Chris Kunitz has been in NHL locker rooms for the last 13 years, and over that time he has noticed a change in the way teammates joke around with each other off the ice.
There’s still the banter and playful putdowns, naturally. But casual use of homophobic slurs and language, once commonplace across athletic locker rooms, is becoming a thing of the past.
“Some of the verbiage, things people say [has changed],” Kunitz said. “I think people are aware now how hurtful things can be when they’re said. Maybe 20-30 years ago, it was a different type of locker room but now the conversation has changed for the positive.