1
00:00:00,457 --> 00:00:01,215
How'd you meet her?

2
00:00:01,939 --> 00:00:04,595
Oh, you know childhood
friends that are hinge? One

3
00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000
Downloaded from
YTS.BZ

4
00:00:04,595 --> 00:00:05,595
Of the two?

5
00:00:05,595 --> 00:00:06,560
Yeah, one of the two. Yeah,

6
00:00:06,560 --> 00:00:08,215
- One of the two
- Name?

7
00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000
Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.BZ

8
00:00:08,974 --> 00:00:09,939
Oh [bleep].

9
00:00:09,939 --> 00:00:10,802
Let's keep that off.

10
00:00:11,146 --> 00:00:13,112
[laughs]

11
00:00:13,112 --> 00:00:15,077
Oh, Megan's said not allowed to.

12
00:00:16,457 --> 00:00:18,008
There's no talking about
girls in here. I'm tired.

13
00:00:18,008 --> 00:00:20,422
Come on. It is bullshit. Oh
no. We need to hear that stuff.

14
00:00:20,422 --> 00:00:22,457
That was bullshit. - I'm
tired of hearing about it.

15
00:00:23,491 --> 00:00:25,146
Would you rather
us talk about boys?

16
00:00:26,560 --> 00:00:28,560
I can do that if you like?

17
00:00:28,767 --> 00:00:29,629
Yeah, please.

18
00:00:30,457 --> 00:00:32,802
[light music]

19
00:00:40,077 --> 00:00:42,112
I am not known as Luke
Prokop, the hockey player.

20
00:00:42,112 --> 00:00:44,250
I'm known as Luke Prokop,
the gay hockey player.

21
00:00:45,457 --> 00:00:47,422
It's always gonna
follow me wherever I am.

22
00:00:49,939 --> 00:00:51,595
And things have kind
of settled down a

23
00:00:51,595 --> 00:00:52,802
little bit, which is nice.

24
00:00:52,802 --> 00:00:55,664
Where I can actually, you
know, really focus on my hockey

25
00:00:55,664 --> 00:00:57,905
and not so much
the background noise.

26
00:00:59,664 --> 00:01:02,043
[light music]

27
00:01:10,698 --> 00:01:12,215
When you're growing up,

28
00:01:12,215 --> 00:01:15,319
that's when you become immersed
in the culture of hockey.

29
00:01:15,319 --> 00:01:17,802
That's where you
learn the lingo.

30
00:01:17,802 --> 00:01:19,870
That's where you
learn the style.

31
00:01:19,870 --> 00:01:22,146
That's where you learn what
to say, what not to say.

32
00:01:24,319 --> 00:01:28,353
That's where you learn how
to act. I grew up in hockey.

33
00:01:28,353 --> 00:01:30,457
I'm another hockey guy,
you know what I mean?

34
00:01:30,457 --> 00:01:33,319
There he is.

35
00:01:33,319 --> 00:01:35,284
- Always on time, baby.
- Never on time.

36
00:01:35,284 --> 00:01:36,733
Let's go. Woo!

37
00:01:37,319 --> 00:01:39,043
Always on time.

38
00:01:42,836 --> 00:01:44,560
[music builds]

39
00:01:57,664 --> 00:01:59,388
[energetic music]

40
00:02:22,629 --> 00:02:25,733
{\an8}[buzzer]

41
00:02:30,112 --> 00:02:33,595
[quiet music]

42
00:02:41,146 --> 00:02:44,560
{\an8}[overlapping media annoucers]

43
00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:46,595
{\an8}- Luke Prokob. - Luke Prokob.
- Luke Prokob.

44
00:02:46,595 --> 00:02:48,905
{\an8}A historic monumental day

45
00:02:48,905 --> 00:02:52,595
{\an8}as the first player ever
under contract has come

46
00:02:52,595 --> 00:02:53,939
out as gay.

47
00:02:53,939 --> 00:02:55,595
For the NHL, it's long overdue.

48
00:02:55,595 --> 00:02:57,457
Luke was getting himself
into the unknown.

49
00:02:57,457 --> 00:02:59,457
Oh wow. He's really
the first.

50
00:02:59,457 --> 00:03:01,664
Finally somebody
has done it.

51
00:03:01,664 --> 00:03:03,146
I was high fiving people.

