NHL's Only Out Player Laments Teams' 'Step Back' from Pride Nights
Luke Prokop, the NHL's only out prospect under contract, took to social media to express disappointment that some players refuse to wear Pride-themed jerseys during warmups on Pride nights, while several teams have dispensed with the jerseys altogether, Sportsnet reported.
Prokop, 20, who is a prospect for the Nashville Predators, also lamented that media attention seems to focus on the individual players who shun the jerseys instead of concentrating on the importance of Pride nights to LGBTQ+ fans and sports figures, and their allies.
Commenting in a March 20 tweet on "what feels like a step back for inclusion in the NHL," Prokop reflected that "Pride nights and pride jerseys play an important part in promoting respect and inclusion for the LGBTQIA+ community, and it's disheartening to see some teams no longer wearing them or not fully embracing their significance, while the focus of others has become about the players who aren't participating rather than the meaning of the night itself."
"Prokop shared these comments just days after San Jose Sharks goaltender James Reimer refused to wear a Pride-themed jersey during pregame warmups, citing that his religious beliefs would not allow for it," Yahoo! Sports detailed. "Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov took a similar stance earlier this season during the franchise's Pride-awareness night."
Moreover, Yahoo! Sports added, "The New York Rangers, New York Islanders and Minnesota Wild recently scrapped their respective on-ice celebrations after multiple players from each team declined to wear Pride jerseys and wrap their sticks with rainbow-colored tape during warmups."
"Everyone is entitled to their own set of beliefs but I think it's important to recognize the difference between endorsing a community and respecting individuals within it," Prokop's post went on to say.
"Pride nights are an essential step towards fostering greater acceptance and understanding in hockey," the athlete went on to add.
Though a number of professional players across multiple sports have come out in recent years, the sports world is still perceived as being homophobic. Prokop's own father gave voice to fears that his son's courageous embrace of authenticity would hinder his career. Sportsnet quoted the elder Prokop as saying, "One of my fears, to be brutally honest, was: You're a drafted player, you're on the right track, is something like this going to impact you negatively as you try to pursue your dream?"
Boiling it down another way, Prokop's father added: "Are you going to get the chance to pursue your dream as fairly as somebody else?"
Prokop seemed to suggest that his speaking out makes the risk worthwhile if it leads to a more level field of play for LGBTQ+ athletes.
"As someone who aspires to play on an NHL team one day," the young prospect posted, "I would want to enter the locker room knowing I can share all parts of my identity with my teammates."