Predators’ Le Prokop be first player on NHL ntract to e out as gay | NHL | The Guardian

Contents:

• LE PROKOP COM OUT AS GAY AND MAK NHL HISTORY
• NHL PROSPECT LE PROKOP OUT AS GAY, A FIRST FOR THE LEAGUE
• LE PROKOP: NASHVILLE STAR BE FIRST ACTIVE PLAYER TO E OUT AS GAY
• PROKOP REFLECTS ON YEAR SCE G OUT AS GAY
• REPORT: NHL ACTUALLY HAS HAD HUNDREDS OF OPENLY GAY PLAYERS FOR YEARS
• FAMEWATCHER SEARCH PRIMARY MENU SKIP TO NTENT HOMECELEBRY HAIR TRANSPLANTCELEBRY PLASTIC SURGERYCELEBRY LEATHER JACKETBODY SHAPER SEARCH FOR: HOT HOCKEY PLAYERSGAY HOCKEY PLAYERS LIST: COLLEGE AND PRO ATHLET
• GAY MALE HOCKEY PLAYERS ARE G OUT DROV, AND CHANGG THE SPORT’S CULTURE
• I'M GAY. LEAVE IVAN PROVOROV ALONE | OPN
• JABLONSKI, KGS STAFFER WHO IS PARALYZED, OUT AS GAY
• AN N.H.L. PROSPECT IS THE FIRST SUCH PLAYER TO ANNOUNCE HE’S GAY
• AN INCLIVE NHL AWAS S FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER
• NHL PROSPECT LE PROKOP ANNOUNC HE'S GAY
• PREDATORS’ LE PROKOP BE FIRST PLAYER ON NHL NTRACT TO E OUT AS GAY
• CALLG PRI JERSEYS A DISTRACTN IS SENDG THE WRONG MSAGE, SAYS NHL'S FIRST OPENLY-GAY AGENT
• 'NHL IS READY FOR GAY PLAYER,' SAYS PATRICK BURKE
• WHL FENSEMAN, NASHVILLE PREDATORS PROSPECT LE PROKOP OUT AS GAY
• GAY HOCKEY PLAYER: NHL HYPOCRIL TO NMN BRENDAN LEIPSIC WHOUT CHANGG CULTURE
• UCONN WEL GAY PLAYERS

LE PROKOP COM OUT AS GAY AND MAK NHL HISTORY

Natnal Hockey League prospect Le Prokop me out as gay via a heartfelt statement to fans Monday, sayg he hoped would improve gay visibily wh the hockey muny. “I hope that sharg who I am I n help other people see that gay people are wele the hockey muny, as we work to make sure that hockey is tly for everyone, ” he wrote. Prokop hasn’t played an NHL game yet, but if he do, he’ll jo que a small club: There have only been two openly gay active players the four largt US sports leagu – Carl Nassib of the NFL’s Las Vegas Rairs, who me out last month, and Jason Colls, an NBA veteran who me out 2013 and retired the followg season.

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

This n evolve to lastg homophobic attus or e gay players to hi their sexualy om their teammat, said Erik Denison, a behavral scientist and lead rearcher on the Sport Incln Project at Monash Universy Atralia, a June terview wh CNN. "I hope that sharg who I am I n help other people see that gay people are wele the hockey muny, as we work to make sure that hockey tly is for everyone.

"Prokop is the fourth profsnal ice hockey player to publicly announce he is gay, after Ameri's Brendan Burke, who played for the RedHawks, Swen's Lars Peter Karlsson and Denmark's Jon-Lee June, Carl Nassib beme the first active NFL player to e out as Leeds Uned, LA Galaxy and USA footballer Robbie Rogers was the first openly gay man to play one of Ameri's big five sports leagu after he me out Febary Rap Game UK Season 3: DJ Target, Krept and Konan hunt for the next big MCTransformg a rental to your dream space: It's boys vers girls when to ratg this hoe share! 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. 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: July 28, 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. ”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. ”“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: NASHVILLE STAR BE FIRST ACTIVE PLAYER TO E OUT AS GAY

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. 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.

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.

”“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. Apparently, he planned to e out when he was playg profsnally but the anti-gay jok he heard the locker room and worri about his job secury as a hockey player prompted him not ’s what he says about his g out: “It would be ial if I didn’t have to talk about this.

