Brendan and Brian Burke

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 what he told George Stromboulopoulos of the CBC:

Oh, it’s going to happen. It’s going to happen and it’s gonna take less courage than that player thinks.

Right now, a player who’s contemplating that is thinking the whole world’s going to be arrayed against him and be this mountain he’s gotta climb. And I think he’s gonna find — I really believe this, watching the acceptance that my son got when he came out, in the hockey community at Miami University — this athlete that has the courage to come out, is going to find that hill’s a lot less steep than he thinks it is. That there’s a lot of support. I know the players on our team have all spoken to me about it, and said, absolutely, a gay player is welcome here.

“A lot less courage.” Thank you, Brian Burke! I get sick of hearing how “impossible” it is for a gay player to come out and the hand-wringing that goes on and keeps these guys in the closet. Here is an NHL G.M., a guy with the power to hire and fire, saying a gay player would be welcome on his team.

The whole interview is great, including where Burke talks about how he never allowed discriminatory comments of any kind in his household:

Hat tip to SB Nation

Share on Facebook

We’ve been big fans of Avery for all the stands he has taken in support of gay rights. On the ice, many consider him nothing but a thug, but he has been spot on when it comes to speaking out against homophobia.

Avery, 31, was cut by the Rangers, who said they simply had better players. It remains to be seen whether he will be claimed at any point this season by an NHL team. If not, he can always go into fashion, one of his loves.

Share on Facebook

Part of Outsports’ series on our

Media, 1993: “The Last Closet,” the CBC Radio’s hourlong special on gays in sports was groundbreaking, exploring a subject that was little talked about in the media.  They took the title from something I said in the interview about sports being the last closet in society.

What was most memorable were the interviews with two prominent Canadian athletes who were gay and closeted; their voices were distorted. In the days before the Internet, this special got almost no attention once it aired. Had the same show aired today, people would analyze the voices and the athletes’ comments to start a guessing game.

One of the athletes turned out to be Olympic boxer Mark Leduc, who died in 2009.  Also among those interviewed were former football player Ed Gallagher and super agent Leigh Steinberg.  I was on since I was the sports editor of the Long Beach Press-Telegram in Southern California and openly gay.

A lot of the fear the show explored about athletes coming out is still present today, but other attitudes are thankfully outdated. The show interviewed a Dodgers pitcher who said he could not  believe there could be a gay major leaguer; this was four years after Billy Bean played for the Dodgers.

Note: This item is rewritten to correct inaccuracies in the original (thanks to Joe Clark for pointing them out). I had incorrectly stated that the two athletes with distorted voices were NHL players. I had not heard the show for 18 years, and after Clark’s comments I dug through my closet, found the tape and listened.

Share on Facebook

Jonathan Toews

Patrick Kane scored on a bizarre goal four minutes into overtime to give the Chicago Blackhawks a 4-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers and the team’s first Stanley Cup title since 1961. The Blackhawks won the thrilling series, 4-2, in which there were two overtime games.

Kane’s goal was strange because he seemed to be the only person in the arena in Philadelphia who knew he had scored. NBC announcer Mike Emerick kept calling action and no red light went off as Kane flew down the ice in celebration (video here). It turned out the puck had gotten stuck in the upper corner of the net, and it took a few moments for the goal to be confirmed.

During the postgame celebration it was fun to hear Flyers fans boo Commissioner Gary Bettman every time he opened his mouth, but they were respectful as the Blackhawks got their due. One good thing is that the hideous playoff beards will be gone. The worst was Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews, a great-looking guy who has maybe the worst beard-mullet I’ve ever seen.

Going into Game 6, the series had been the highest rated since 2002 (ratings were up 843% in Chicago and 457% in Philadelphia over last year, and 80% in non-hockey market Kansas City). It’s a sign that non-NHL fans will tune in if there is a compelling series with two traditional hockey markets. I know I enjoyed it.

Bonus pic — Patrick Kane shirtless in the back of a limo (for which he later apologized):

Share on Facebook

Normally hot-looking NHL players during the regular season wind up looking like deranged mountain men or worse by the time June rolls around (most guys simply look better clean-shaven).  Greg Wyshynski, Puck Daddy for Yahoo Sports, has a great take on the 10 most fascinating playoff beards so far. “Some are impressive. Some are tragic mistakes. And one is a mullet.” he writes.

Wyshynski has before and after pictures of his 10 contenders. My two favorite write-ups are No. 7, Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks, and No. 3 Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Last postseason, Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews sported thick sideburns, looking somewhere between a Victorian-era vampire and a roadie for Arcade Fire (right). As you can see from this shot at the end of the Nashville Predators series, he’s on his way to another mutton-choppy effort. Which is still an improvement from the Mickey Mouse Club cast member he was back in September.

