NHL & PWHL Trailblazers Mix With 300 Players At Seattle Pride Classic

The three-day Seattle Pride Classic concludes Sunday with championship and All-Star games at Kraken Community Iceplex.

The Classic is the world's largest Pride tournament, hosting 300 skaters from 20 teams. Most participants identify as gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual, non-binary and/or queer. Each team is named after an LGBTQ+ icon, athlete or advocate.

Festivities got underway Friday with the Trailblazers Conference (photo below), dedicated to those who have made a positive impact on the LGBTQ+ community.

Making his coaching debut behind the home bench for "Rogers' Rebels" was Justin Rogers. The Seattle Kraken assistant athletic trainer is the first openly gay individual holding such a position in the NHL. 

PWHL pros Erin Ambrose (black sweatshirt in photo below) and Élizabeth Giguère (gray sweatshirt) made their tournament debuts as coaches for "Billie's Aces." Ambrose plays for Montreal, Giguère for New York. The Aces name honors the hockey connection of tennis immortal Billie Jean King. A women's sports advocate, King is a member of the PWHL's advisory board.

Both Rogers and Ambrose are trailblazers. Each wrote public "letters to their younger selves" as a message of hope for those struggling to live authentically. Rogers chose to publish his words on the Seattle Kraken's website, while Ambrose created a video for her Instagram page.

Former Seattle Thunderbird Luke Prokop (photo below) was the game's special guest player. Prokop, a Nashville Predators draft pick, currently a defenseman with the Atlanta Gladiators (ECHL), was the first openly gay player under an NHL contract. 

Billie's Aces won the first game 5-2 over Rogers' Rebels.