Le Prokop, NHL prospect, out as gay a first for the league | CNN

Contents:

• REPORT: NHL ACTUALLY HAS HAD HUNDREDS OF OPENLY GAY PLAYERS FOR YEARS
• LE PROKOP COM OUT AS GAY AND MAK NHL HISTORY
• GAY MALE HOCKEY PLAYERS ARE G OUT DROV, AND CHANGG THE SPORT’S CULTURE
• THE N.H.L. OFFICIALLY WEL GAY PLAYERS WH MOST INCLIVE MEASUR OF ANY PROFSNAL SPORT
• PROKOP REFLECTS ON YEAR SCE G OUT AS GAY
• NHL PLAYER'S BOYTT OF TEAM'S PRI NIGHT TRIBUTE 'DISRPECTFUL' TO GAY MUNY: AGENT
• WHY OUR ISSU WH NHL DIVIDUALY ULD KEEP GAY PLAYERS OM G OUT
• NHL PROSPECT LE PROKOP OUT AS GAY, A FIRST FOR THE LEAGUE
• GAY HOCKEY PLAYER: NHL HYPOCRIL TO NMN BRENDAN LEIPSIC WHOUT CHANGG CULTURE
• ‘IT’S NOT ENOUGH’: OPENLY GAY EX-HOCKEY PLAYER LLS ON THE SPORT TO EVOLVE
• AN N.H.L. PROSPECT IS THE FIRST SUCH PLAYER TO ANNOUNCE HE’S GAY
• GAY HOCKEY PLAYER ‘DISAPPOTED’ OTHER PLAYERS’ LACK OF SUPPORT

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

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 Week's Most Viral News: Augt 11, 2023OffEnglishSourc 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.

LE PROKOP COM OUT AS GAY AND MAK NHL HISTORY

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.

GAY MALE HOCKEY PLAYERS ARE G OUT DROV, AND CHANGG THE SPORT’S CULTURE

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.

THE N.H.L. OFFICIALLY WEL GAY PLAYERS WH MOST INCLIVE MEASUR OF ANY PROFSNAL SPORT

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.

PROKOP REFLECTS ON YEAR SCE G OUT AS GAY

“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.

Le Prokop, a prospect for the Nashville Predators, me out as gay on Monday. Nashville Predators prospect Le Prokop has e out as gay, beg the first active player unr ntract to an NHL team to do so. High-level female hockey players, such as Olympic gold medalist Meghan Duggan, have prevly e out as gay, acrdg to the league.

Prokop's announcement ls than a month after Las Vegas Rairs fensive end Carl Nassib beme the first active NFL player to e out as gay. A slew of players me out, and wh each announcement, showed gay people belong on the ice. Gay former hockey player Brock McGillis spoke to Outsports multiple tim this year about the prevalence of homophobia locker rooms.

NHL PLAYER'S BOYTT OF TEAM'S PRI NIGHT TRIBUTE 'DISRPECTFUL' TO GAY MUNY: AGENT

Durg the quiet of the sprgtime sports shutdowns, two well-known NHL players, Stanley Cup champn Dt Penner and wger Brendan Leipsic, were ught postg horribly homophobic and misogynistic msag on social media. Thomas Aquas College Upstate New York, Fkle often heard other players e anti-gay slurs.

WHY OUR ISSU WH NHL DIVIDUALY ULD KEEP GAY PLAYERS OM G OUT

Fkle told the goalie he was gay, and that language was unacceptable to e on the ice — or anywhere, ankly. This year alone, longtime NCAA Divisn 1 ref Brian Hicks announced he was gay; player and referee Gordie Mchard me out; pro announcer Jonathan Kliment penned his g-out story.

After a lifetime of hearg gay sults the rk — opponents were always lled “cksuckers” or “fuckg fags” — Wton cid to e out to his teammat a heartfelt speech.

Over the last , an creasg number of gay female Olympic hockey players have e out. He was playg an ele youth league, but years of homophobia and self-hatred drove him away om the sport.

NHL PROSPECT LE PROKOP OUT AS GAY, A FIRST FOR THE LEAGUE

And if someone asks if you are gay, jt look at them olly and say, ‘Yeah, so what? The power of visibily shows young LGBTQ athlet ’s possible to thrive as their te selv, spe the prevalence of sual homophobia and other anti-gay attus some rners of the sports world. Gat wr about how hearg “faggot” on the ice was a mon occurrence growg up, and that “llg someone gay was as much a part of youth hockey as parents yellg about a missed penalty.

But that msage is unrcut when players don’t buy , and teams pulate to their homophobia.

Support the partnership, they say, and are ready to help the sports world move beyond discrimatn agast gay people. In fact, the You Can Play project was found a large part bee of a gay hockey player. It would make him the first openly gay athlete to play a major Amerin team sport.

GAY HOCKEY PLAYER: NHL HYPOCRIL TO NMN BRENDAN LEIPSIC WHOUT CHANGG CULTURE

Sports are still grapplg wh not jt homophobic players, but ach and owners as well. Last year, when a Ravens player spoke favor of gay marriage, a Maryland polician sent a note to the team’s owner chastisg him for allowg the player to speak up, promotg this now notor rponse om Vikgs punter Chris Kluwe.

‘IT’S NOT ENOUGH’: OPENLY GAY EX-HOCKEY PLAYER LLS ON THE SPORT TO EVOLVE

Troy Vcent, a former player who is now the league’s executive charged wh player engagement, and Anna Isaacson, the league’s muny relatns director, have been signated to cull ias om gay advocy groups and to build relatnships wh the groups that the N.

AN N.H.L. PROSPECT IS THE FIRST SUCH PLAYER TO ANNOUNCE HE’S GAY

Player who’s now out of the closet is on You Can Play’s advisory board spoke recently about some of the challeng of gag LGBT acceptance the locker room, beyond the mon homophobia the ris the Uned Stat. Hop to foc on that mentaly, one that pots out that gay players are not any different on the ice (or field) than straight on.

That has been You Can Play’s philosophy all along, that gay or straight, if you n play, you n play. 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.

GAY HOCKEY PLAYER ‘DISAPPOTED’ OTHER PLAYERS’ LACK OF SUPPORT

"'Wearg Pri lours shows rpect': You Can Play rponds to Provorov boytt of Flyers' tributeBayne Pettger, a Toronto-based NHLPA certified player agent who me out as gay 2020, said he was disappoted by Provorov's cisn to e his platform for "sentially a prott" that sends a msage to hockey fans and his teammat who did take part the warmup.

"He says the NHL has ma great stris when to makg the sport more clive — the league's Hockey is for Everyone iative enurag teams to celebrate the diversy that exists their rpective markets — but Provorov's actns signal somethg prospect Le Prokop announc he's gay"I get asked all the time, 'When is an NHL player gog to e out? Not every player is muted, and I thk do a disservice to progrs to tmpet Lidstrom's quiet way as the only notably, I n't help but thk that if I were a gay hockey player, 's sentiment of this sort that would make me wary to e wants to stand out a league where standg out is perceived as a problem?

The league wants no-matenance players, and the disclosure of an alternate sexualy is gog to require seems reasonable to assume that there is at least one gay hockey player the NHL, somethg Tanner Glass touched on when he joed the You Can Play Project back March. "The fact there are no openly gay athlet our sport is not right, " he told the Wnipeg Sun. It's difficult to actually get a handle on what percentage of the populatn is homosexual, but most recent studi put the mographic at somewhere between 2-3%.