Sidney Crosby’s facial hair is, once again, one of the playoffs most well-reported stories. It’s as awkward as it was last season: a pubescent, patchy mess that makes it look like he forgot how to properly use soap. It’s equal parts inspiring in its bold struggle to become a real beard and sad in its reality. Wonder how Reebok feels about their poster boy looking like the creepy kid watching you play Tekken at the arcade.

OK, puck fans — thumbs up or down on playoff beards?

Share on Facebook

Mason Raymond of the Canucks

Vancouver Canucks coach Alain Vigneault, whose team plays the Los Angeles Kings in the NHL playoffs, has no problem with his players having as much pre-game sex as they wish. While the coach said the team can control the diet, workout and even sleep regimen of the players, sex was something out of his control.

“As far as the sex goes, that’s none of my business, they can do what they want. I like to have a lot of control but (not) that part there,” Vigneault said.

The print edition of the Sun had the players answering whether they abstain from sex on game days (anyone who has a copy should share the responses).

Hat tip to Deadspin.

Share on Facebook

Hottest player? Jimmy says it's this guy.

Editor’s note: Mikey writes the awesome blog HockeyKidMn and lives in Minnesota. Jimmy did an amazing job blogging during the Olympics from the Frozen North. Both also play hockey, and they have teamed up to write an NHL preview. It’s a great complement to Joe’s NHL guide, which is not written like he’s texting. All three have a different Stanley Cup champion.

And now, in their own words, Mikey and Jimmy (with their picks for the league’s hottest players):

By Mikey and Jimmy

hey mikey here … i play hockey n luv it so ud think id know something bout it. yea surprisingly not enough to make ne money off of … so after my amazingly accurate …. ahm i mean lucky .. predictions for the olympic hockey medal, jim asked me to try to throw somethin together for the nhl playoffs so all the outsport readers can go to vegas n put their life savings n car titles on these n ride em all the way to the bank … ahh the street actly.

so of course im borin n no fun witout my lil canadium sidekick jimmy. so being from canada, the kid thinks he knows everything bout hockey …. n we know that it must be true cause the kid toly talks like he does. so were gonna put our heads together n come up wit our predictions …. hmm hopefully we will agree or its gonna be confusin. so yea be prepared for confusion.

Oh, I guess that was my cue, Jimmy here… You are amazing, Mikey. Accurate? I’m not so sure… Lil sidekick? I’m not that lil. In fact, some think I’m a moose. A Canadium moose to be precise. As you mentioned, being Canadium, I want those folks who are determined to bet the farm, the barn n all the livestock… maybe even their hockey playin son’s tuition (?) ~ that listening to me may jus payoff in the ol’ playoff…

ahhm dude first of all u need to learn the correct mikey use of elipses its space dot dot dot not just dot dot dot. k mr punctuation, now we can continue … so here is how the teams are seeded rite now:

Eastern Conference

#1 caps vs. #8 canadiums
# devils vs. #7 flyers
#3 sabres vs. #6 bruins
#4 penguins vs. #5 sens

Western Conference

#1 sharks vs. #8 avalanche
#2 black hawks vs. #7 predators
#3 canucks vs. #3 kings
#4 coyotes vs. #5 red wings

so first of all just a few comments bout the parings.

caps vs canadium – so the caps have ovechkin n can tolly score alot but they lost the regular series 2-3, have softer goaltendin then even the black hawks, and have younger n sorta weaker defense. the habs have more soild goaltendin but lack that scorin punch and that will let the caps go onto their rematch wit the penguins

Way to go out on a limb Mikey. The Caps beatin the Habs? Are u sure? K, yea they’ll win and they’ll win handily. I do wanna point out that the goaltending advantage u speak of will evaporate quickly, at least until Montreal puts Cary Price in net n that could happen as early as game two…

devils vs. flyers – the devils lost the regular season 6-2 but they should be solid n stable n tough defensively since thats their style n its even more enforced wit lemaires back. they picked up kovalchuck n have that parisee kid …. did i mention that hes hot btw? im think brodeur used to be great but hes not as great ne more but still comes up wit alot of big games .. cept in the olympics. the flyers had a tough end of the season n dont really impress me that much richards is toly solid but they r shakey at net n thats not good in the playoffs, n will proly keep em from advancing

