You Can Play infographic of NHL participants

The website "Sixteen Wins" has made an infographic showing stats on NHL players involved in the You Can Play project.


Visit the You Can Play website HERE.

NHL players Jordan Eberle and Brian Elliott say "You Can Play"

From You Can Play:

NHL All-Stars Jordan Eberle of the Edmonton Oilers and Brian Elliott of the St. Louis Blues team up for respect for all athletes and fans - regardless of sexual orientation.

Oilers forward Eberle, a native of Regina, Saskatchewan, just finished his second season in the NHL with 76 points - his personal best.

Blues goalie Elliott, a native of Newmarket, Ontario, had a career-best season leading the NHL in save percentage and goals against average. Both Eberle and Elliott made their all-star debut at the 2012 NHL All-Star Game in Ottawa where their You Can Play messages were filmed.

These two deliver the simple but meaningful message, “If you can play, you can play.”

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N-word? F-word? All of the above? For those who forget that hate does not discriminate...

An overtime goal by black hockey player Joel Ward knocked the Boston Bruins out of the playoffs and propelled the Washington Capitals into the next round. Twitter did not handle this well.Buzzfeed shares some of the tweets (see all HERE).

Patrick Burke interview on You Can Play and more

An interview in The Hockey News with Patrick Burke on You Can Play and the coming out NHL player:

For less than a year, Philadelphia Flyers scout Patrick Burke, son of Leafs GM Brian Burke and brother of the late Brendan Burke, has been working with professional hockey players on the You Can Play Project, founded in Brendan’s memory and tasked to ensure equality, respect and safety for all athletes, without regard to sexual orientation. Yet he’s already convinced the hockey world will have its first openly gay professional player in the very near future.

“Within the next two years, I predict we’ll have an openly gay National Hockey League player,” Patrick Burke said. “That is my personal belief and numerous people, including people within the charity, disagree with me completely. It’s my opinion only, but I think I’m right.

Keep reading HERE.

Boston NHL player on playing with a gay teammate

 

In an exclusive interview with Boston Spirit, Shawn Thornton of the Boston Bruins  tells what it might be like if one of his fellow hockey players came out:

By David Zimmerman

Shawn Thornton loves Boston. Boston loves Shawn Thornton.

That has been the case since the day Thornton arrived in town to play for our Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins.

Thornton, 34, is a bruising six-foot-two-inch, 217-pound, left winger for the Bruins who throws punches as hard as his slap shot. In fact, more than a few unfortunate opponents would argue that the punches are actually much harder. He is known as the team’s ‘enforcer,’ the player assigned to protect his teammates and often fights to do so.

You wouldn’t necessarily think that Thornton, the enforcer from a “blue collar, industrial town about 20 minutes outside of Toronto” would be first in line for a sit-down with an LGBT publication like Boston Spirit. You would be wrong. Thornton met with Boston Spirit recently for an exclusive one-on-one interview.

Boston Spirit: What do you think would happen if one of your teammates announced he was gay?

Shawn Thornton: Honestly, my teammates are like family so there would be support. I would personally [support] him and I’m pretty sure everyone in our locker room would. We’ve got a pretty good bunch of guys. I don’t think there would be any issues.

Keep reading HERE.

Tommy Wingels makes "You Can Play" video

First "You Can Play" video with Bruins and Sabres captains

Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara and Buffalo Sabres captain Jason Pominville speak up for the You Can Play Project, promoting respect for all athletes. Filmed during the 2012 NHL All-Star Game in Ottawa.

Slovakian Chara is the tallest NHL player ever, at 6'9", speaks seven languages and has climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro. Pominville is a native of Repentigny, Quebec and has dual American-Canadian citizenship, and is a Lady Byng Memorial Trophy nominee (most gentlemanly player).

Brian Burke on the first out NHL player

FGG Legacy Award winner Brian Burke on the George Stromboulopoulos program on CBC.