wolves will play for pride
team has big plans to promote acceptance of lgbtq community tonight at allstate arena
The Wolves’ game Saturday night at Allstate Arena against the IceHogs will be special for account executive Nicholas Cottrell. It also will be meaningful for forward Curtis McKenzie.
For the first time, the Wolves are hosting Pride Night. The team is donating $5 from every ticket sold to the Center on Halsted. The Chicago Gay Hockey Association has pregame ice time. And LGBTQ wrestler Kiera Hogan will participate in the ceremonial puck-drop, among other festivities. Cottrell and a group of Wolves employees also spent part of Tuesday volunteering at the Center on Halsted.
Cottrell, who is gay, pitched Pride Night in June. He has spearheaded the event and said he’s excited and nervous as it approaches.
“[But] I think that anytime you do something daring like this, if you don’t have butterflies, why are you doing it at all?” he said.
“I’m hopeful,” said Cottrell, who also coestablished Pride Night with the Milwaukee Bucks when he worked for that franchise. “I think that, unfortunately, sports, when it comes to social change, just takes a little while. I’m glad that the Wolves are going to stand on the right side of history.”
McKenzie played for Miami (Ohio) and was on the hockey team when Brendan Burke died in an automobile crash in 2010. Burke, the son of famed hockey executive Brian Burke, was a student manager/assistant with Miami. He came out as gay and advocated for acceptance in hockey before his death.
McKenzie got involved with the You Can Play Project while in college, and he was the Dallas Stars’ first ambassador to the Hockey Is For Everyone program. He thinks Burke would be happy with how acceptance has progressed and relishes his friend’s legacy.
“We’re really happy to jump on board,” McKenzie said. “It’s something that I’ve had a connection with and always enjoy being a part of and being a voice for it. I’m happy were doing it here.”
Cottrell has goals for the event.
“I wanted to be able to remind Chicagoland that it doesn’t matter anything about your gender identity, your sexual orientation, truly how you present yourself to the world,” Cottrell said. “Regardless of if it’s a rink or a field or a court, it’s what kind of athlete you are and what you are doing for the city that you represent.
“I really think that if there’s at least one person in the arena on Saturday that feels a little bit more comfortable and feels confident in what could happen for their future one day, that’s a win to me.”
That echoes McKenzie’s thoughts. He hopes it’s “prideful” for the LGBTQ movement and creates unity.
“We’re just trying to show we’re open to it as sports teams and try to lead the way for other people to jump on board for that way,” Mc-Kenzie said. “Just trying to show that it doesn’t matter who you are, where you came from, what you believe in, that this world can get along, and that’s what we want to promote.” ✶
‘‘Just trying to show that it doesn’t matter who you are, where you came from, what you believe in, that this world can get along, and that’s what we want to promote.’’ curtis MCKENZIE, Wolves forward