For the month of February 2018, the NHL will be holding their second consecutive “Hockey Is For Everyone” Month! They have partnered with many organizations, most notably the You Can Play Project, to show fans that regardless of race, sexuality, religion, or anything of that nature, they will be accepted in the NHL. Each team has picked an ambassador from their team to spearhead the initiative, as well as a designated “Pride Night” game.
However, this project is incredibly flawed, between the transgender bathroom bill in Dallas (home of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft), the use of gay slurs by angry players during games, the fact that the team who won the Stanley Cup visited the White House while it is housing one of the most homophobic and transphobic presidents in history, and the fact that the league seems to do the absolute bare minimum for their LGBTQIA+ fans. For one month out of the seven-month regular season, rainbow hockey tape and shirts with rainbow-colored logos are sold, and promos are shot with players reassuring their fans that hockey is indeed for everyone. After that, it is basically forgotten about.
Is “Hockey Is For Everyone” Month enough? To most, it is not. But, for now, fans can enjoy this month of representation and inclusion in a league that will often disregard them. Below is a list of each team’s ambassador and the dates of their “Hockey Is For Everyone” events, including their “Pride Night” game.
Anaheim Ducks
Ambassador: Corey Perry
Event(s)/Game(s): February 9th, 21st, 25th
Arizona Coyotes
Ambassador: Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Event(s)/Game(s): February 1st
Boston Bruins
Ambassador: Brad Marchand
Event(s)/Game(s): February 1st
Buffalo Sabres
Ambassador: Ryan O’Reilly
Event(s)/Game(s): February 6th
Calgary Flames
Ambassador: Matt Stajan
Event(s)/Game(s): February 17th
Carolina Hurricanes
Ambassador: Trevor van Riemsdyk
Event(s)/Game(s): February 9th, 13th, 16th, 18th, 23rd
Chicago Blackhawks
Ambassador: Tommy Wingels
Event(s)/Game(s): February 15th
Colorado Avalanche
Ambassador: Gabriel Landeskog
Event(s)/Game(s): February 18th
Columbus Blue Jackets
Ambassador: Seth Jones
Event(s)/Game(s): February 10th
Dallas Stars
Ambassador: Tyler Seguin
Event(s)/Game(s): February 16th
Detroit Red Wings
Ambassador: Justin Abdelkader
Event(s)/Game(s): February 24th
Edmonton Oilers
Ambassador: Jujhar Khaira
Event(s)/Game(s): February 22nd
Florida Panthers
Ambassador: Aaron Ekblad
Event(s)/Game(s): February 9th
Los Angeles Kings
Ambassador: Dustin Brown
Event(s)/Game(s): February 22nd, March 1st
Minnesota Wild
Ambassador: Charlie Coyle
Event(s)/Game(s): February 8th
Montreal Canadiens
Ambassador: Andrew Shaw
Event(s)/Game(s): February 26th, 28th
Nashville Predators
Ambassador: Kyle Turris
Event(s)/Game(s): February 22nd
New Jersey Devils
Ambassador: Andy Greene
Event(s)/Game(s): February 1st
New York Islanders
Ambassador: Casey Cizikas
Event(s)/Game(s): February 3rd
New York Rangers
Ambassador: Mats Zuccarello
Event(s)/Game(s): February 9th
Ottawa Senators
Ambassador: Dion Phaneuf
Event(s)/Game(s): February 15th
Philadelphia Flyers
Ambassador: Claude Giroux
Event(s)/Game(s): February 3rd, 8th, 20th
Pittsburgh Penguins
Ambassador: Matt Murray
Event(s)/Game(s): March 1st
St. Louis Blues
Ambassador: Carter Hutton
Event(s)/Game(s): February 6th
San Jose Sharks
Ambassador: Chris Tierney
Event(s)/Game(s): February 15th and 27th
Tampa Bay Lighting
Ambassador: Alex Killorn
Event(s)/Game(s): February 28th
Toronto Maple Leafs
Ambassador: James van Riemsdyk
Event(s)/Game(s): February 24th
Vancouver Canucks
Ambassador: Henrik Sedin
Event(s)/Game(s): February 20th
Vegas Golden Knights
Ambassador: Pierre-Edouard Bellemare
Event(s)/Game(s): February 15th, 21st
Washington Capitals
Ambassador: Braden Holtby
Event(s)/Game(s): February 4th, 9th, 11th, 20th, 24th, 27th
Winnipeg Jets
Ambassador: Jacob Trouba
Event(s)/Game(s): February 13th
If you agree with the points made here and want to see an even better “Hockey Is For Everyone” Month next year, go out and support these teams at their “Hockey Is For Everyone” events and on their “Pride Nights” to let the NHL know that you will back them up as they continue to make progress! And, as always, remember to let us know what you think by tweeting us @PuckItUpBlog on Twitter!
Want to read more about past “Hockey Is For Everyone” debates? Click here!
Twitter: @nhljennifer
Tumblr: @jdmwriting
One thought on “Under Scrutiny: Hockey Is For Everyone Month 2018”