Pride Weekend: Elite Ice Hockey League is united by values

Founded in 2003 following the demise of the British Ice Hockey League, the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) has grown from strength-to-strength in era of unrelenting socio-economic change. Perhaps the greatest barrier to ice hockey achieving success in the United Kingdom is the sport’s longstanding caricature: that hockey is simply a façade for thuggish violence on ice.

That depiction couldn’t be less accurate, with the Elite League taking steps both on and off of the ice to ensure that #HockeyIsForEveryone. Throughout the EIHL campaign, club’s from around the league engage in swathes of community activities, using the sport’s profile for good; notably during the festive season, when the sport holds its annual teddy-bear toss in support of paediatric hospitals and charities.

For the first time in its seventeen-year history, however, the Elite League celebrated its inaugural Pride weekend this January 24-26, as the league came together to underscore its commitment to “ensuring equality, respect and safety for all athletes, fans, staff and volunteers without regard to their sexual orientation and/or gender identity.”

Solidarity was clear for all to see as teams from all corners of the UK took to the ice

The EIHL’s Pride Weekend was a celebration of the belief that hockey is for everyone, an attitude that emanates throughout the University’s local club, Coventry Blaze. In a statement on the club’s website, Blaze Media and Marketing Manager, Craig Summerton commented: “as a club who are heavily involved and committed to contributing in the local community, we are really pleased to have the support of Coventry Pride.”

Solidarity was clear for all to see as teams from all corners of the UK took to the ice on Pride Weekend. By the time Pride Weekend had rolled into Coventry’s Skydome Arena on Sunday evening, festivities were in full flow, with each of the EIHL’s ten clubs icing in specially-designed Pride jerseys. As the action unfolded on the ice between Coventry Blaze and Sheffield Steelers, with both sides participating in the colours of the Pride flag, the mood around the Skydome Arena was buoyant.

Pride Weekend has already had a tangible effect on British ice hockey

A sea of colour and diversity every weekend throughout the season, rinks up and down the country came together in celebration of LGBTQA+ Pride in a way unmatched in British sporting history, and it has already had a tangible effect on British ice hockey.

With the players off the ice, supporters back in the comfort of their homes, and referees completing their post-match reports, Zach Sullivan – a six-year veteran of the EIHL and current defenseman for Manchester Storm – took to social media to speak out about his sexuality for the first time. Sullivan, thought to be the first professional ice hockey player to come out as bisexual, announced on Twitter:

“I feel now is the best time to speak about what I have known for many years. I have battled with mental health problems over this issue and with the support, understanding and acceptance from my family, friends and teammates, I finally feel ready to say; I’m bisexual.”

Sullivan added, “I have never been more proud [SIC] to wear a jersey before, especially one that celebrates all gender identities and sexualities.”

The You Can Play campaign is built around Brendan Burke’s activism

The Elite League’s Pride Weekend was held in collaboration with You Can Plan, a campaign dedicated to eradicating homophobia in sport. Founded in 2012 by Patrick Burke, Brian Kitts and Glenn Witman, the You Can Play campaign is built around Brendan Burke’s activism in 2009, when the son of the former-Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager began a pioneering campaign against homophobia.

Now an official partner of the National Hockey League (NHL), the most prestigious league in the world, You Can Play has sought to “challenge the culture of locker rooms and spectator arenas by focussing only on an athlete’s skills, work ethic and competitive spirit.”

Back in Coventry, as the ice settled in the wake of the Sheffield Steelers’ dramatic comeback victory against the Blaze, Steelers head coach, Aaron Fox spoke in glowing terms about the EIHL’s first Pride Weekend. “What an important weekend it is,” started Fox, “the inclusion of everyone is so important not only in the hockey world, but also in the world in general. You know, we need a little bit more love and less hate.”

In the fight for equality, ice hockey is skating to make its impact. In the history of British ice hockey, the weekend commencing January 24 should be viewed as an occasion to be proud of.