Under Scrutiny: Hockey Is For Everyone Month 2018

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

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