52
00:03:03,146 --> 00:03:05,319
Where are the current
players? They are out there.

53
00:03:05,319 --> 00:03:08,457
Sometimes it takes one person
to take a big step forward

54
00:03:08,457 --> 00:03:10,836
so that other people can
take little steps forward.

55
00:03:11,146 --> 00:03:13,077
[cheering]

56
00:03:15,250 --> 00:03:16,491
[NHL announcer]

57
00:03:16,491 --> 00:03:18,526
Scores. Luke Prokob!

58
00:03:19,698 --> 00:03:21,629
[emotional music]

59
00:03:23,457 --> 00:03:25,008
My games in a really good
spot.

60
00:03:25,767 --> 00:03:27,250
Prokob, scores!

61
00:03:31,939 --> 00:03:35,457
My whole goal was just
to help one kid out there

62
00:03:37,284 --> 00:03:39,526
and someone has to say, fuck it,

63
00:03:39,526 --> 00:03:41,353
I'm gonna be the first
person to come out.

64
00:03:50,146 --> 00:03:51,802
I'm gonna show that
it's okay to be

65
00:03:51,802 --> 00:03:53,284
who you are and
do what you love.

66
00:04:04,319 --> 00:04:06,595
[music quietens]

67
00:04:14,146 --> 00:04:15,491
Nervous.

68
00:04:21,836 --> 00:04:26,388
I'm trying to think.
1, 2, 3, 4. Five. Five.

69
00:04:31,388 --> 00:04:33,905
So I came out, I was
still playing for Calgary

70
00:04:33,905 --> 00:04:36,250
and then I was traded to
Edmonton after that season.

71
00:04:36,250 --> 00:04:38,733
I tried to turn pro, I played
a little bit in Norfolk,

72
00:04:38,733 --> 00:04:40,870
Virginia, and then
I left Pro Hoc.

73
00:04:40,870 --> 00:04:43,077
He went back to Junior,
played in Seattle.

74
00:04:43,077 --> 00:04:45,215
Then I officially turned
pro the year after.

75
00:04:45,215 --> 00:04:49,008
Started in Milwaukee and
then ended up in Atlanta.

76
00:04:54,077 --> 00:04:56,560
Right now we're
in Georgia,

77
00:04:56,560 --> 00:04:58,560
playing for the
Atlantic Gladiators.

78
00:04:58,560 --> 00:05:00,767
My team in the East
Coast Hockey League.

79
00:05:02,767 --> 00:05:05,767
When I was going through
the training camps,

80
00:05:05,767 --> 00:05:07,974
I thought I was gonna play
in the American League level.

81
00:05:07,974 --> 00:05:12,974
I had a really good season
previously. They sent me down.

82
00:05:13,526 --> 00:05:17,112
I couldn't understand why
you wanna play in the NHL,

83
00:05:17,112 --> 00:05:18,767
but realistically
you're two leagues

84
00:05:18,767 --> 00:05:20,112
below the NHL right now.

85
00:05:21,939 --> 00:05:23,767
You know, you
sometimes you just need

86
00:05:23,767 --> 00:05:26,284
to be patient.
Hey mom.

87
00:05:26,284 --> 00:05:27,802
- Hi.
- Do you watch the game?

88
00:05:28,629 --> 00:05:29,629
- Yeah,
- I do. Yeah.

89
00:05:29,629 --> 00:05:31,595
- Yeah. Tough one.
- Yeah.

90
00:05:31,595 --> 00:05:33,146
I thought you guys
might've had it in

91
00:05:33,146 --> 00:05:34,767
the bag right at the end though.

92
00:05:34,767 --> 00:05:36,319
Yeah. I don't know.

93
00:05:36,319 --> 00:05:39,595
I don't know why we just, we
can't, like, there's some games

94
00:05:39,595 --> 00:05:41,629
where we play like good

95
00:05:41,629 --> 00:05:44,284
and we can't play like
that for a whole game.

96
00:05:44,284 --> 00:05:46,629
It's like we can play it that
for 10 minutes or 20 minutes,

97
00:05:46,629 --> 00:05:48,457
but we can put it
all together for one.

98
00:05:51,664 --> 00:05:53,939
My family is heavily
involved in hockey.

99
00:05:53,939 --> 00:05:56,077
My grandfather
played, my dad played,

100
00:05:56,077 --> 00:05:58,491
my older brother
started before me.

