While the NHL was – still – caught up in the tumult of LGBTQ cause parties that sometimes turned controversial, fans and players from a junior team in Seattle tried to help the cause.
They are the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Junior League West. It’s the team played by Nashville Predators prospect Luke Prokop, who became the first openly gay hockey player to hold a contract with an NHL team.
Prokop’s teammates include Jared Davidson, a forward the Canadiens drafted in the 5th round (130th overall) last summer. Davidson also happens to be a friend of Prokop — they’ve known each other “since they were 13,” Davidson reckons, as the two grew up in the Edmonton area.
Last week, therefore, took place a thematic evening of gay pride, on the sidelines of the duel between the Thunderbirds and the Blazers of Kamloops. But the night was basically organized backwards: rather than the team initiating the initiative, before involving the players and the fans, rather it was the fans who started it all, and who got a boost from the players and the organization.
Rebecca Bower is a season ticket holder behind the initiative. “It’s been a few years since supporters wanted a thematic evening, she recalls in an interview with La Presse. So Luke Prokop wasn’t the only determining factor [he arrived in Seattle this season], neither was the situation in the NHL. But that was part of the equation.
“We saw story after story of players not warming up or teams canceling their night,” she continued. I have relatives in the LGBTQ community and I have seen the impact these events have had on them. So we talked about it in a group chat and I reached out to Luke Prokop to see what he thought. »
For Jared Davidson, player participation was a given. “With Luke on the team, it was our duty to help however we could. It was special, we had never done that before. I’ve known Luke for years, I grew up playing hockey with him. It was good that he had the night he deserved. »
The Thunderbirds organization has been criticized on social media for not launching the initiative themselves. Team president Colin Campbell didn’t go into detail in an interview with The Seattle Times about why the team didn’t host a theme night. But, Davidson recalls, “the team does very few special nights like that.” “We’ve done maybe two since I’ve been here. The junior teams obviously do not rely on the same promotional machine as those of the NHL.
However, from the moment fans launched the project, the support of the Thunderbirds was clear. From the giant screen to the mascot, the team supported the fans in every way possible.
“The organization has received some criticism, but our supporters in general aren’t necessarily upset,” Bower said. Above all, they hope that it becomes an official evening, that it is a step in the right direction. But the Thunderbirds gave us permission to print jerseys with their logo. Luke made a short speech thanking the fans. »
“We asked our equipment man to order some rainbow-colored tape,” Davidson said.
The Thunderbirds operate in a rather blue market. In the state of Washington, in the last presidential election, Democrat Joe Biden received 58% of the vote, against 39% for Republican Donald Trump; in King County, where the Thunderbirds are based, the ratio was three to one (75-22) in favor of the Democrats.
Prokop himself has spoken out on social media in the wake of NHL players refusing to wear themed jerseys. He spoke of his “disappointment” at what he considers to be “a setback for inclusion in the NHL.”
Davidson just hopes his good friend can continue to champion the LGBTQ cause when he enters his professional career on a permanent basis next season.
“I just hope everyone in the NHL will come to terms with their reality no matter where they play. »
The NHL is embroiled in a series of controversies over its pride nights, so league commissioner Gary Bettman told CTV earlier this week that he will have to “evaluate” these events during the off season. “It’s becoming a distraction,” Bettman said. Most of the message is discarded due to personal decisions of a handful of players, which must also be respected. Buffalo Sabers defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin is the most recent player to skip the warm-up period as players were required to wear rainbow-colored jerseys. Before him, James Reimer of the San Jose Sharks, as well as brothers Eric and Marc Staal, of the Florida Panthers, also refused to take part in the warm-up, citing religious reasons. This is also what Philadelphia Flyers defender Ivan Provorov, the first player to boycott a warm-up, did. The New York Rangers, Minnesota Wild and Chicago Blackhawks simply dropped players’ wearing of Pride jerseys as part of the celebrations. Other teams held their event without disruption, including the Calgary Flames on Tuesday and the Seattle Kraken two weeks ago. The Canadiens’ LBGTQ Pride Night is scheduled for April 6.
