LGBTQ Pride Night Tonight At Jets

[polarslam]

Jets to host You Can Play game on Feb. 13

Great to see the Jets and True North doing what I think is their first You Can Play night since they returned. Hockey is for Everyone is one of the NHL's best campaigns and tonight should be a great event at Bell-MTS.

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[nobody important]

One might say it's a capital idea.

 

[Aavco Cup]

Jets to host You Can Play game on Feb. 13

Great to see the Jets and True North doing what I think is their first You Can Play night since they returned. Hockey is for Everyone is one of the NHL's best campaigns and tonight should be a great event at Bell-MTS.

The entire league has been doing these games and naming ambassadors. Ours are Trouba and Scheifele. These t shirts will likely be on sale today. Wear one to the next pride parade

 

[Tom ServoMST3K]

I like Scheif's shirt in that photo. Looks neat.

Hopefully they're on sale

 

[JetsUK]

Speaking as the (unwitting) assistant coach of a minor atom team this year, I love the idea. One of the best things about our season has been the diversity of the team and the friendships that have formed in the games and practices, with an emphasis on skills, teamwork and fun. Sounds a bit like an advert, but that was NOT my experience playing the game for years as a kid in TO, one of the reasons we hesitated before registering our kids. Absolutely no reason why ethnicity, creed, gender or orientation should keep anyone out of the greatest game on earth. Play on.

 

[Aavco Cup]

I think your ignoring that this marketing comes about in large part because NHL "culture" for most of it's history was extremely insensitive to this issue. It was so prevalent in hockey kids (including myself when I was young) learned the slang derogatory terminology long before they even understood exactly what they were saying. And nobody ever tried to change the culture. It was time to get rid of that from the game.

 

[Channelcat]

Sounds like a great idea, but lets not kid ourselves. Its viewed as an untapped market for the NHL.

 

[Jet]

1> I missed this but I promise I was extra gay while I watched this game

2> WTH is up with Jacobs face in this pic? Photoshop?

I think your ignoring that this marketing comes about in large part because NHL "culture" for most of it's history was extremely insensitive to this issue. It was so prevalent in hockey kids (including myself when I was young) learned the slang derogatory terminology long before they even understood exactly what they were saying. And nobody ever tried to change the culture. It was time to get rid of that from the game.

That was certainly true in the past. When I was younger, the dressing room was filled with derogatory comments about gay guys, and it was prevalent amongst coaches too in a more subtle way (are you a pansy or fairy, someone who was skilled and not physical). I was guilty of all that too, in order to fit in.

I am so happy to report that that is not the case any more. I cannot remember the last time I heard a homophobic comment in a dressing room (other than the normal stuff you'd here anywhere between a bunch of guys).

I was really fortunate in my previous life to have played on a hockey team in Vancouver that were trailblazers when it came to gay men playing in hockey. We entered the UBC Hockey League as an openly gay team in the B division. We were subject to a LOT of catcalls and insults on the ice, but we were a big, skilled team. Other teams would try to outplay us, but couldn't, so they tried to run us out of the rink and intimidate us. That also failed as we had players who had played junior and weren't really afraid of anyone. We won the championship that year, and we got a LOT of respect and kudos from players from other teams. The next season we added an A and a C team to that league, and the insults became an outlier.

My most proud moment, however, was representing Vancouver in the Gay Games in New York. We played our games at Coney Island, and had to take the subway with all our equipment. We had our closing ceremonies at Yankee Stadium, and I got to run the bases.

 

[The Blue Baron]

Ugh give me a break

Are we gonna be celebrating being straight as well?

 

[Aavco Cup]

Ugh give me a break

Are we gonna be celebrating being straight as well?

You don't get it. It's not celebrating. It's being inclusive and welcoming

Also. Nobody ever yelled f*** you you hetero at another player on the ice.

 

[The Blue Baron]

You don't get it. It's not celebrating. It's being inclusive and welcoming

Also. Nobody ever yelled **** you you hetero at another player on the ice.

No you don’t understand you taking my comment out of context.

If wanna be inclusive of everyone have a night where all are accepted and not just this community.

No need to get upset, the gay crowd being celebrated to this massive degree constantly. There are many other crowds that don’t have a “night” of there own.

I’d love to feel special for being who I am as well.

 

[Jet]

Ugh give me a break

Are we gonna be celebrating being straight as well?

I encourage you to read my expanded post (if you want to be enlightened). Unless you have had slurs yelled at you or been intimidated or assaulted for your sexuality, I'd rethink this post.

 

[The Blue Baron]

I encourage you to read my expanded post (if you want to be enlightened). Unless you have had slurs yelled at you or been intimidated or assaulted for your sexuality, I'd rethink this post.

Good for you shutting that down.


Fare enough but why not have an anti bully night? A concealed deisease night? Etc...

By highlighting this one particular crowd it’s seems a bit exploitative to further someone’s particular agenda. Maybe someone’s making money on it for example. This is the trendy thing to do now but it really is about a bigger issue.

Bullying is a bigger issue now, not the gay issue.

 

[The Blue Baron]

The point is everyone needs to be painted with the same brush

Everyone is special and no one is special

I disagree with these nights and things because it’s exploitative.

If the goal is to have everyone equal than treat it that way!

Done.

 

[nobody important]

Good for you shutting that down.


Fare enough but why not have an anti bully night? A concealed deisease night? Etc...