101
00:05:58,491 --> 00:06:01,181
So it was just kind of a
family thing that all the,

102
00:06:01,181 --> 00:06:03,836
all the boys played hockey, lots

103
00:06:03,836 --> 00:06:05,664
of time spent on
the outdoor rinks.

104
00:06:06,457 --> 00:06:08,284
[gentle guitar music]

105
00:06:12,008 --> 00:06:14,319
At the younger stages it's
more just about, you know,

106
00:06:14,319 --> 00:06:15,629
making sure you're
getting, having fun

107
00:06:15,629 --> 00:06:17,008
and, and that's
what I was doing.

108
00:06:17,008 --> 00:06:18,112
That's why I loved the game.

109
00:06:20,698 --> 00:06:23,629
I think as a kid that's like
the most fun it ever is.

110
00:06:25,353 --> 00:06:29,112
Here we have Luke, the
champion of pre novice.

111
00:06:30,215 --> 00:06:34,664
Oh, right at the
goalies face.

112
00:06:34,664 --> 00:06:37,319
I think one of the best
ways to describe Luke

113
00:06:37,319 --> 00:06:39,008
as a child was his nickname,

114
00:06:39,008 --> 00:06:40,870
which was the big
friendly giant.

115
00:06:40,870 --> 00:06:45,388
I mean, he was six feet tall
when he was in like grade five.

116
00:06:46,043 --> 00:06:47,664
And always just
that like young boy

117
00:06:47,664 --> 00:06:49,181
who had never heard a fly.

118
00:06:49,181 --> 00:06:51,319
He was always so kind
to everyone around him.

119
00:06:53,526 --> 00:06:58,181
I think my sister's the loud
one. Luke is pretty quiet,

120
00:06:58,181 --> 00:07:02,215
Hes waving, say hello.
He he.

121
00:07:02,215 --> 00:07:04,733
He was just a, I
think like he is today.

122
00:07:04,733 --> 00:07:06,870
Like he's just very easygoing.

123
00:07:06,870 --> 00:07:09,629
{\an8}Nothing really seems
to bother him that much

124
00:07:09,629 --> 00:07:12,422
{\an8}and he was probably the
easiest of the three for sure.

125
00:07:13,422 --> 00:07:14,939
[light music]

126
00:07:15,595 --> 00:07:20,284
I think the dream of
the NHL was, I mean,

127
00:07:20,284 --> 00:07:24,422
real early on watching hockey,
growing up with my family,

128
00:07:24,422 --> 00:07:28,422
going to Oiler games,
just seeing it on TV

129
00:07:28,422 --> 00:07:29,526
and wanting to be
them.

130
00:07:31,422 --> 00:07:35,250
There was a lot of push and
motivation from my dad

131
00:07:35,250 --> 00:07:36,870
to get me to where I am today.

132
00:07:38,491 --> 00:07:40,802
It started from when
I was seven years old

133
00:07:40,802 --> 00:07:42,422
and I was getting pulled
outta school early

134
00:07:42,422 --> 00:07:43,457
to go to practice.

135
00:07:44,767 --> 00:07:47,733
My dad would come pick me up
at one o'clock every single

136
00:07:47,733 --> 00:07:51,284
Tuesday and take me to the
local rink to work with

137
00:07:51,284 --> 00:07:52,870
a coach. At seven years old,

138
00:07:52,870 --> 00:07:54,422
like, not a lot of
people are doing that.

139
00:07:56,422 --> 00:07:58,077
You know, if you're
a hockey player, that's

140
00:07:58,077 --> 00:08:02,319
what you aspire to, to want
to be in the NHL one day.

141
00:08:02,319 --> 00:08:03,457
He was just so natural.

142
00:08:03,457 --> 00:08:04,664
He was such a natural skater.

143
00:08:04,664 --> 00:08:07,939
Like it was sort of
effortless for him.

144
00:08:07,939 --> 00:08:11,043
I think the one game he had
10 or 11 goals

145
00:08:11,043 --> 00:08:12,043
or something, right?

146
00:08:12,043 --> 00:08:13,319
Hed just skate through
everybody and

147
00:08:13,319 --> 00:08:14,319
- Yeah,
- You know, that's when

148
00:08:14,319 --> 00:08:15,836
you could kind of sense that

149
00:08:15,836 --> 00:08:17,457
The parents wanted to see his
birth certificate, something

150
00:08:17,457 --> 00:08:19,146
because they didn't
believe how old he was.

