The day Luke Prokop shook the hockey world by popping out, he wanted to get away.
And cease his consistently buzzing cellphone.
It was July 21, 2021, and the right-shot defenseman had simply develop into the primary brazenly homosexual hockey participant underneath an NHL contract. The Nashville Predators’ No. 73 choose within the 2020 draft was simply 19 years outdated and hadn’t even turned professional but. He didn’t know the way it might impression his future. His nerves have been fried.
But one textual content message was unimaginable to ignore. He didn’t acknowledge the quantity however actually knew the identify.
“Hey, it’s Auston Matthews. I wanted to congratulate you. I look forward to sharing the ice with you someday.”
Prokop was blown away. The Toronto Maple Leafs celebrity wasn’t essentially the most well-known individual to attain out — that honor goes to Elton John — however the truth that so many NHLers, together with one of many league’s greatest and strongest gamers, have been providing assist meant quite a bit.
Now 21, Prokop nonetheless hasn’t taken the NHL ice, however on Wednesday he took a step ahead, being recalled by the Predators’ AHL affiliate in Milwaukee. He might develop into the primary brazenly homosexual participant to seem in an AHL recreation Friday night time for the Admirals in Rockford.
As tough as the choice to come out was, Prokop informed The Athletic in an prolonged dialog not too long ago that he’s been mentally and bodily freed by it. He doesn’t have to conceal. He could be himself, on and off the ice. Heck, he may even date.
“It’s been massive,” he stated.
Teammates and followers have welcomed him in his journey towards the NHL to date, from Calgary, Edmonton and Seattle of the junior WHL to, most not too long ago, Atlanta of the ECHL. They handled him like he was every other participant.
Not that there’s not room to develop. Prokop figured extra gamers would come out after he did. They haven’t, not that he would rush anybody’s choice on that. He’s additionally been dissatisfied by the developments over the previous few years with the NHL’s inclusion efforts, together with the Pride tape “debacle.”
He can solely management his personal actions, although, and doesn’t remorse his choice.
“I’d like to think I’m a realistic person,” Prokop stated. “I know hockey is not going to be forever. As much as (when I came out) I would have loved to keep playing, I was OK with not playing any more if it didn’t work out — just being able to live my life the way I wanted, to be myself.
“But now, I don’t want to stop playing. It was definitely nerve-wracking. You never know what the reaction is going to be inside hockey, outside hockey, because no one has done it before. We kind of went out on a limb and hoped for the best. It’s been way more positive than we thought it’d be. You’re going to have some keyboard warriors, which there were a few, but I was expecting more.
“I did not expect the amount of support I got from NHL players. That was really cool.”
The Matthews textual content and Elton John cellphone name the morning after have been memorable, with the homosexual rock legend welcoming him to the group and providing his e-mail handle if Prokop ever wanted something.
Prokop discovered much more consolation in a second that got here a couple of days later — the primary time he performed hockey since his announcement. It was a four-on-four league in Edmonton at Meadows Rec Center, a spot the place execs and NHLers competed and saved in form through the offseason.
Prokop was on a crew with Colton and Kirby Dach. The different crew had Philadelphia Flyers goalie Carter Hart and the Boston Bruins’ Jake DeBrusk. During warmups, Prokop discovered himself close to mid-ice. The first man to method him was DeBrusk. The two had met beforehand via mutual associates. DeBrusk tapped Prokop’s shin pads together with his stick.
“Congrats,” he informed him. “I’m really happy for you. If you need anything, let me know.”
“I didn’t know what the reaction would be,” Prokop stated. “So that meant a lot.”
Prokop was returning that 12 months to the Calgary Hitmen (WHL), the junior crew he had performed for the earlier 4 seasons. But there had been loads of turnover on the roster and, after all, quite a bit had modified for Prokop. So he determined to handle the crew in its first assembly in coaching camp.
“Everyone knows what I did last summer,” he informed his crew. “I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable. There might be a lot of media asking you for an interview. If you don’t feel comfortable, you don’t have to do them. If you have any questions for me, come ask me. I’m an open book. I just don’t want you guys to feel uncomfortable.”
In that dressing room, Prokop had heard loads of the uncomfortable language that’s not unusual for any locker room. He even admitted utilizing it. He didn’t need to out himself. He needed to act straight, be “one of the guys.”
“I heard it, but it wasn’t all the time,” he stated. “I also took it from the perspective that these guys don’t know any better. It’s hockey language. It’s how guys talk. They don’t mean it in a harmful way. They use the word ‘gay’ as a filler at the end of a sentence to make something stupid. ‘Well, that’s so gay.’ I wasn’t comfortable with it, but I used it myself. I didn’t want to seem like I was out of the mix.
“Some guys texted me (after I came out), ‘F—, sorry if I said anything to offend you when we played.’ I’d just say, ‘Guys, you had no idea.’ The lesson is you don’t know what everyone is going through. The words you say do matter. Make sure you think before you speak. It’s a silly rule you learn in kindergarten. It applies to life when you’re 22 or 35 and never goes away.
