LA Kings Celebrate Pride Night

The LA Kings celebrated their annual Pride Night on March 18th. Players, staff, fans and partners united to support the LGBTQIA + community as the team took on the Vancouver Canucks at Crypto.com Arena.
Prior to the game, the Kings welcomed the
You Can Play Project
and hosted an Inclusive Coaching & Workplace Training for local youth hockey coaches and staff members from the Kings and AEG. You Can Play works to ensure safety and inclusion for all who participate in sports, including LGBTQIA+ athletes, coaches and fans.

During warm-ups, players donned special jerseys designed by queer-identifying Swedish artist
Mio.
Additionally, players used rainbow-taped sticks and specially designed pucks, all of which were made available to the public via
auction
, raising over $30K for the Kings Care Foundation and You Can Play.

For the jersey design, Mio drew inspiration from the City of LA, the journey of the Kings and her own queer experience. As a visual storyteller, she aims to depict the heart of the subject throughout her work. In this case, she used symbols of the sun, the crown and lifting hands to represent resiliency, strength and unity.
Mio also performed the ceremonial puck drop while sporting her very own designs on a custom jersey!

LA Kings front-office staffer, Jack Jablonski, announced the starting lineup.
Jablonski recently came out
earlier this season and is well-known as an advocate for those with spinal cord injuries, after suffering one himself during gameplay in 2011. He continues to be a role model for the LGBTQIA+ hockey community.
Mariachi Arcoiris de Los Angeles
performed the National Anthem, they are the first LGBTQIA+ mariachi in the world. During the anthem, Staff Sergeant Shamel Jones of the United States Army was honored as the LGBTQ+ Hero of the Game.

The Kings were also excited to host the
Los Angeles Blades
, the first openly Gay and Lesbian ice hockey team in the U.S. The Blades were honored during the 1st intermission for their commitment to providing a safe and welcoming environment for the LGBTQ+ community to play the game of hockey and their efforts to eliminate homophobia in the hockey community.

Along with other activations throughout the arena, the LA Kings Ice Crew and mascot, Bailey, wore rainbow gear, and Kings staff and broadcasters sported You Can Play lapel pins. Fans took home rainbow socks, presented by Blue Shield California, to be able to show their support for the LGBTQIA+ community year-round.
Check out our remaining theme nights in our 2022-23 season
here
, including First Responders Night presented by SoCalGas on Tuesday, April 4, 2023 against the Edmonton Oilers.
Click here to buy tickets now
!