the most watched television program on Saturday evenings in Canada, did a segment with Brian Burke discussing the LGBTQ+ community. HNIC is a program that has traditionally stayed away from this type of segment in the past. Platforming it is a positive step towards becoming a key cog in changing how hockey fans perceive marginalized communities. The responses to the segment were divided and show that society, particularly hockey fans, has a long way to go to be truly inclusive. On the Staff & Graph Podcast, Brock McGillis talked about humanizing the community as a path towards inclusivity. HNIC discussing it during a segment of their broadcast is one way to do that.
A few NHL organizations have made positive headlines for their work on Pride Night this year. A few organizations had members of the LGBTQ+ community design their pride jerseys. Those jerseys, traditionally auctioned off, have been the only merchandise available in the past, making it difficult to come by. This season, Buffalo and Vancouver offered Pride merchandise such as stickers, shirts, key chains, sweaters and more. In doing so, they’ve made it more accessible for fans to purchase, another way of showing the community they are welcome. The San Jose Sharks used their social media feeds to educate their fan base on Pride Night in lieu of the traditional game tweets, as well as having Tara Slone interview Burke on the broadcast. Vancouver hosted a Pride Party in the Plaza. They had activations that included a drag show performance, dance and musical performances by queer artists, a community information booth and resource tables featuring QMUNITY, the Vancouver Pride society.
Too often, people from marginalized communities are forced to be the driving forces for their cause. Many of those communities are under attack in society, in particular through anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. It is important to realize that members of marginalized communities need allies who are willing to support and fight alongside them. There is work to be done to make hockey a truly inclusive sport. That should not diminish the work being done already. It should encourage more people to speak out in support, to call out racist, sexist, homophobic and transphobic behaviour.
Whether you are a team president, an NHL player, a volunteer minor hockey coach, or a fan on social media, we all have a part to play to make sure that everyone feels welcome in hockey. Listening to marginalized communities and supporting their work towards inclusivity is how we will gain momentum towards inclusivity. Let us uplift the Luke Prokops, Bayne Pettingers and Brock McGillises of the hockey world through allyship by making a concerted effort to get behind their message. We need more focus on their message and less oxygen directed towards those who oppose it.