"This is something I wanted to do," Trevor van Riemsdyk said of the You Can Play Project, a nonprofit organization committed to supporting the LGBTQ community and fighting homophobia in sports. "I saw that James had become the Maple Leafs' ambassador] and a day or two later, I just became aware of it [here
, with proceeds benefitting the You Can Play Project.
There will also be booths dotting the concourse to provide information about Hockey Is For Everyone, You Can Play Project, the Chicago Gay Hockey Association, Center on Halsted and Hockey On Your Block. Proceeds from a silent auction and Split the Pot drawing will benefit each organization.
"I think it's awesome," van Riemsdyk said. "I think it goes a long way, whether it's just doing little stuff like this, [or having] people know that the locker room is a place for everyone and you're going to feel included. As long as you've got a love for hockey, you'll be accepted here. So, it's awesome that they're taking this initiative and it's great to be part of a league that's doing that."
Turns out it's not the first time he's been part of a similar effort.
Van Riemsdyk also got involved in promoting LGBTQ awareness while he was in college at the University of New Hampshire. He helped Hockey East, the conference in which New Hampshire plays, promote inclusion in the sport.
"We did a little video," he said. "[Hockey East] was involved, so we got to do something like that there. So I've always been interested in doing it and wanted to be a part of it whenever I could.
"I was lucky enough to be the representative here."