“The way hockey is going with the language, guys are naturally changing their language. I’ve heard a change in language on every team I’ve been on.”
Prokop stated that season was one of the best of his profession, each from a manufacturing standpoint and a private one. He was traded to the Edmonton Oil Kings early within the season and had 10 targets and 33 factors in 55 video games for them, serving to them win the WHL’s Ed Chynoweth Cup and advance to the Memorial Cup.
Luke Prokop gained the WHL’s Ed Chynoweth Cup with the Oil Kings in 2022. (Courtesy of Oilers Entertainment Group)
Luke Pierce, then an assistant coach for Edmonton and now the pinnacle coach, stated the workers and administration had discussions with the management group earlier than buying Prokop — ensuring they have been snug with it, feeling out whether or not their room might deal with the eye. Pierce stated he requested one of many captains, Blues prospect Jake Neighbours, for his perspective. Neighbours had identified Prokop since they have been 10 or 11, rising up taking part in in spring tournaments collectively. He informed Pierce and the workers there can be “zero issue” and he’d be a terrific addition.
Neighbours stated nothing actually modified, that Prokop “fit right in” to the crew. Pierce at first questioned if gamers would have any situation with rooming assignments on the street, however no one blinked. Pierce famous that Prokop would joke about conditions and even opened up about his boyfriend coming to go to.
“He put everybody at ease,” Pierce stated. “I often tell people, if the outside world could see how the group of men interacted, it would be just a tremendous inspiration on how we should treat everybody.”
Pierce and Prokop identified how this era is extra snug and outfitted to deal with LGBTQ+ inclusion points. Everyone appears to know somebody, be associates with somebody, or be associated to somebody locally.
“I just don’t think guys really care anymore,” Prokop stated. “They might be nervous as they have this stereotype version of what a gay guy might look like, sound like, act like. Like me, coming to a team, they think I’ll act a certain way, look a certain way, but they’ll realize three minutes into talking to me that I’m not that.
“Hockey is part of me. It’s who I am. Guys totally forget (about me being gay) when I’m at the rink. They’re not afraid to ask questions. But other than that, it never really comes up. That’s how I wanted it to be. I wanted them to know, but we can all go out and play. I never wanted to be a distraction.”
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The NHL’s choices round Pride jerseys and stick tape weren’t a distraction, Prokop stated, however he has gotten annoyed about it.
He understood the problem over sporting sweaters throughout warmups — “jerseys weren’t really their choice” — however lamented that the actual fact the main target was on the handful of gamers who refused to put on them and not all of the others who did. The NHL’s preliminary banning of Pride stick tape, then its reversal, was a complete different matter.
“To take away choices from players was really confusing,” Prokop stated. “Some of them don’t really care. For some, it was near and dear to their heart. To take it away was mind-boggling. From the players’ side, the support was there. Zach Hyman talked about it, Travis Dermott. I like what they did. They didn’t make a big deal about it before — they just did it. Let fans see the rest, and it’ll take care of itself. There’s a massive amount of support from players in the NHL.”
What do the Pride tape and sweaters imply for somebody within the LGBTQ+ group?
Prokop didn’t recall noticing them rising up going to Oilers video games. He by no means bought to see somebody who was homosexual utilizing Pride tape on the TV display. He had to cope with it himself — “jump over those barriers without any help.” But Prokop continued pursuing his hockey profession whereas “a lot of people don’t feel comfortable pursuing their career without that exposure, without feeling like they’re being seen.”
“I think with the Pride tape stuff, they were trying to show support for their older fans,” Prokop stated of the NHL. “The fans that have been watching hockey for 40-50 years. That’s not how you grow the game. You want to get the younger generation, put these guys in the best situation to promote the game. Sometimes I don’t think the NHL does that the correct way. The Pride tape is one example.”
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Prokop has been a part of two Pride nights since he got here out, one with the Edmonton Oil Kings and one other with Seattle. The Oil Kings workers approached him after not having that occasion on their promotional calendar. They deliberate it in two weeks and it was a giant hit, with round 8,000 followers in attendance.
“Some guys told me it was the most impactful game they’d been in during their career,” Prokop stated. “They said they didn’t realize how many Queer fans they had. I don’t think they realize how much my community watches hockey, plays hockey and cares about hockey.
The Seattle Pride night was fan-driven, which made it unique. Thunderbirds fans noticed that other rival teams had a special night for Pride and made a push for their own, making bracelets and T-shirts. Prokop told teammates they didn’t have to wear the stick tape — he knows how superstitious hockey players are. They all wore some, for him.
“I always look at the perspective, the other side of Pride nights — why do you have them if no one on the team is gay?” Prokop stated. “The point is that it’s for the fans. For me, it means a lot to play in them to show my community and be a representative on the ice.”
