Gay players in the nhl
Milwaukee Admirals’ Luke Prokop sees progress in his game, in acceptance of a gay hockey player
It hasn’t come as quickly as he would like, but Luke Prokop is seeing progress.
Progress in his game.
Progress in his sport.
Progress in society.
The first active openly gay player under contract to an NHL team, Prokop has spent this season with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals, a step up from the third-level ECHL, where he spent most of 2023-24. He is still very much a part-time player but already has been in twice as many Admirals games as all of last year. And on Saturday night, Prokop scored his first AHL goal.
Milwaukee Admirals host Pride Night
Prokop also is looking forward to Wednesday, when the Admirals host their annual Pride Night for a game against the Texas Stars.
“I’ve been blessed to play in two of them for my home teams as a junior, and I got to play in one this year on the road,” Prokop said. “Seeing the way my teammates kind of react to it, you know that they realize that it has a big impact on fans.
“Some of them have even told me that it’s the game with the most definition – not a championship game, but kind of outside of hockey, has the most essence. So it’s
Just over three years ago, I wrote a piece for The Hockey Writers that argued an inclusive NHL was waiting with open arms to welcome its first openly gay player. So, in that time has one managed to crack an NHL lineup and has the NHL become more welcoming to lgbtq+ players living out in the open?
Related: An Inclusive NHL Awaits its First Openly Gay Player
The answer to the first doubt is none and to the second it’s no. In proof, in the years since I wrote that article, it looks like the NHL has hasten for cover when confronted by the major social issues of the day. It’s as if the league decided that it can only lose by taking clear stands in today’s raging culture wars. Pleasing one side risks angering the other.
Luke Prokop – First Openly Gay Player Under NHL Contract
While an openly gay player has yet to earn a regular spot in an NHL lineup, Luke Prokop is the first to appear out while under contract to an NHL team. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound right-shot defenceman signed an entry-level contract with the Nashville Predators in December 2020 and now skates with the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League (AHL).
Upon coming out in July 2021, Prokop said
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