Annual Pride Game is 'Gay Christmas' for Penguins Fan
By
Benjamin Gottschalk
Pittsburgh Penguins
"I call it my gay Christmas," Beachley said. "It is something to look forward to. I don't mind if it's in March, or February like it has been, or December. But I think Christmas is a good time because a lot of families are coming together at this point. For Monday's game, not only did my brother and his girlfriend come, but my aunt and uncle from Las Vegas were in town for that week. So, it was fun to bring my family in. We had a couple friends in our row as well."
The main purpose of the Pride Game is to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and show that teamwork, inclusion, respect and acceptance are at the heart of hockey; while also creating a safe space for fans inside of PPG Paints Arena. And in Megan's case, it did precisely that.
"It's real important because it's not like they have to do this," Beachley said. "It is important that they recognize us as a fanbase and find it important enough to make a night of it and highlight our community. A lot of my friends are Pens fans and sports fans. It's just awesome that they do it, and we can have a night. I love the Pens, and I love that I can be myself in this community during the game. It's both of my worlds colliding that I love."
Between the action on the ice - where the Penguins defeated a good Dallas Stars team by a score of 2-1 - and the activities off the ice, the Pride Game was a great time for Megan and her family.
"We met with a few friends at the Ford Lounge. They were having that as a kind of designated Pride bar, so after the intermission, we did that," she said. "It was a really good game. We were pretty much on the edge of our seats the whole time. Of course, we were rooting for Guentzel because we wanted Jake's Shakes. It was good that it wasn't just some ho-hum game. It was actually two good teams battling it out for Pride Night."
Beachley also attended last year's Pride Game, a 2-1 loss to the Sabres last November, which was the first one held in person after the inaugural one took place during the 2020-21 season.
"My brother and his girlfriend always come along because they're supportive," she said. "So, they are making the two-hour trek now, whereas I live in Pittsburgh, so it's only a 20-minute drive. That's our tradition that we want to keep going."
That two-hour drive is something Megan is all too familiar with herself. While in college, the Ohio native would drive from Akron to Pittsburgh just to try and get student rush tickets to Penguins games.
"There was one time we were trying to make student rush," Beachley said. "We asked some friends to go, they said maybe, and then eventually they said they wouldn't go. It is a two-hour drive from Akron to Pittsburgh, but I drove so fast to make sure that we got to the Pens game that I cut the time down to an hour and a half. And we made it to the game, I believe it was their first win in the new arena (back in 2010). So that was pretty fun."
Megan followed in the footsteps of her dad's fandom from a young age, which helped her become a lifelong Penguins fan. "It's a family thing," Beachley said. "My dad's side is all from western PA, so I grew up being a fan of Pittsburgh sports. I'm from Ohio, and my dad always watched the games, but he would listen to the radio broadcast most of the time. So, Mike Lange was a big part of my growing up."
After going to a few games in person, it didn't take long for Megan to get hooked on watching the Penguins. "My enthusiasm for the Pens really took off during the 07-08 season," Beachley said. "I was a big Jordan Staal fan, so that's when I really got into it. My first game was when I was about 8, and I went to a couple games in the Igloo before the new arena was built."
The Penguins have worked closely with You Can Play, which works to ensure the safety and inclusion for LGBTQ+ athletes, coaches and fans. While You Can Play is important to the Penguins and hockey, with President of Hockey Operations Brian Burke and his son Patrick helping launch the project in 2012, it is for all sports.
And while Megan loves hockey, after moving to Pittsburgh in 2015, she felt like joining a softball league would be a great way to meet people. Her co-worker Abby, who is now her girlfriend, found a league called Steel City Softball that was part of the LQBTQ+ community.
They eventually found themselves on a team called the Gracie Lou Freebushes, where they made some great friendships. Now, Abby and Megan manage the OUT Fielders because they want to bring new people into the ever-growing league.
"It's great that we can have just good competitive softball, but it's also nice because we are all part of the same community, we're all LGBTQ+, we're all allies," Beachley said. "It's just nice to look forward to having a safe space that we can play in, and just play a sport that we all love in a community where we can be ourselves and not worry about if someone finds out. It's been great since I moved to Pittsburgh to be part of that community, because everyone in that league is so nice and inviting."