151
00:08:19,146 --> 00:08:21,491
And yeah. was some
comments like that.

152
00:08:21,491 --> 00:08:23,802
There was some
comments like that.

153
00:08:25,422 --> 00:08:27,595
Luke!

154
00:08:35,284 --> 00:08:38,008
It just becomes part of
your family lifestyle, right?

155
00:08:38,008 --> 00:08:41,836
And you're in Edmonton, like
you mean you play hockey.

156
00:08:42,595 --> 00:08:44,181
[hockey intro music]

157
00:08:45,146 --> 00:08:46,112
[hockey annoucer]

158
00:08:56,146 --> 00:08:58,802
The Edminton Oilers,
the Stanley Cup

159
00:08:58,802 --> 00:09:01,870
Champions of 1985.

160
00:09:04,698 --> 00:09:05,526
Hockey players,

161
00:09:05,526 --> 00:09:07,560
we're a fraternal group.

162
00:09:07,560 --> 00:09:10,284
The way we commit to each
other physically on the ice,

163
00:09:10,284 --> 00:09:12,595
I think it really does
create a special bond.

164
00:09:12,595 --> 00:09:14,802
Boy, look at the mob scene
down on the ice surface.

165
00:09:15,870 --> 00:09:17,905
Gretzky has got it up high.

166
00:09:17,905 --> 00:09:21,491
It's fools that are willing
to lose teeth to win a game.

167
00:09:21,491 --> 00:09:24,698
[heavy impact sounds]

168
00:09:25,733 --> 00:09:28,733
I would describe male
hockey culture as one

169
00:09:28,733 --> 00:09:30,664
{\an8}that's super competitive

170
00:09:30,664 --> 00:09:33,043
{\an8}and one that glorifies

171
00:09:33,043 --> 00:09:37,560
{\an8}that prototypic,
dominant brutality

172
00:09:37,560 --> 00:09:39,388
and celebrates that.

173
00:09:40,215 --> 00:09:44,733
[NHL announcers]

174
00:09:47,767 --> 00:09:51,560
[ominous music]

175
00:09:54,905 --> 00:09:56,560
Hockey's the last
professional sport

176
00:09:56,560 --> 00:09:58,319
with sanctioned fighting.

177
00:10:01,043 --> 00:10:04,146
The language is terrible.
I mean, I'd use the language

178
00:10:04,870 --> 00:10:06,250
[indistinct shouting]

179
00:10:06,250 --> 00:10:07,560
You cocksucker.

180
00:10:08,146 --> 00:10:09,215
Come on!

181
00:10:09,457 --> 00:10:12,457
I was growing up, I definitely
heard homophobic language.

182
00:10:12,457 --> 00:10:15,870
{\an8}I used homophobic language,
you wanted to fit in.

183
00:10:19,767 --> 00:10:22,181
{\an8}It's still this like,

184
00:10:22,181 --> 00:10:24,560
super masculine,

185
00:10:24,560 --> 00:10:29,008
pretend like you're big
and tough culture in hockey,

186
00:10:29,008 --> 00:10:33,526
and it takes really strong
people to stand up to that,

187
00:10:33,526 --> 00:10:35,491
because it's just so acceptable.

188
00:10:55,215 --> 00:10:58,077
It is just not who I am.
I don't love confrontation.

189
00:10:58,077 --> 00:11:01,319
I don't, I don't love the
idea of like harming someone,

190
00:11:03,457 --> 00:11:05,767
but in hockey, in my role,
I'm gonna have to be able

191
00:11:05,767 --> 00:11:07,215
to tap into that and find it.

192
00:11:11,146 --> 00:11:14,319
I think the main message that
I've gotten working at such

193
00:11:14,319 --> 00:11:17,905
varying levels of competitive
men's ice hockey is

194
00:11:17,905 --> 00:11:20,733
that there is a very
narrow definition

195
00:11:20,733 --> 00:11:23,250
of the socially
acceptable competitive

196
00:11:23,250 --> 00:11:24,870
men's ice hockey player.

197
00:11:24,870 --> 00:11:28,181
And I think that definition
becomes even more narrow

198
00:11:28,181 --> 00:11:30,733
as you reach the
NHL, for example.