By highlighting this one particular crowd it’s seems a bit exploitative to further someone’s particular agenda. Maybe someone’s making money on it for example. This is the trendy thing to do now but it really is about a bigger issue.

Bullying is a bigger issue now, not the gay issue.

Bullying is an issue, and I would love to see an anti-bullying night. But it doesn't have to be either or. There's lots of home games.

 

[roccerfeller]

Good for you shutting that down.


Fare enough but why not have an anti bully night? A concealed deisease night? Etc...

By highlighting this one particular crowd it’s seems a bit exploitative to further someone’s particular agenda. Maybe someone’s making money on it for example. This is the trendy thing to do now but it really is about a bigger issue.

Bullying is a bigger issue now, not the gay issue.

Why does it have to be agenda driven? Why can't it just be a night for celebrating inclusion?

PS Bullying encompasses this. This is an anti bullying night of sorts.

 

[Jet]

I think its a way for the NHL and hockey to recognize that there has been rampant homophobia in the sport and to help encourage inclusion so that we can get to the point where it really doesn't matter about your sexual background, everyone on the ice is just a player.

Thankfully I think we are already almost there, even without the NHL's help.

PS, after that season we won the championship, I had several of those straight teams try and poach me, so even back then, they realized that 'you can play'

 

[roccerfeller]

The point is everyone needs to be painted with the same brush

Everyone is special and no one is special

I disagree with these nights and things because it’s exploitative.

If the goal is to have everyone equal than treat it that way!

Done.

I kind of get what youre saying but I also think youre missing the point in this case. You don't have to celebrate or accept the night, but there are deeper societal issues that exist. Equality does not equal equity

 

[Jet]

I kind of get what youre saying but I also think youre missing the point in this case. You don't have to celebrate or accept the night, but there are deeper societal issues that exist. Equality does not equal equity

I love BlueBaron's ideal and I agree with it, but you have to actually get there first as a society. You can't just believe it individually and expect it to come true.

 

[Ducky10]

The point is everyone needs to be painted with the same brush

Everyone is special and no one is special

I disagree with these nights and things because it’s exploitative.

If the goal is to have everyone equal than treat it that way!

Done.

This doesn't have anything to do with one group being more special than another, it has to do with teaching tolerance and how wrong it is to subject people to ridicule and violence because they are different than you. You aren't oppressed, people with concealed diseases aren't oppressed or have hate hurled at them, how are these analogous?

Racial equality should be a night, gender equality should be a night, anti bullying should be a night, these are issues that plague our society as a whole. Not someone didn't get enough attention night.

 

[Ducky10]

1> I missed this but I promise I was extra gay while I watched this game

2> WTH is up with Jacobs face in this pic? Photoshop?



That was certainly true in the past. When I was younger, the dressing room was filled with derogatory comments about gay guys, and it was prevalent amongst coaches too in a more subtle way (are you a pansy or fairy, someone who was skilled and not physical). I was guilty of all that too, in order to fit in.

I am so happy to report that that is not the case any more. I cannot remember the last time I heard a homophobic comment in a dressing room (other than the normal stuff you'd here anywhere between a bunch of guys).

I was really fortunate in my previous life to have played on a hockey team in Vancouver that were trailblazers when it came to gay men playing in hockey. We entered the UBC Hockey League as an openly gay team in the B division. We were subject to a LOT of catcalls and insults on the ice, but we were a big, skilled team. Other teams would try to outplay us, but couldn't, so they tried to run us out of the rink and intimidate us. That also failed as we had players who had played junior and weren't really afraid of anyone. We won the championship that year, and we got a LOT of respect and kudos from players from other teams. The next season we added an A and a C team to that league, and the insults became an outlier.

My most proud moment, however, was representing Vancouver in the Gay Games in New York. We played our games at Coney Island, and had to take the subway with all our equipment. We had our closing ceremonies at Yankee Stadium, and I got to run the bases.

The three letter F word was much more a part of our vernacular years ago, unfortunately. My kids don't even know what this refers to, they are shocked to hear it used to be quite common place. They are so much more aware they we ever were.

 

[Bristo]

As someone whose convictions are in conflict with LGBTQ culture, I don't have any problem at all with Hockey is for Everyone or anything where people are made to feel welcome no matter what background they are coming from. Hockey doesn't have anything to do with my beliefs, and my beliefs don't have anything to do with hockey.

I don't understand the resistance to this.

 

[ps241]

Good for you shutting that down.


Fare enough but why not have an anti bully night? A concealed deisease night? Etc...

By highlighting this one particular crowd it’s seems a bit exploitative to further someone’s particular agenda. Maybe someone’s making money on it for example. This is the trendy thing to do now but it really is about a bigger issue.

Bullying is a bigger issue now, not the gay issue.

Hockey is coming a long way on Bullying. My sons 9 year old team just had a group of junior players come in to talk to our team about bullying this past week. On the concealed disease night Hockey is working hard with Bell Let’s talk, project 11, cancer you name it.

Hockey and most organized sports have had their challenges with racial tolerance and homophobia. Nothing wrong with having nights for all the above. Sure their may be some marketing motivations but there are with any of the initiatives doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing.

Progress not perfection

 

[Ducky10]

I get the cynacism behind this being a money maker for some or it being exploitative. But raising awareness is raising awareness, if it manages to change a few minds or force people to think about the issue, it's a good thing.

 

[Whileee]

I don't think this is a shallow gesture. Brian Burke has been a strong advocate in the NHL to combat homophobia. I think it's good that the NHL is being proactive in this area.