PROKOP REFLECTS ON YEAR SCE G OUT AS GAY

Cotsonika as “the clost person to the NHL ever to e out publicly and say that he is gay” g out 2009 created que a stir the hockey world as his father, Brian Burke, is the general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs and of the US Olympic hockey team.

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

Brendan, on the left, wh kid brother Patrick Burke who now heads the NHL Department of Player Safety and -founr of the You Can Play Project which seeks to elimate “homophobic culture found some rners of hockey” McGillis, who once played for the Ontar Hockey League, me out as gay a November 2016 article on Yahoo Sports. Photo of Brock urty of >> Related Post: Shirtls Hockey PlayersHere’s what Brock wrote his Yahoo g-out article: “I was gay, but uldn’t share my secret wh anyone. 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.

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. It's stunng and brave when athlet like former NFL player Col Kaepernick stand up for their valu publicly, yet Provorov is a bigoted homophobe for standg by his valu.

FAMEWATCHER SEARCH PRIMARY MENU SKIP TO NTENT HOMECELEBRY HAIR TRANSPLANTCELEBRY PLASTIC SURGERYCELEBRY LEATHER JACKETBODY SHAPER SEARCH FOR: HOT HOCKEY PLAYERSGAY HOCKEY PLAYERS LIST: COLLEGE AND PRO ATHLET

Prospect Is the First Such Player to Announce He’s GayLe Prokop, who is unr ntract wh the Nashville Predators, said he was “no longer sred to hi who I am. “The rise of social media, pecially Instagram, has given athlet a fom where they n live their liv openly and intify directly wh their followers, ” Outsports wrote last said he hoped his claratn would show others that gay players are wele hockey.

I have heard the explanatns, rangg om the ludicro (there are no “gays” the league) to the simplistic (the game’s hateful, toxic male culture driv gay players unrground). I believe, however, that won’t be long before the NHL has openly gay players lacg up their skat and others workg the ranks of management and hockey operatns.

NHL missner Gary Bettman regnized this 2016 when he spoke about the league’s partnership wh the You Can Play anizatn, workg to dismantle barriers met by gay athlet sport.

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

If and when that happens, believe me, that person will have the full support of the missner’s office” (om “Gary Bettman says NHL is ready for s first openly gay player, ” The Chigo Tribune, 29/06/2016) Commissner Gary Bettman (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)Today, hockey mt reflect the changg valu of s fan base. Fans of the future will not accept homophobia the sports and entertament products they Are No Gay Players the NHL.., there are now and always have been gay players the NHL.

Nohels, acrdg to a 2017 Gallup study based on 340, 000 terviews, the percentage of Amerin adults intifyg as lbian, gay, bisexual or transgenr 2017 was 4. That means that, over the years, there have probably been several hundred gay NHLers, all of whom prumably kept their sexual orientatn hidn om the still sist that, notwhstandg the odds, there are simply no gay men playg the NHL. Mark Tewksbury, an Olympic gold medalist swimmg at the 1992 Olympic gam, a former chef missn of Canada’s 2012 Summer Olympic team and a proment gay activist sports for many years, sffs at that ia.

I'M GAY. LEAVE IVAN PROVOROV ALONE | OPN

Canadian Olympian Mark Tewksbury on Gay Players the NHLAsked a Canadian Broadstg Corporatn terview why there are no gay players the NHL, he uld barely nta a lgh. One of whom was Glenn Burke, who me out while he was playg for the Oakland Athletics back 1977, and who said, “They n’t ever say now that a gay man n’t play the majors, bee I’m a gay man and I ma . Speakg of the absence of openly gay players the NHL, Tampa Bay Lightng goaltenr Anrs Nilsson, a proment supporter of the LGBT+ muny, said, “When people say there are three to four gay players on each [NHL] team, I say no, absolutely not.

” He further explaed that if he had been gay, playg as a teen, he would have qu bee of the homophobic slurs on the ice, the drsg rooms and the stands – all over the hockey Nilsson as an Ottawa Senator (Js Starr/The Hockey Wrers)So, what’s up wh the NHL? While there may be very few gay players the league or perhaps none at any given moment, ’s clear that over the s, there mt have been many skatg Hockey Culture to Blame? He explaed, “There’s this ia that to be a hockey player, you have to be macho, hyper-mascule, a ‘bro’ tough guy…And the language and attus and actns wh the sport almost give the ia that if you’re gay, you’re ls than the thgs.