199
00:11:31,939 --> 00:11:35,526
There's a fear of drawing
attention to yourself.

200
00:11:35,526 --> 00:11:37,457
If there's four things you
can talk about in men's team,

201
00:11:37,457 --> 00:11:39,319
hockey locker room: women,

202
00:11:39,319 --> 00:11:40,767
video games,
partying and sports.

203
00:11:41,560 --> 00:11:43,457
I asked a player one time

204
00:11:43,457 --> 00:11:46,939
what would happen if you brought
books into the locker room.

205
00:11:46,939 --> 00:11:49,215
He's like, oh God, I
would've been ripped apart.

206
00:11:50,939 --> 00:11:53,560
And this stuff impacts
the straight kids too.

207
00:11:54,629 --> 00:11:57,457
If you can't conform to
the culture, you might

208
00:11:57,457 --> 00:11:58,905
as well be the fag.

209
00:11:58,905 --> 00:12:00,560
'cause you're gonna be
treated like the fag.

210
00:12:07,077 --> 00:12:08,767
It's always number six.

211
00:12:08,767 --> 00:12:10,802
'cause Shea Weber was my
favourite player growing up.

212
00:12:14,353 --> 00:12:17,319
14 was the, the age that I knew

213
00:12:18,388 --> 00:12:20,629
I was a little different
than, than all my teammates

214
00:12:23,319 --> 00:12:25,664
In my own mind,

215
00:12:25,664 --> 00:12:29,008
like, it was like, yeah, I
know something's different,

216
00:12:29,008 --> 00:12:30,664
but I'm gonna like
just hold it back.

217
00:12:32,215 --> 00:12:35,319
I'm gonna not think about
it and not talk about it.

218
00:12:36,664 --> 00:12:40,353
It was like you're living
two different personalities.

219
00:12:40,353 --> 00:12:41,250
You wanna play
hockey, you wanna be

220
00:12:41,250 --> 00:12:42,526
the best player you can be.

221
00:12:42,526 --> 00:12:45,181
On the other hand, you wanna
be yourself. At that age,

222
00:12:45,181 --> 00:12:48,112
{\an8}felt like it couldn't,
couldn't be both.

223
00:12:50,836 --> 00:12:52,319
{\an8}I was probably too young

224
00:12:52,319 --> 00:12:53,664
{\an8}to even really think
about if it would have an

225
00:12:53,664 --> 00:12:55,112
impact on my hockey career.

226
00:12:57,698 --> 00:12:58,974
Obviously I had to hide it.

227
00:13:02,767 --> 00:13:05,422
When you go to the rink,
especially as kids, as soon

228
00:13:05,422 --> 00:13:07,250
as you get there, you
get to the locker room

229
00:13:07,250 --> 00:13:10,422
with all your friends, all
your problems disappear.

230
00:13:11,767 --> 00:13:14,112
They're in the moment, they're
hanging out for an hour

231
00:13:14,112 --> 00:13:15,905
and then they get on the ice

232
00:13:15,905 --> 00:13:17,802
and everything disappears
on the ice.

233
00:13:18,698 --> 00:13:20,008
[moody guitar music]

234
00:13:21,939 --> 00:13:24,457
Yet for those queer kids,

235
00:13:24,457 --> 00:13:27,112
now somebody's using a
slur between whistles

236
00:13:27,112 --> 00:13:28,595
or you're in a practice

237
00:13:28,595 --> 00:13:30,457
and your coach makes you
do something you don't want

238
00:13:30,457 --> 00:13:31,870
to do, like skate.

239
00:13:31,870 --> 00:13:33,733
And then everyone's
like, oh, this is so gay.

240
00:13:36,077 --> 00:13:40,836
A safe space for others is
now an oppressive space.

241
00:13:42,422 --> 00:13:45,939
We grow up in a culture
where saying that stuff is okay

242
00:13:46,664 --> 00:13:50,629
and it's not frowned upon,
it's not looked at, it's not

243
00:13:50,629 --> 00:13:52,353
addressed at all.

244
00:13:53,870 --> 00:13:56,422
You didn't want to bring
too much attention to it

245
00:13:56,422 --> 00:13:58,388
because then that puts
the attention on yourself.

246
00:14:01,698 --> 00:14:05,422
'cause when you're 15, like
standing up for stuff is cool.

