How a Fierce Rivalry Became the Unexpected Catalyst for His Bold Coming Out Story

“Even ex-NHL players have embraced it – they say the hockey is terrible, but they like the story. It can resonate with people, and it means finally, for someone at my age, that it is a positive gay story.

“Not of heartbreak, of being beaten up, or about the Aids crisis – but an inspiring love story.”

‘I’d like the NHL to say they were wrong’

There are currently no active NHL players who are out as gay, though the sport does have more elite LGBTQ+ representation than many others.

In 2021, Luke Prokop became the first player contracted to an NHL club to come out as gay. The following year, Zach Sullivan, who plays for Manchester Storm in the Elite League – the top tier of UK ice hockey – revealed he was bisexual.