PROKOP BRAVELY BLAZES TRAIL FOR GAY ATHLETES

NHL prospect hopes that by coming out he'll make life easier for others in future

Luke Prokop is a hockey player.

On Monday, he became known as a gay hockey player. But that isn't why the Calgary Hitmen defenceman publicly came out in an Instagram post. He wasn't seeking to be a trailblazer or a spokesperson or put on a pedestal. He doesn't want his sexuality to define him.

He just wanted to play hockey. In order for him to do that, he had to be true to who he was.

“I think the reason I did it now was I got to a point where I don't care what anybody else thinks,” Prokop said during a phone interview. “With this situation and hockey, there are going to be people who disagree or think that it might be a choice or it's invalid. So I had to get to a point in my life where I don't care what people think. I have so much love from my family and friends, that stuff doesn't bother me anymore.”

Prokop said he has “questioned his sexuality” from the time he was 12 years old, and came to terms with the fact he's gay at around age 15 or 16. But for years, he kept it to himself.

Part of it was fear. He was afraid that it would change how others saw him, that he wouldn't be accepted by his teammates, and that it would hurt his chances of one day playing in the NHL. So he stayed quiet, while carrying around a burden that over the years became too much to bear.

It wasn't until he returned home to Edmonton after his season ended that he finally decided he would come out.

Once he did, an immeasurable weight was lifted.

“I'm really happy that I can finally share my story,” said Prokop, who was drafted in the third round by the Nashville Predators last year. “I can go to the gym and focus on getting stronger, or go to the rink and just focus on being the best hockey player I can be, not having to wonder who knows and who doesn't, and if I have to tell someone. It just clears my mind, and I'm able to focus on what I really want to do with my life, which is play in the National Hockey League one day.”

There has never been an openly gay NHL player. Las Vegas Raiders defensive lineman Carl Nassib recently came out publicly as the first openly gay player in the NFL. As well, there have been several examples that Prokop said helped make his decision easier. In 2016, former pro goalie Brock Mcgillis came out. A year ago, player agent Bayne Pettinger also announced that he's gay.

Prokop's hope is that this helps normalize a situation for others.

“I'm not trying to give advice to anyone or to be put on a pedestal,” he said, “but if I can help out in any way or help make a kid's decision a little easier by sharing my story, that's all I can ask for.”

Since Prokop's announcement, the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive. Everyone from Mitch Marner and Morgan Rielly to tennis icon Billie Jean King has tweeted and texted him support. Predators captain Roman Josi told Nhl.com that “we're obviously very proud of him for taking that step,” while NHL commissioner Gary Bettman pledged “to do everything possible to ensure that Luke's experience is a welcoming and affirmative one.”

Prokop might become the first openly gay NHLER, but he's likely not the only hockey player who identifies as gay.

“It's 2021. It shouldn't be news,” said Hitmen GM Jeff Chynoweth. “You hope two or three years down the road, this is just, `Whatever.' But I'm just so proud of Luke. If he's been playing with the weight of the world on his shoulders before this, I'm hoping that this announcement allows him to be a new person. He was already a great hockey player before this. He's got a ton of potential. I would think this is going to make him become a better player.”