Hockey Is For Everyone month is conducted in partnership with the You Can Play Project, a nonprofit committed to supporting the LGBTQ community and fighting homophobia in sports. For the first time, each of the 30 NHL clubs have designated one player to be a You Can Play ambassador, which means being a leader in the locker room and in the community on diversity, equality, and inclusion. These players have agreed to lead the way in their markets and fight homophobia in sports; some will be featured in local public service announcements.
Select clubs will designate one home game as a You Can Play night, celebrating members of the local LGBTQ community with ceremonial puck drops, anthem singers, features on hometown heroes, and "Pride Tape" that will be used during warmups.
"We are extremely proud of the work these teams and players are doing to promote respect for the LGBTQ community," said Wade Davis, director of professional sports outreach for You Can Play. "These You Can Play/Pride games and PSAs during Hockey is For Everyone month are a powerful reminder of how partnerships like the one between the NHL, NHLPA, and You Can Play can have a major positive impact on millions of players, staff members, and fans worldwide."
Here are the YCP ambassadors for each club:
Anaheim Ducks -- Ryan Kesler
Arizona Coyotes -- Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Boston Bruins -- Brad Marchand
Buffalo Sabres -- Anders Nilsson
Carolina Hurricanes -- Eddie Lack
Calgary Flames-- Matt Stajan
Chicago Blackhawks -- Trevor Van Riemsdyk
Colorado Avalanche -- Gabriel Landeskog
Columbus Blue Jackets -- Scott Hartnell
Dallas Stars -- Curtis McKenzie
Detroit Red Wings -- Frans Nielsen
Edmonton Oilers -- Matt Hendricks
Florida Panthers -- Shawn Thornton
Los Angeles Kings -- Dustin Brown
Minnesota Wild-- Charlie Coyle
Montreal Canadiens -- Andrew Shaw
Nashville Predators -- Colin Wilson
New Jersey Devils -- Andy Greene
New York Islanders -- Casey Cizikas
New York Rangers -- Mats Zuccarello
Ottawa Senators -- Dion Phaneuf
Philadelphia Flyers -- Claude Giroux
Pittsburgh Penguins -- Chris Kunitz
San Jose Sharks -- Chris Tierney
St. Louis Blues -- David Perron
Tampa Bay Lightning -- Brian Boyle
Toronto Maple Leafs -- James van Riemsdyk
Vancouver Canucks -- Henrik Sedin
Washington Capitals -- Braden Holtby
Winnipeg Jets -- Jacob Trouba