You’re weak, you’re soft, you’re effemate” (om “Culture of Hockey: Q&A wh Brock McGillis, the first openly gay pro hockey player, ” The Hockey News, 04/12/2019) slurs are mon hockey om midget hoe leagu to major junr and llege. (om “Hockey and Homophobia: We are All Complic, ” The Globe and Mail, 21/04/2016)McGillis poted to Mark Crawford’s one-month spensn 2019 as an example of the anti-gay culture that still permeat the league. Sce 2016, they’ve been an official partner of You Can Play, -found by Patrick Burke, a sut for the Philalphia Flyers and son of renowned hockey executive, broadster and gay rights activist Brian Burke, now vice print of hockey operatns for the Ptsburgh Pengus.

JABLONSKI, KGS STAFFER WHO IS PARALYZED, OUT AS GAY

; he died a r accint You Can Play OrganizatnThe NHL also tablished the “Hockey is for Everyone” iative that the sport – and the league’s global fluence – to provi a posive environment for players, fai and fans of every race, lour, relign, natnal orig, genr, age, sexual orientatn, soc-enomic stat and for those wh players are also proment the effort to bat homophobia hockey. Boston Bs star Brad Marchand took a stand agast a homophobic slur directed at him on Twter 2017 and said of his fellow players, “Guys would accept , no qutn (if a gay player me out). It’s a Different Culture That Stops Gay Players From Comg OutWhile would be hard to argue that the NHL has rid self entirely of homophobia, there n be no doubt that the blatant variety is no longer tolerated the league.

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

And ’s why a gay player would feel ’s bt jt to stay the closet rather than bee a poster boy for gay rights at the expense of their team’s foc on wng champnships.

AN INCLIVE NHL AWAS S FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER

That go for anybody who is the story of openly gay players the NHL has yet to be wrten, there are signs emergg on the periphery of the league that one day soon will be told.

In 2019, a 17-year-old Yanic Duplsis was drafted by the Dmmondville Voltigrs to bee the first openly gay player to be drafted to the Quebec Major Junr Hockey League (QMJHL) – a key steppg stone to the NHL.

NHL PROSPECT LE PROKOP ANNOUNC HE'S GAY

Guillme Latendrse as an Ottawa Senator (Michael Miller/Wikimedia Commons)Duplsis echo McGillis the belief that the key to gag wir acceptance is tn and puttg a human face on beg gay. Not only is the right thg to do, but the game will suffer if those bridg aren’t Nilsson summed up bt by sayg, “What happens is that we will lose gay players, who might otherwise have been the next Sidney Crosby or Connor McDavid or Wayne Gretzky.

And some fai wh strong feelgs about thgs might feel that, regardls if their son is straight or gay, he shouldn’t play hockey bee they don’t want him that harsh culture where ach and players ll each other all sorts of thgs. (Vghn Ridley/Getty Imag)Le Prokop, a Nashville Predators draft pick and Alberta native, announced Monday that he was "proud to publicly tell everyone that I am gay. The six-foot-five fenceman was drafted the third round by the Nashville Predators the 2020 NHL Entry Draft and signed a pro ntract wh the anchise | Nashville Predators draft pick Le Prokop announc he is gay:NHL prospect Le Prokop out as gayLe Prokop, 19, a draft pick for the Nashville Predators, has bee the first player unr an NHL ntract to e out as Predators praised Prokop's urage on Monday and said they will "support him unequivolly the days, weeks, and years to e as he ntu to velop as a prospect.

"Prokop's announcement was -ordated wh an article published on The Athletic's webse about his difficult a 'laggard' on homophobia sports, studi showWhile both gay male and female athlet have wrtled wh difficult cisns over the years, men's profsnal sports leagu have generally been void of active, open gay players. Several NFL players have revealed they were gay after their playg reers were over, while Michael Sam did so his draft year, playg the 2014 preason wh the Los Angel Rams before beg cut.

PREDATORS’ LE PROKOP BE FIRST PLAYER ON NHL NTRACT TO E OUT AS GAY

"Acrdg to ESPN, the Edmonton, Alberta native (who signed a three-year entry-level ntract wh the Nashville Predators back December and who prevly played for the Calgary Hmen) is the first active player signed unr an NHL ntract to e out as gay, a cisn he ma back April.

