Edmonton Oilers celebrate Pri Night by honorg openly gay player - Outsports

Contents:

• EDMONTON OILERS CELEBRATE PRI NIGHT BY HONORG OPENLY GAY PLAYER LE PROKOP
• GAY NHL PROSPECT LE PROKOP GETS TRAD TO HIS HOMETOWN
• REPORT: NHL ACTUALLY HAS HAD HUNDREDS OF OPENLY GAY PLAYERS FOR YEARS
• PROKOP REFLECTS ON YEAR SCE G OUT AS GAY
• THE HOTON OILERS HAD TWO (MOSTLY) OPENLY GAY PLAYERS IN 1993
• AN INCLIVE NHL AWAS S FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER

EDMONTON OILERS CELEBRATE PRI NIGHT BY HONORG OPENLY GAY PLAYER LE PROKOP

But the Oilers’ celebratn had a twist — they were able to honor an active player who is gay, Le Prokop. Prokop, 19, plays for the Edmonton Oil Kgs, the Oilers’ Wtern Hockey League anchise, and he me out as gay July. If Prokop mak onto an NHL roster, he will be the first openly gay player league history.

After g out, Prokop did not keep quiet about beg gay like some other pro athlet. Gay NHL prospect Le Prokop was trad Wednday om the Nashville Predators anizatn to a mor league team operated by the same group that owns the Edmonton Oilers.

Prokop, 19, beme the first out gay player signed to an NHL ntract when he publicly me out July. One of the most tellg quot surroundg Prokop’s g out me om Predators fenseman Mark Borowiecki, who said he didn’t thk there uld’ve been an out gay player the NHL when he was growg up. Prokop said he didn’t hear any gay slurs om teammat when he attend the Predators’ 2021 Developmental Camp.

GAY NHL PROSPECT LE PROKOP GETS TRAD TO HIS HOMETOWN

Soccer midfielr Robbie Rogers g out as homosexual, reports revealed Friday that the Natnal Hockey League has fact had hundreds of openly gay athlet throughout s Texas Law Requir Schools To Display Image Of God Hung Like A Horse In Every ClassroomOffEnglishSourc nfirmed that gay players have actually been credibly mon the NHL for s, and the league is only now beg creded wh layg the groundwork for the growg acceptance of homosexualy profsnal sports. “It’s obvly a watershed moment when a player om the NBA announc he’s gay, but most people fet about Montreal Canadiens wger Steve Shutt, who me out back 1972, ” said hockey historian Hank Crerand, notg that Shutt was the first of many gay NHL players to reveal their homosexualy.

“Even though gay athlet still rry a stigma today, ’s nothg pared to the ’70s. ”“The issue of gay athlet has now reached a major turng pot, and ’s only a matter of time before someone the NFL or MLB out, ” Crerand ntued. ”Sce s origal ceptn 1917 through to the “Origal 6” era of the ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s, the NHL has reportedly had a long history of gay players and was far ahead of s time batg prejudice and tolerance toward homosexualy wh locker rooms and stadiums.

“Thgs really started to take a turn for the better when Mike Ezne beme the first openly gay pta of an Olympic hockey team to w a gold medal, leadg the U. ”“That kiss really changed a lot of attus wh the hockey muny, ” Crerand Probert, who played 16 seasons for the Detro Red Wgs and Chigo Blackhawks, reportedly had a huge impact on the league as hockey’s “Homo Enforcer, ” timidatg the petn and pummelg opponents wh vic punch. Crerand told reporters that Probert was the “most feared queer” the NHL and transformed the perceptn that a homosexual hockey player uldn’t be a gay goon.

REPORT: NHL ACTUALLY HAS HAD HUNDREDS OF OPENLY GAY PLAYERS FOR YEARS

Crerand strsed, however, that no athlete was more fluential to the gay rights movement than Wayne Gretzky, wily regard as the greatt gay player NHL history. “Number 99 pletely changed the landspe for gay athlet the NHL, pecially mercially, and no one had a greater impact on young gay hockey players around the world. And that is, of urse, why the gay muny nicknamed him ‘The Great One.

