TORONTO -- In a perfect world, Chris Murray, missner of the Toronto Gay Hockey Associatn (TGHA), knows his league would not have to exist. But the realy is, only the past has the nversatn started to move a posive directn when to acceptance for all players, regardls of sexual orientatn. Murray has played three leagu for several years, which has given him an opportuny to experience the atmosphere around recreatnal hockey. While he feels tolerance and homophobic language have signifintly rced the past 5 to 10 years, not that long ago there was a real need for a league like the TGHA.
Contents:
- TORONTO GAY HOCKEY ASSOCIATN
- GAY LEAGUE THRIVG TORONTO
- 4 TORONTO GAY HOCKEY LEAGUE STOCK PHOTOS AND HIGH-R PICTUR
TORONTO GAY HOCKEY ASSOCIATN
* toronto gay hockey tournament *
The Toronto Gay Hockey Associatn, otherwise known as the "TGHA, " is a non-ntact ice hockey league for gay, lbian, bisexual, trans, queer, and heterosexual people over neteen. Wh an imprsive 14 teams and more than 210 playg members, the TGHA is one of the largt gay hockey leagu the world! Collectively, the Toronto and Montreal Gay Hockey Associatns host a unique LGBTQ+ and ally-iendly ice hockey tournament, Coupe Canada Cup (prevly lled the Eastern Canada Cup), which rotat annually between the two tuned for 2023 tournament tails!
The Toronto Gay Hockey Associatn (TGHA) is a non-ntact, social, ice hockey league for gay, lbian, bisexual, transgenr (GLBT), and heterosexual men and women over the age of eighteen. Collectively, the Toronto and Montreal Gay Hockey Associatns host a unique LGBTQ+ ice hockey tournament, Coupe Canada Cup (prevly lled the Eastern Canada Cup), which rotat annually between the 2 ci. This year, Toronto Gay Hockey Associatn (TGHA) wh be hostg the tournament om October 7th-9th.
Gam will be held at Mattamy Arena, the former home to the Maple Leafs, and a betiful rk on the edge of Toronto's Gay Village (Church & Wellley). Toronto Gay Hockey Associatn.
GAY LEAGUE THRIVG TORONTO
Pictured left to right are Matthew Dalimonte, Aaron Dphee, Jeff O’Dell and Jamie Smythe at the Mattamy Athletic Center Toronto at a prev Toronto Gay Hockey Associatn event September.
By the late 1980s, members of Toronto’s gay muny who felt unwele or even threatened by playg hockey mastream amatr leagu—all that toxic masculy and so-lled “locker room talk”—set out to build alternativ. Begng wh outdoor pickup gam advertised the gay muny newspaper Xtra, they slowly amassed a group of like-md gamers who simply wanted an environment whout discrimatn.
In 1993, they ved a team om a burgeong Montreal gay hockey league to a iendly Toronto over Thanksgivg weekend.
4 TORONTO GAY HOCKEY LEAGUE STOCK PHOTOS AND HIGH-R PICTUR
“There were people who weren’t wele back home wh their fai bee they were gay, ” said Matt Hicks, the tournament director for the Toronto Gay Hockey Associatn, which grew out of that early effort. As the gay hockey scene expand both ci, the game grew to a full-fledged tournament, rotatg between Toronto and Montreal each year, sometim drawg teams om around the world.
“We didn’t really want to start a league that’s jt for gays, ” said Robert Thompson, a -founr of the TGHA who still plays the league.