The odds of a current NHL player ever being comfortable enough to come out as LGBTIQA+ identifying was slim enough, the chances of it happening now? Even slimmer.
In statements released by the NHL recently – where the scariest thing in hockey is now rainbow tape, the fight for inclusive hockey spaces has taken another hit.
A move that has shocked a large portion of the hockey fanbase, it begs the question when it comes to inclusive environments and the NHL: where to from here?
You will have the usual deniers who still think ‘politics should stay out of hockey’, despite history indicating a problem with homophobia exists within the sport, and politics always being heavily involved in organised sport since time immemorial.
We had seven players decide not to wear the Pride themed sweaters during the 2022/23 NHL season. Now, after all the news, headlines, and discourse around players wearing a rainbow jersey, this is where we find ourselves.
Where the NHL has told LGBTIQA+ people that they aren’t welcome at their hockey rinks – well they are, just not in rainbow gear.
You Can Play has been at the forefront of inclusiveness for the sport of hockey, Pride Tape has been an important advocate and vehicle for players to show support pregame, but now a simple taped hockey stick is going too far.
And don’t you dare identify or even speak about being LGBTIQA+, that is a situation the NHL has also deemed a problem – crazy isn’t it?
A silver lining – if there is one, is that the NHL isn’t hockey, it might be the biggest and have the most influence within the sport. But that’s it.
Hockey is played the world over, and from what I can see at the local and grassroots levels, things are changing. Being inclusive of everyone is at the forefront of many decisions.
I am lucky enough that I volunteer for a club – the Melbourne Mustangs, who provide a positive and inclusive space for LGBTIQA+ people.
Never have I felt intimidated or feared that I wouldn’t be accepted for me. This is where the real change, and leadership of our sport will come from.
Then you have Australian LGBT Ice Hockey, and clubs like the Southern Lights and Harbour Lights, all are paving the way for a better and more welcoming hockey space in Australia. Not dependant on NHL for leadership.
In Canada we have the grassroots level at Hockey Canada, you can see the change being implemented also, none more so than the recent decision around changerooms and how they operate. They are creating inclusive and safe environments for all.
When I look at the decisions made by the NHL when it comes to inclusiveness, themed nights, or any other acknowledgement of marginalised communities, I try to look past the bad and focus on some of the good that hockey provides to create a positive space for everyone.
Gone are the days where homophobic slurs – both on and off the ice, were par for the course. Hockey clubs, its players, and fans have seen the value in becoming a more inclusive sport.
It’s no longer the 1950s, where it was a male dominated landscape, hockey from the ice to the front office is becoming more diverse.
We now see the influence of queer people scattered right throughout the sport of hockey across every aspect of an organisation or club.
And when we look back at the events over the past few days and the decision by the NHL to ban Pride Tape, you can’t help but wonder the motivation for such decisions.
The safety of a seat at the table? Self-interest?
Personally, I’d want to be remembered as someone who made the sport of hockey a better place for everyone. Currently, that just isn’t happening at the NHL level.
When we look back at this in 10 or 20 years, I have a fair indication of which side of history the NHL will be remembered on.
Sport and hockey continues to move forward with welcoming spaces, inclusive language, and places where queer people can be seen and welcomed with open arms.
While it’s a stance by the NHL that is embedded from a bygone era, I will always hold hope that it won’t last forever, and change will come from fresh faces in hockey. I feel like I am one of them.
The NHL might end up standing on the wrong side of the history books, I know that hockey will eventually do what is right by everyone.
Because hockey is indeed for everyone, and a piece of rainbow tape isn’t going to stop that.
But it might just make one queer person’s hockey journey a more comfortable one.
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