On August 14, Anders Nilsson of the Vancouver Canucks told Swedish outlet Aftonbledet that hockey’s homophobic culture is hurting the sport. The NHL has been making an effort to change that culture with events like Hockey is For Everyone Month and its partnership with You Can Play, but change has been slow in coming. Many believe that it simply isn’t happening fast enough.
To date, there has never been an openly gay player in the NHL. The other three major professional sports leagues in North America have all had active and/or retired players who have come out as openly gay.