Proly keep them from advancing? First of all, what does ‘proly’ mean? Forget it… the Flyers won their last game of the season to get into the playoffs. Now, jus shorten that last sentence. The Flyers have won their last game of the season…

sabres vs. bruins – well the sabres have ryan miller n a hot goalie can win playoff games or olympic games, n they get to play the bruins who although they won the regular season 4-2, have the 2nd lowest goals scored in the league n now have an inexpereinced goalie, n won alot of shoot out games … so unless this is the shootout series their in trouble

Tuuka Rask. Um yea, I jus like sayin Tuuka Rask.. He won’t finish the series either like his buddy in Montreal… Tim Thomas – last season’s Vezina Trophy winner will come in for game three – the first in beantown – and steal the show. But Mikey’s right. Ryan Miller will win this series and maybe plenty more… This isn’t really gonna be a close series either.

penguins vs. sens – well the series was tied 2-2 n the sens have scored alot of goals but rnt very tested in the playoffs n happen to be playin some team wit sid n malkin. so yea tough draw ottawa … looks like no canadium team gets by the first round in east.

Pens n Sens… Also fun to say. It’s not gonna be that fun to watch tho. With all due respect to our new Canadium poster boy Sid, Ottawa’s jus too boring to watch so I’ll tune into game 5 to see Pittsburgh win this thing.

sharks vs. avs – so the sharks look like they may be the best team in hockey this year wit a solid year of goaltendin by nabokov. so what could go wrong? well theyve looked like this before n always seem to find a way to lose in the playoffs. nabokov self destructed in the olympics, n who know what else could happen. the team split games this year 2-2 which could be a sign. the avs r way young, looked great early, n sorta faded at the end. normally id say no chance for them but yea its the sharks so it could be colorados year

Aah the West. Finally in the west where real hockey is played… Sharks once again dominated the regular season. Does anybody care? Is anybody worried? Is anyone in awe? I think their record has more to do with their airport restrictions n havin teams hafta fly into Oakland b4 makin their merry way to San Jose. Once again, Joe Who will disappear, their goaltending will be suspect and they will generally suck. They’re still gonna beat Colorado tho… Probably, in 5 maybe 6 games.

black hawks vs preds – chicago looked like the best team in hockey quite a few times this year but has been riding shaky goaltendin all year long. they got some canadium kid jonathon something n a group of great young players. they won the regular season series 4-2. the preds pretty much have no 1 that ne1 knows on their team. they work hard, r strong defensively n have never won a playoff series n i think they still wont this time

Chicago’s my team. I love everything about the Hawks ‘cept maybe in goal. I even think that dysfunctional cutie PK is worth a third, fourth n fifth chance to join the human race. Their captain is my captain – Jonathan Toews may be in the top three in the world as a complete hockey player and he is number one in sexiness. I want Chicago to win the cup this year. Sadly, they won’t even make it out of the first round. Nashville in seven games… sigh.

canucks vs. kings – the canucks owned the kings this year winnin 3 outta 4 n since winnin the gold luongo has been hot. add in solid d n the psycho but now scrorin machine sedin twins n the canucks look good this year. la is riding a bunch of young guys n has been close b4 but this year they made it. drew doughty is proly bout the best dman out there n ryan smith is always tough in the playoffs so they should make it interestin but i think the canucks will still advance

Another upset? Well not to me… L.A. will win. And they’re gonna win surprisingly(?) easy. Oh the series will probably go six maybe even seven games but it’ll still be relatively easy for them. Watch Ryan Smyth. He’s a playoff stud. Good for L.A. Too bad for Vancouver but as a city you already got to enjoy the ultimate victory earlier this year. Suck it up n don’t be greedy…

coyotes vs red wings – ahh poor poor phoenix or glendale or whatever … after the whole debacle of them being bought n movin then not movin then not bein bought. so i guess now the nhl owns em n they had a great season … i mean they were the best team out there for awhile n they finally started drawin a few fans. so who do the coyotes draw? the red wings. so yea after an off year wit tons of injuries the wings seem healed n healthy n proly ready to kick some ass. so id like to see phoenix pull it off but i think the wings take this 1.

I know I should be cheering for the future/former Winnipeg Jets… But I can’t. I have fallen in love with the Wings in the last half… watchin them get down to business has been enjoyable. Coach Mike Babock is awesome. Hockey Town may have another cup.

so in case ur keeping score or wanna know who to bet for …. Here is where we see things goin. kep in mind that we can not be held responsible for ne1 relyin on nething we say to bet money or get in fights or nething. oh 1 more thing. the nhl reseeds teams after each round so it gets tricky summarizing out predictions in a nice neat chart … cept in the east where we pretty much agree

Eastern Conference semis and finals

i think its gonna be the caps gainst the devils in the conference final wit the caps advancing to the cup.

