Non-Fiction Gay Hockey

[olivermoss]

ESPN did an amazing podcast on Hobey Baker, an early hockey star who was queer. The research is really well done and the problems of researching historical queer figures is well handled.

Also, I a tumblr post that is very short, but a primer on looking into queer hockey. Basically, a quick overview of who Hobey Baker, Brock McGillis and Luke Prokop are. It's a starting point for people wanting to look into things.

I wrote it a while back, if I was writing it now I'd include Brendan Burke who did not play pro hockey and died young in a car accident. His father is Brian Burke was President of the Maple Leafs at the time and helped launch the You Can Play initiative in honor of his son, and did other things aimed at ending homophobia in the sport. He is now the Executive Director of the PWHL (top level women's league currently growing at a rapid pace in the US. Go Torrent! No, I mean, Torrent is the name of a team, you can watch the games on youtube. No need to torrent.)

Anyway, the PWHL has lots of lesbians, and one of the Seattle goalies is non-binary. There's going to be TWO expansion drafts this summer so IDK if we can keep them, we'll see. After the next expansion draft they aren't doing any new teams for a whole so we wont have players constantly jumbled around. It looks like Dallas and Denver are getting the last two teams. It's not confirmed, but most people are assuming those are the places.

Comments

[rekishi]

Honestly, I think athletics has always been easier to be out for lesbians. There were out lesbians on the tennis circus in the 90s. There are tons of lesbians in football (soccer). It's my personal delight.

Having Issues with The Icky Gay is a male issue.

[olivermoss]

I grew up watching Martina Navratilova (and hearing announcers call her MAN-tina, heavy emphasis on the first syllable)

Yeah, it's pretty night and day.

[mistressofmuses]

I have heard of Hobey Baker, but I'll have to give the podcast a listen at some point.

It'd be cool if Denver did wind up with a team! Our NHL team is a fairly big deal, so I'd hope there'd be some enthusiasm.

[olivermoss]

Hobey Baker was a really big deal in his day, but was around before the NHL.

Denver NHL a big deal? The Avs are dominating the entire league right now. Please ask them to stop bullying everyone?

Nothing is confirmed, but people are talking like Denver is a done deal. PWHL games have amazing vibes and tend to be drastically cheaper than NHL ones. It would be very cool if you got a local one

[mistressofmuses]

The Avs are trying to make up for the embarrassment that is our baseball team. Like, historically awful. Worst to ever do it, lmao.

I'm glad that the vibes for the PWHL are so good! It would be neat to have a local team, and I'd hope that there'd be fan enthusiasm for them here!

[olivermoss]

I don't know baseball things, despite going to games growing up, so I will take your word for it. We have a minor team here that we like, and are hissing at the MLB whenever they talk about a PDX expansion team.

The PWHL Denver take-over games haven't happened yet. You'll have some current teams playing in Denver this season, likely the Av's rink, to hype things up. Might be interesting to keep an eye on that and how it's received.

[mistressofmuses]

Baseball is the sport I'm best capable of following, as it's the sport my dad was into. Our team has only rarely been good, but this year was something like the second-worst record of any team ever since the MLB started. Atrocious.
I have been to one (1) NHL game, which was very fun, but I really know next to nothing about it. Someday I am sure I will learn!

I will have to see if I hear anything about the PWHL playing here!

[olivermoss]

I grew up with the Mets, but yeah never clicked for me. I liked going to games, being in the arena. There are lots of sports where I'll go for the social experience and also to look around the venue, just as long as the people I am going with understand that I will cheer and wave to take part, but do not care what is happening on the field.

I've yet to be at an NHL game and am a bit worried about the flashing lights. Very glad my first game was at a local rink and not on TV, tho.

There is a lot to learning hockey, and players move very fast on the ice. Tracking the puck is hard, but you don't need to do it. Players are obsessed with it, easier to follow the game by watching them

[mistressofmuses]

"Going for the social experience" and "I will cheer and wave to take part, but do not care what is happening" absolutely describes my sporting event attendance, haha. Love that there are some little call-and-response cheers and chants, love that we're all flailing supportively in unison, but I am NOT locked in on what is happening down on the field.

I can't say I remember the level of flashing lights at the one Avs game I attended... but I can see it being a concern.

I DO remember struggling to keep track of the puck, haha. But good point: it's the players job to follow the puck, and they are much bigger visual targets!

[olivermoss]

I think the rink the Kraken use has a more intense light set up than most. I can't fully tell through the TV, but it's a risk.