247
00:14:05,422 --> 00:14:06,974
Fitting in is cool

248
00:14:06,974 --> 00:14:11,629
and that's what, you know, I
kind of had to do to survive,

249
00:14:11,629 --> 00:14:12,526
I guess.

250
00:14:18,284 --> 00:14:23,284
My goal was to play in
the NHL, not to be myself.

251
00:14:23,284 --> 00:14:25,664
It was to hide myself
and make the NHL and

252
00:14:25,664 --> 00:14:27,836
however I could get
there, I was gonna do it.

253
00:14:34,802 --> 00:14:36,319
All kids, when
they start hockey,

254
00:14:36,319 --> 00:14:38,457
everybody thinks they're
gonna go to the NHL,

255
00:14:38,457 --> 00:14:42,491
{\an8}but the reality of going to the
NHL is a lot more difficult.

256
00:14:43,664 --> 00:14:46,146
In Luke's case, the
expectations have been very

257
00:14:46,146 --> 00:14:47,422
realistic for him.

258
00:14:50,319 --> 00:14:53,802
[hockey announcer]
Prokob, score!

259
00:14:53,802 --> 00:14:57,560
He has the skills,
he's got the size,

260
00:14:57,560 --> 00:14:59,974
he's got the
agility. For someone

261
00:14:59,974 --> 00:15:02,698
six foot five, he
moves incredibly well.

262
00:15:03,836 --> 00:15:05,939
What a gorgeous shot from Luke

263
00:15:05,939 --> 00:15:08,870
Prokob in from the lines, top
shelf...

264
00:15:08,870 --> 00:15:11,250
[hockey announcer]

265
00:15:11,250 --> 00:15:14,043
Prokob shooting
it scores!

266
00:15:14,043 --> 00:15:15,767
[horn blares]

267
00:15:15,767 --> 00:15:19,698
{\an8}He's got a great shot, a
good knack of being eyes up,

268
00:15:19,698 --> 00:15:21,629
{\an8}looking up ice and making plays.

269
00:15:21,629 --> 00:15:23,353
He's, he's really big.
He's a right-handed shot,

270
00:15:23,353 --> 00:15:26,043
which is hard to
come by these days.

271
00:15:26,043 --> 00:15:28,353
Goes to the blue line. Luke
Prokob, a shot.

272
00:15:28,353 --> 00:15:30,043
[hockey announcer]

273
00:15:30,043 --> 00:15:32,181
And then Prokob scores.

274
00:15:32,181 --> 00:15:35,388
Luke Prokob has made
this a one goal game,

275
00:15:35,388 --> 00:15:37,043
and he leads and
Edmonton celebrate.

276
00:15:37,043 --> 00:15:40,526
He has everything he needs
to move to the next level.

277
00:15:41,043 --> 00:15:44,733
The Western Hockey
League Champions

278
00:15:45,008 --> 00:15:49,526
Seattle will hoist
the HNL cup.

279
00:16:04,146 --> 00:16:06,353
My goal would be,

280
00:16:06,353 --> 00:16:08,595
it's not even news if a
player comes out anymore,

281
00:16:08,595 --> 00:16:12,836
that's the day I yearn
for and probably won't see.

282
00:16:12,836 --> 00:16:14,353
So we're getting
there. It will get,

283
00:16:14,353 --> 00:16:16,491
they'll get more comfortable
with it and we'll get there.

284
00:16:16,491 --> 00:16:17,836
I look at the
progress we've made

285
00:16:17,836 --> 00:16:19,457
since I got involved in this
cause,

286
00:16:19,457 --> 00:16:21,008
in that short time,

287
00:16:21,008 --> 00:16:23,664
we've made massive
progress. Massive.

288
00:16:23,664 --> 00:16:24,974
Brian Burke, the
general manager

289
00:16:24,974 --> 00:16:26,353
of the Toronto Maple
Leafs is with us.

290
00:16:26,353 --> 00:16:29,353
Also With us tonight is
Brendan Burke, Brian's son

291
00:16:29,353 --> 00:16:31,077
When I was
watching TV,

292
00:16:31,077 --> 00:16:34,526
and there's this young guy
being interviewed, Brendan Burke

293
00:16:34,526 --> 00:16:36,112
and I wasn't really
paying attention,

294
00:16:36,112 --> 00:16:37,664
but then he said something
that caught my attention.

295
00:16:37,664 --> 00:16:38,905
He said, and I'm gay.

