Gabriel, who is from Newmarket, about 45 minutes north of Toronto, was marching at the parade along with his girlfriend, Karina, and his brother, Iain, in support of their friends Silver and Christina.
When the Devils held their Pride night last season on Feb. 25 against the Montreal Canadiens, Gabriel opted to leave the rainbow tape on the end of his stick the entire game. He ended up scoring the game-winning goal in a 2-1 victory and decided to continue using it throughout the season.
"Everybody started taking it off before the game, and I thought I might as well not even take it off, it would take more effort than to just leave it. So I kept it on and thought it might show some more support for the LGBTQ community," Gabriel said. "My friends Christina and Silver, who I know through my girlfriend, I wanted to show support for them seeing what they've had to go through. I mean it's 2019, it's done, it's over, we don't need to be making people uncomfortable anymore just because they have different sexual orientations. I just think that's so stupid."
Gabriel's friend Christina said his support has gone a long way.
"You don't necessarily think LGBT and sports people go hand in hand, but clearly that is not the case," she said. "You always think of there's a lot of bullying in sports and people are shamed if they come out as gay, but this shows how everyone can be accepted when you have a prominent figure, especially someone we're close with, showing that we accept you and show that you are welcomed here and you're safe."
Gabriel said he hopes continuing to use the tape will make a positive impact, however small it may be.
"Hopefully, kids at the rinks see me using it and maybe asks their parents why and it just starts a positive conversation where if I'm doing it, maybe the kid will think why shouldn't I help out," Gabriel said.
Rielly was wearing a pair of running shoes with a rainbow strip up the middle while marching in the parade. Much like Gabriel with the tape, Rielly said he anticipates continuing to use the shoes in the future, hopeful that even a small gesture will keep making a positive difference.
"When I got to my condo last night when I flew in and there were a couple pairs of shoes waiting for me," Rielly said. "I like them but it's not a one-time event, I think I'll keep wearing them after this."