Luke Prokop says it “means a lot to play in (Pride nights) to show my community and be a representative on the ice.” (Courtesy of Oilers Entertainment Group)
While schooling is vital, Prokop stated any actual change within the NHL when it comes to inclusion will begin with different gamers popping out. He’s not placing any timeline or stress on that. He didn’t have one. But that’s when gamers within the league will see a special perspective, get extra snug with it.
“Otherwise, it’s always going to be a story,” Prokop stated. “I also can see why guys don’t want to come out. Especially in the NHL. They’ve been very successful, so why change? I kind of saw that from the perspective when the whole Pride jersey story came out. My phone was blowing up. I don’t think guys want to have to deal with that. There was a responsibility for me to talk about these topics. I don’t think guys want to do that. I can see it from that side, why they don’t want to come out.
“I don’t think anything is going to change unless someone else does. Someone else will step up. It’s only a matter of time. I thought there’d maybe be two, three of us by now. But it hasn’t happened. But I know there’s going to be someone else soon. It’s math. There’s what, 700 players in the league? There’s definitely a few more.”
While there have been some derogatory feedback coming from the stands on a couple of events, Prokop has been inspired there have been none from opposing gamers.
“Zero,” he stated.
Most of the suggestions he’s obtained, even on social media, has been constructive. And it’s not simply the feedback like Matthews’ that follow him. Two excessive schoolers in Seattle, Kaitlin and Jo, reached out to him over Instagram. They are a part of the LGBTQ+ group and have been struggling.
“Like everyone, they just wanted someone to talk to,” Prokop stated.
Part of Prokop’s pregame routine is normally to grasp by the bench and pay attention to music. On many events, Kaitlin and Jo would come by and the three of them would simply chat for 10, 12 minutes. They’re the followers that Prokop noticed each recreation above the tunnel on his manner to the dressing room. They’ve stayed in contact. Prokop even did a Zoom assembly with their highschool class final month. “They have a special place in my heart,” he stated.
When, and if, Prokop makes his NHL debut, he says he’ll have a particular secret plan for them.
Whether Prokop lives his NHL dream stays to be seen. He’s praised the Predators for his or her assist from the primary time he did a gaggle video name with the workers. Former NHLer Mark Borowiecki, now a improvement coach, has been somebody Prokop has leaned on usually, not just for on-ice recommendation however for assist getting via issues mentally.
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Scott Nichol, the Predators’ assistant GM, likes Prokop’s potential.
“Big right-shot defensemen that can skate, move the puck. They don’t grow on trees,” he stated. “He just needs to polish up his game in some areas in the defensive zone. He’s got the tools. He’s got the skating ability. It’s just patience and embrace the process.”
Prokop is grateful for his assist group, from his dad and mom, Al and Nicole, to his brother, Josh, and sister, Alanna. He’s saved in contact with Heather Lefebvre, who’s a specialist in hockey engagement and alumni relations with the Oilers Entertainment Group. They speak nearly on daily basis. What stands proud to Lefebvre is how younger Prokop was when he got here out (19), and whereas he wears this “trailblazer” cap, he’s nonetheless standing alone.
“I think this generation is more ready for it than past generations, for sure,” Lefebvre stated. “It says a lot to me that nobody else has come out in the year and a half since he has. He’s the only openly gay player under NHL contract, but he’s not the only gay player under NHL contract.
“That’s where I think we have work to do. Is it great that he’s been accepted and can do his thing? Yes. But he looks at the positives, which makes me really happy for him. But that doesn’t mean there’s no negative.”
Prokop takes the positives in his off-ice life, too. He lives with Alanna within the offseason again dwelling in Edmonton. He’s discovered teammates to share in his hobbies, like golf (he performs 40 to 50 rounds a 12 months). He loves to learn, from biographies to sci-fi. He watches basketball greater than hockey and has greater than 25 jerseys. He cooks. He bought into puzzles through the pandemic and is bullish about doing them on his personal.
Prokop additionally feels snug getting on the market on the relationship scene and not having to conceal it from teammates.
“Obviously, the lifestyle of a hockey player is tough for some people,” he stated. “I’m trying to find the right person to connect with. I’m a softie, a romantic guy. I love love. I’m always on the lookout for that right person to spend the rest of my life with.”
Prokop doesn’t see the label of being the primary brazenly homosexual participant underneath NHL contract as a weight. It’s extra of a accountability. He has a platform and needs to use it. He’s real looking, “dreaming about winning the community service award more than the Norris Trophy.”
Making the AHL bounce or sometime the NHL bounce gained’t outline him.
“One of my main goals when I came out is that if I could have an impact on one person outside of my family and friends in my lifetime, I’ve done my job,” he stated. “I think I’ve done that and more. And I want to continue to do that.”
(Top photograph courtesy of Oilers Entertainment Group)
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