CALLG PRI JERSEYS A DISTRACTN IS SENDG THE WRONG MSAGE, SAYS NHL'S FIRST OPENLY-GAY AGENT

This year will be pecially profound for the NFL and NHL, wh Carl Nassib of the Las Vegas Rairs anticipated to take the gridiron this fall, and bee the first gay NFL player to play a regular season game. "Exactly one year ago, I spoke wh Brock Wton, who, fed up wh his hockey teammat' homophobia and rampant gay slurs, cid to try to end their behavr by boldly g out.

'NHL IS READY FOR GAY PLAYER,' SAYS PATRICK BURKE

'"I had the opportuny to speak to Prokop between the Predators' practice ssns on Wednday, and I asked him if he enuntered homophobic slurs durg his reer, and if that might have been one of the reasons for him to e out? "Y, obvly 's sort of a known thg that homophobic slurs occur, not jt hockey but a lot of sports, so my hope was that by g out, I uld have an impact on that, and help shift the language. The first openly gay NHL agent, Bayne Pettger, dropped by the CBC Victoria stud to share his NHL has always had this stereotype of beg an old boys club, not beg able to grow.

Wnipeg LGBTQ advot disappoted followg NHL's cisn to ban themed jerseysYou are the first openly gay NHL agent, and I know you work wh many players, but you're also iends wh many players this league. Jt keepg foced on the posive, bee we n go down that rabb hole of five players of 700 … that's not a player's boytt of team's Pri night tribute 'disrpectful' to gay muny: agentCan you take back three years ago to what that was like for you on a personal level, given the role you play a huge league like the NHL, to e out? Unwele spotlight falls on NHL team Pri night eventsMy biggt fear was that I uldn't work hockey and be succsful and be gay, but fact 's been que the oppose.

WHL FENSEMAN, NASHVILLE PREDATORS PROSPECT LE PROKOP OUT AS GAY

If a certa percentage of the populatn is queer, we need to have those seats at the table of Hockey 's Pri nights lli wh LGBTQ+ polil climateEveryone always asked me when we were gog to see the first gay NHL player. 13 years at The Canadian Prs natnal news agencyWhen the NHL brought on You Can Play as an official partner the sprg of 2013, the hope was that the league's first openly gay player wasn't far and a half years later, we are still wag.

"If there was any remag doubt about whether there were gay NHL players -- I don't know how anyone uld even wonr that -- Burke said You Can Play has heard om gay players the league. "I would say that the g-out experienc for the openly gay players other leagu -- whether was Jason Colls, whether was Michael Sam -- those guys have had, let's ll them up and down experienc.

' How much of that is an thentic, sutg-based 'the guys jt weren't good enough to help ' evaluatn and how much of that is 'We don't want a gay player on our team.

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

(Getty)Le Prokop ma hockey history on Monday whout steppg on the 19-year-old Nashville Predators prospect and Calgary Hmen fenseman announced on social media that he is gay, beg the first active openly gay hockey player unr an NHL ntract.

Today I am proud to publicly tell everyone that I am gay, " Prokop wrote an Instagram post on, a 6-foot-4 blueler om Edmonton, Alta., was drafted by Nashville the third round of the 2020 NHL Draft, and signed his three-year entry-level ntract back December while playg the shortened WHL season.

UCONN WEL GAY PLAYERS

Last month, McGillis spoke wh Outsports about the importance of llg out hate-speech hockey, explag why he chose to highlight two-time Stanley Cup champn Dt Penner’s vile nspiracy-filled homophobic Twter timele.

Former NHL biser Brandon Pst recently went on a Twter tira about “reverse racism” and star Bs forward David Pastrnak was ught g “you’re gay” as an sult on his Twch stream, though he did tch himself and apologize. You're wele at the Universy of is the msage the school's men's hockey team is sendg out two vios for a program lled You Can goal of the ternatnal iative lnched March is to work to end homophobia hockey. "We thought was a great ia to show the muny how we feel about homosexualy sports, and let people know that anyone n play on our team, " said UConn pta Sean public service vios are posted on YouTube and the UConn webse, and are schled to be featured the g days on the You Can Play them, the players pledge to support "any teammate, gay or straight, that n help w gam.

Brendan ma headl when he me out November 2009 while servg as the manager of Miami of Oh's llege hockey far about 100 athlet, cludg 50 om the NHL, have signed on to pledge they would play wh gay or transgenr athlet, Patrick Burke said.