There was an awesome interview yesterday with Brian Burke, general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, about whether the NHL is ready for an openly gay player. Burke’s son, Brendan, was gay and died two years ago in a car accident. Brian Burke has become a strong public advocate for gays in sports. Here is [...]
Posts under ‘NHL’
Brian Burke tells PFLAG: My son Brendan was my hero
Brian Burke, general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, was honored by PFLAG as an “ally” at a dinner this week. Burke’s son Brendan was an assistant on the Miami of Ohio hockey team and died in a car crash on Feb. 5, 2010. Brendan’s coming out story was told just months prior on ESPN.com. [...]
Vote: Who is Outsports’ Person of the Year?
Last day to vote! Every year we ask our readers to crown the Outsports ‘Person of the Year.’ Last year’s honorees were Brian & Patrick Burke, who garnered over 60% of the vote! This year we have many incredibly deserving people, and we have narrowed it down to these final six. We’ll announce the winner [...]
Toronto hockey player Mike Zigomanis says nude photos aren’t of him
Mike Zigomanis, a player in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, says that nude photos on a website are not of him. The website isanyoneup.com posted photos of a clothed Zigomanis from his Facebook page, along with two nude photos that did not show a face. “Ziggy assures us that the clothed photos are of him, [...]
Brian Burke and Toronto Gay Hockey Association host LGBT event
The Toronto Marlies, a farm team of the Maple Leafs, held a sold-out LGBT event on Saturday featuring Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke. The event was co-hosted by the Toronto Gay Hockey Association and featured a hockey shinny (the equivalent of a pick-up game) with Burke! He later Tweeted about it as only a GM [...]
Puckbuddys celebrate one year with Washington Capitals gay night
Our good friends at Puckbuddys are celebrating their gay NHL blog’s one-year anniversary with the first-ever gay night with the Washington Capitals. Co-hosted by Team DC, the event this Saturday, Dec. 3, against the Ottawa Senators. The block is sold out, but you can try to snag some tickets from Ticketmaster or Team DC. Congratulations [...]
Toronto Police Mounted unit names donated horse ‘Moose’ after Brendan Burke
A horse is a horse, of course of course…. Sorry I just couldn’t resist. This has been in the works for a while, but on Sunday Toronto Maple Leafs Gm Brian Burke donated a horse to the Toronto Police Mounted unit. The horse was named “Moose,” which apparently was the nickname of his late son, [...]
Rangers drop Sean Avery, assign him to minor league club
The NHL career of Sean Avery is in limbo after he was cut by the New York Rangers and assigned to the Connecticut Whale of the American Hockey League. His agent said Avery was considering playing in Europe if he did not join the Whale. We’ve been big fans of Avery for all the stands [...]
San Jose Sharks refuse to make ‘It Gets Better’ video, petition circulating
The San Jose Sharks have rejected a request by a lesbian Sharks fan that the team join the growing list of pro-sports teams to create an ‘It Gets Better’ video. Gloria Nieto made the request over the summer. From the San Jose Mercury-News: In turning her down, the team said it received requests to get [...]
Calls increase for NHL to fine Wayne Simmonds for gay slur
While the NHL has said it will not punish Philadelphia Flyer Wayne Simmonds for using a gay slur directed at Sean Avery during Monday’s game, that hasn’t stopped a growing chorus of people asking them to do so. A change.org petition asking for the NHL to fine Simmonds had over 35,000 signatures as of Thursday [...]
NHL issues statement on gay taunts, won’t take any action against Wayne Simmonds
NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell released a statement Tuesday evening saying that yes, the league has a policy that forbids players calling each other a “fucking faggot,” but no, the NHL will not punish Philadelphia Flyer Wayne Simmonds for doing just that. Their reasoning? They can’t figure out what Simmonds [...]
Philadelphia Flyer Wayne Simmonds seems to call Sean Avery a ‘faggot’
Updated Tuesday morning. First Kobe Bryant. Then Joakim Noah. Now with the NHL in preseason form, Philadelphia Flyer Wayne Simmonds seems to clearly call Sean Avery a ‘fucking faggot’ during tonight’s game. Late last season and in the offseason Avery emerged as a fierce advocate for gay rights. Simmonds was, just a couple days ago, [...]
Moment #17: Brendan Burke’s passing away leaves a void
Part of Outsports’ series on our 100 most important moments in gay sports history. Hockey, 2010. When Brendan Burke, student manager of the Miami (Ohio) hockey team, came out of the closet on ESPN.com in late 2009, the story was touching and heartwarming. The support of his father, Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke, was [...]
Moment #60: Stanley Cup in gay pride parade
Part of Outsports’ series on our 100 most important moments in gay sports history. Hockey, 2010: When the Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup, the Chicago Gay Hockey Assn. asked the team to send a player to ride in the city’s pride parade with the Stanley Cup trophy. The team agreed and defenseman Brent Sopel [...]
NHL’s Sean Avery arrested for alleged battery against Los Angeles police officer
New York Rangers hockey player Sean Avery was arrested in Los Angeles on a misdemeanor charge that he shoved a Los Angeles police officer. From the L.A. Times: Authorities responded about 1 a.m. to a neighbor’s complaint about loud music at Avery’s Hollywood Hills home, police said. Share on Facebook