PROKOP REFLECTS ON YEAR SCE G OUT AS GAY

Louis, Rick Nash, Ryan Miller, Patrik Elias, Stephen Gnta, Clarke MacArthur, Patrick Dwyer, Mike Rupp, Carey Price, Dt Brown, Zbynek Michalek, Brad Richards, Derek Dorsett, Brian Boyle, David Krejci, Shea Weber, Derick Brassard, Sergei Gonchar, Bran Holtby, Brandon Dubsky, Stephane Robidas, Col Greeng, Jam Reimer, Kev Poul, Brandon Pst, Travis Hamonic, Mart Brour, Joakim Anrsson, Vcent Levalier, Josh Green, Daniel Aledsson, Joe Thornton, Arron Asham, Alexanr Steen, Michael Del Zotto, Patrice Bergeron, Matt Duchene, Teddy Purcell, Michael Ryr, Tomas Fleischmann, Lars Eller, Daniel Wnik, Jyri Niemi, Mikhail Grigorenko, Evanr Kane, David Back, Jiri Tlty, Sam Gagner, David Dharnais, Cody Franson, Steve Ott, Dt Byfuglien, Casey Cizikas, Daniel Sed, Brian Campbell, Ilya Kovalch, Chris Neil, Patrick Sharp, Jaromir Jagr, Hal Gill, Mark Grdano, Marc-Andre Flry, Ray Whney, Mike Cammalleri, Lee Stempniak, Jam van Riemsdyk, Mart Hanzal, David Clarkson, Vny Prospal, Taylor Hall, Ryan Getzlaf, Andrew Ladd, Alexanr Sem, Max Pacretty, Brenn Dillon, Jonathan Toews, Jordan Eberle, Marian Hossa, Frans Nielsen, Alex Galcheny, Bobby Ryan, Manny Malhotra, Mike Fisher, Bryan Ltle, Nail Yakupov, Patrick Marle, Jonathan Huber, Tyler Ennis, Craig Anrson, Saku Koivu, Shane Doan, Ryan Whe, Blake Wheeler, Evgeni Nabokov, Mark Fraser, Jeff Carter, Nicklas Backstrom, Michael Grabner, Brendan Gallagher, Tomas Plekanec, John Tavar, Taylor Pyatt, Alex Burrows, Rene Bourque, Jason Chimera, Jofey Lupul, Corey Perry, Brad Stuart, Jt Williams, Matt Cullen, Marian Gaborik, Patrik Berglund, Brian Elltt, Josh Hardg, Daniel Cleary, Roberto Luongo, Nazem Kadri, Zach Parise, Eric Staal, Jordan Staal, Marc Staal, Jared Staal, Steven Stamkos, and Ryan Kler all g out as gay recent years. Acrdg to experts, the league’s progrsive stance toward homosexualy also paved the way for the 2013 Philalphia Flyers, the only profsnal sports roster history to be prised entirely of gay players. “It’s nice to see the rt of the sports world begng to tch up to the NHL when to gay tolerance, ” said ESPN hockey analyst Barry Melrose, himself openly gay sce the early 1990s.

THE HOTON OILERS HAD TWO (MOSTLY) OPENLY GAY PLAYERS IN 1993

“A lot of cred also has to go to Gary Bettman, still the only openly homosexual missner of a North Amerin sports league. ”“But whout a doubt, none of this would have been possible whout the unbelievable altism and open-mdns of the NHL fan base, ” add Melrose, “It’s far easier for players to be tly fortable their own sk knowg so many fans are gay too. The Oilers will also celebrate regular anthem sger Robert Clark, who is gay.

“I’ve got a bunch of gay iends. My bt iend’s brother is gay.

The play-by-play broadster for Uti, the New Jersey Devils' Amerin Hockey League affiliate, publicly me out as gay October 2021, fluenced by Prokop's cisn.

AN INCLIVE NHL AWAS S FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER

"I want to be the first openly gay player to play the NHL, " he said.

Two players on the 1993 Hoton Oilers were gay, and their teammat knew and didn't re, acrdg to the Hoton Chronicle. | Agree to DisagreeOffEnglishThe Chronicle has a big feature g this Sunday on the 1993 team, but a preview released today, reveals that there were players that "everybody knew" were gay, acrdg to former Pro-Bowler Cris Dishman, but that wasn't an issue the locker room.