Nhls 30 lgbtq ambassador
Shaw Proud to Serve as You Can Play Ambassador
February is Hockey Is For Everyone month, and the campaign has been conducted in partnership with the You Can Play Proposal, which works closely with LGBTQ athletes and promotes respect and inclusion for everyone. Each of the 30 NHL clubs possess designated a You Can Play ambassador – one player for each team – with Andrew Shaw being named the Montreal Canadiens representative.
It’s a role Shaw is honoured to have.
As noted in a recent media emit, the ambassador on each team will be “a leader in the locker room and in the community on diversity, equality and inclusion.”
During the 2015-16 playoffs, Shaw, then with the Chicago Blackhawks, was given a one-game suspension and fined for directing a homophobic slur at an official. The centreman issued a heartfelt apology at the time, noting that he wanted to learn from the mistake.
He’s trying to show that he continues to dwell up to his words.
"[You Can Play] brought it to the team and I thought it would be a good opportunity to help out. What I went through last year, I learned from it. Words affect people more than you assess , and that's something that I learned," said Shaw to a l
The NHL is rolling out various initiatives as part of Hockey Is For Everyone month, a celebration of the sport’s diversity and an attempt at fostering a more inclusive environment. Part of that has been announcing LGBTQ ambassadors for each of the 30 teams, as reported by Outsports.
Trevor van Riemsdyk is the You Can Play ambassador for the Chicago Blackhawks, and will help support the team’s efforts to design a more LGBTQ-friendly environment for young players.
The more notable player on the list, however, will be former Blackhawks forward Andrew Shaw, who is listed as the ambassador for his current team, the Montreal Canadiens. Shaw was at the center of a controversy in the spring when he was seen yelling a homophobic slur at a referee from the penalty box during the playoffs, and the NHL suspended him a game for his actions.
Shaw apologized afterwards and said he had “no excuses” for his deed, so you hope that his involvement with You Can Play is a sign that he’s taken some lessons to heart and evolved as a person since that incident.
The Blackhawks have partnered with You Can Play in the past, including last year when Scott Darling and Niklas Hjalmarsson participated
BRIGHTON, Mass – Brad Marchand was pretty outspoken a couple of months ago when a twitter troll attacked him via social media using a homophobic slur, and the B’s agitator used both his words and his conduct to defend and help the LGBTQ community. It was so impactful, in fact, that it eventually caused the twitter troll in question to delete his entire account after his hateful language was brought to light.
So it probably shouldn’t come as any kind of surprise that Marchand will now represent the Boston Bruins as one of 30 You Can Play ambassadors with one picked for each of the teams in the NHL.
The ambassadors are designed to build a web of sustain in all 30 of the NHL dressing rooms, and give any potential LBGBTQ players somebody within their own team that they can reach out to for support. Marchand didn’t want to construct a big deal out of his potentially crucial new role, but it was a no-brainer that No. 63 would gladly step up as an empathetic, influential voice inside the Boston dressing room.
“When I was asked [being a You Can Participate ambassador] was something that right away…it’s something that I’m happy to be a part of,” said Marchand following Bruins habit on Fr
One of the first things that some fans brought up when the NHL and the You Can Play Plan announced LGBTQ ambassadors for each of the 30 franchises was how exactly the players would be involved. Putting your name on something is excellent, but it wasn’t readily apparent how much the players knew about these issues or what they would perform to help deal with them.
Much of the controversy surrounded the Canadiens’ tabbing of Andrew Shaw, who had been suspended earlier in the 2016 playoffs for using a homophobic slur toward a referee, as part of the campaign, which led to lots of quote-giving and discourse on social media that, frankly, is probably not a awful thing for a community that often avoids these topics.
Trevor van Riemsdyk is the LGBTQ spokesperson for the Blackhawks, and he’s been taking a head in the campaign along with his brother James, who is the Maple Leafs’ ambassador. They’ve made a show to support You Can Play over the years, as The Athletic’s David Alter recently wrote in a fantastic feature, and this was the latest opportunity for them to get involved.
“I think we’re both aware of the responsibilities of the role,” Trevor said. “It’s a fantastic program, and it’s awesome to
Mats Zuccarello is the Rangers You Can Play ambassador
Hockey is for everyone.
Mats Zuccarello has been named the Modern York Rangers’ You Can Play spokesperson. Former Ranger Brian Boyle will attend as the Lightning’s YCP ambassador.
From the league’s press release:
This season, NHL Clubs have designated one player to be a You Can Play ambassador, existence a leader in the locker room and in the community on diversity, equality, and inclusion. Additionally, select Clubs will designate one home game as a You Can Play night, celebrating members of the local LGBTQ group with ceremonial puck drops, anthem singers, features on hometown heroes, and ‘Pride Tape’ will be used during pregame warm up.
The You Can Play proposal is a charity organization committed to supporting the LGBTQ community and fighting homophobia in sports.
"Our Clubs, our players and our fans are committed to welcoming everyone to hockey," NHLCommissioner Gary Bettman said. "While the NHL family strives for diversity and inclusiveness all year long, February is Hockey Is For Everyone month, which will spotlight, on a daily basis, the many ways our sport brings greater attention, heightened awareness and