Just to be difficult to lil mikey, I’m picking the Sabres against the Penguins for the Conference final and the Sabres going to the cup.

Western Conference semis and finals

I think the black hawks n wings play an epic conference final but the wings win out n r back in the cup gainst the caps …. n u know what I think, the wings ro gonna do it n win it all. yea babcock will be coach of the year for pullin off this huge upset … well sorta upset but yea the wings win it all n hockey town goes crazy n starts burnin mattresses on the freeways … really come on … really? mattresses? n why isn’t hockey town in the state of hockey … that’s minnesota for those not following along closely

Unlike life in hockey boy’s fantasy world (you don’t wanna go there), here is how things will actually turn out:

I think the Red Wings will dominate the Predators, but fall short of winning the cup and lose to the Sabres who will finally break the Buffalo curse by winning the cup.

so yea there u have it guys n gals … that’s our picks … take em to the bank … i mean the fake piggy 1 not an actl real bank. thats mikey n Jimmy signin off… at least till we do our wnba picks this summer.

Hot? Mikey says, Zach Parise, Devils:

Jimmy says, Jonathan Toews, Black Hawks:

Share on Facebook

Bonnie Allen of Canada’s National Post has a fascinating article detailing how widespread the wearing of NHL jerseys is in Liberia, which has been racked by violent civil war the past 14 years. Quality seems to be the biggest reason.

Bizarrely, the authentic hockey jersey has become a status symbol among the poor for its “premium-grade” rating and high price tag ($4).

“It is tough, tough material,” street vendor Evelyn Togbah raves. “If you buy it, you can wear it for 20 years.”

The bright NHL sweaters outshine the dirty, ripped and torn T-shirts hanging off many struggling Liberians who are forced to repeatedly wear one or two shirts.

The story details the controversial trade in used clothing from the more prosperous West and how in some places they are called “Dead White Man Clothes,” since no sane person would ever give away such good clothes.

Allen’s goal is get photos of people wearing all 30 jerseys and she is halfway there.

Share on Facebook

“Do you think you have any gay teammates?”

Forty-two percent said yes, they believe there’s a gay player in their locker room.

This is not a scientific sample and the players polled are not identified, but I still find it a high number. Almost half of those polled think they have a gay teammate. I would have guessed the figure to be lower, considering how easy it is for closeted jocks to hide. It’s possible that the players pegged as gay are anything but — athletes who have interests different from the jock mainstream are often assumed gay.

I have been asked numerous times what sport will produce the first openly gay North American pro athlete, and I say the NHL. The culture is quite macho, but that’s modified somewhat by the fairly tolerant cultures of Canada and Northern Europe, and what seems to be a lack of religious fervor we see in sports like football, basketball and baseball (I can hardly remember a hockey player thanking God for scoring a goal). In addition, the media spotlight shines less on the NHL, so an out player would not get the wall-to-wall coverage an NFL player would.

In the early 1990s, I was interviewed on CBC radio in Toronto for a show on gay athletes. The show featured two current NHL players, whose voices were altered to hide their identity. Even that was eye-opening to me — pro gay jocks who allowed themselves to be interviewed, even anonymously. Also, sports researcher Eric Anderson got a closeted NHL player to tell his story for a 2005 book on gay athletes.

This is the second ESPN poll in nine months that asked questions about gays in sports. Last summer, a poll of 85 random college football players found 49% saying they had a gay teammate.

The image used above is of a gay hockey player, though he plays in high school. It is the logo of Mikey, a Minnesota teenager who has NHL aspirations and writes an awesome blog.

Share on Facebook

The game in Calgary would follow the one that is widely expected to be played at Boston’s Fenway Park, with the Bruins rumored to be opposed by the Washington Capitals or Philadelphia Flyers. If a second game is played in Calgary, the Flames would likely play the Vancouver Canucks or one of the other Canadian-based teams.

I assume Canada wants a shot at a Winter Classic, with the first two games (and, presumably, the 2010 game in Boston) exclusively involving teams from American cities. My guess is the league is afraid that having the only New Year’s Day game involve even one Canadian team would lower the TV ratings in the USA. On the other hand, the CBC (who, according to their own report, suggested the doubleheader to the NHL) would likely get higher ratings for a game involving Canadian teams.

I certainly don’t see NBC televising both games, meaning the Calgary game would either not be shown in the USA or be televised on Versus or the NHL Network. Even with the strong ratings for this year’s Stanley Cup finals, I can’t help but think that having two games every New Year’s Day would water down the concept.

Share on Facebook