296
00:16:40,250 --> 00:16:42,629
Two years ago, Brendan
went to his family

297
00:16:42,629 --> 00:16:45,939
and told him for the
first time that he is gay.

298
00:16:45,939 --> 00:16:48,008
And my head whipped around,
stare at the TV in shock

299
00:16:48,008 --> 00:16:50,284
and never heard somebody say
they were gay in men's hockey

300
00:16:50,284 --> 00:16:52,319
before, unless there was one
player calling another player

301
00:16:52,319 --> 00:16:54,250
gay on the ice or
in the locker room.

302
00:16:54,250 --> 00:16:56,629
And I said, wow.
His dad's an NHL exec.

303
00:16:56,629 --> 00:16:59,422
I think it's important that
my story is told to people,

304
00:16:59,422 --> 00:17:01,698
because there are a lot
of gay athletes out there

305
00:17:01,698 --> 00:17:04,698
and gay people working in pro
sports that deserve to know

306
00:17:04,698 --> 00:17:07,043
that there are safe environments
where people are supportive

307
00:17:07,043 --> 00:17:09,043
of you regardless of
your sexual orientation.

308
00:17:09,043 --> 00:17:11,008
Then Big Burke gets up
there and pounds the table

309
00:17:11,008 --> 00:17:13,491
and like Burke does
in his brash fashion

310
00:17:13,491 --> 00:17:15,664
and says, you know, we
would be accepting of,

311
00:17:15,664 --> 00:17:17,353
of a gay, you know, person.

312
00:17:17,353 --> 00:17:18,870
Well, I said, it won't
change anything Brendan.

313
00:17:18,870 --> 00:17:21,526
You know, it doesn't change
our view of we love you,

314
00:17:21,526 --> 00:17:23,457
we're proud of you and it
doesn't change anything in

315
00:17:23,457 --> 00:17:24,836
my mind and never will.

316
00:17:25,353 --> 00:17:26,629
They were ahead
of their times.

317
00:17:28,353 --> 00:17:30,629
That was really
an epiphany for me.

318
00:17:30,629 --> 00:17:32,181
He's obviously courageous.

319
00:17:32,181 --> 00:17:34,664
I mean, it, it takes a lot
of jam to take this step.

320
00:17:34,664 --> 00:17:38,077
He's obviously a fearless kid,
but he is a real bright kid

321
00:17:38,077 --> 00:17:39,733
and a sweet kid and
I'm very proud of him.

322
00:17:39,733 --> 00:17:41,664
Courage and character. A
couple of things you always look

323
00:17:41,664 --> 00:17:44,146
for in your player as you
have it in your son Brendan,

324
00:17:44,146 --> 00:17:46,008
we really appreciate you sharing
your story with us tonight.

325
00:17:46,698 --> 00:17:47,664
Thank you James.

326
00:17:48,629 --> 00:17:50,560
[soft music]

327
00:18:02,146 --> 00:18:06,146
Well, I think what happens
is you have that, that agent

328
00:18:06,146 --> 00:18:08,043
for change, you have
that lightning routes.

329
00:18:08,043 --> 00:18:11,629
There's the GM of the Toronto
May Police, his son is gay.

330
00:18:11,629 --> 00:18:13,595
So I think that one event

331
00:18:13,595 --> 00:18:16,698
with Brendan really
galvanised a lot of change.

332
00:18:18,215 --> 00:18:20,595
I remember Brent Sopel
brought the Stanley Cup

333
00:18:20,595 --> 00:18:23,422
and the Pride Parade in
Chicago. God bless him.

334
00:18:23,422 --> 00:18:26,353
Let's hear you
cheer for the cup. Ah,

335
00:18:28,491 --> 00:18:30,146
We're now joined by
hockey players from

336
00:18:30,146 --> 00:18:32,146
around the world supporting
my son Brennan's

337
00:18:32,146 --> 00:18:34,457
simple message. If you can play,

338
00:18:34,457 --> 00:18:35,629
{\an8}You can play.

339
00:18:35,629 --> 00:18:37,491
{\an8}- If you can play.
- You can play.

340
00:18:37,491 --> 00:18:40,146
If you can play.
- You can play.

341
00:18:40,146 --> 00:18:43,629
That first window of time
when the teams really got

342
00:18:43,629 --> 00:18:47,457
behind it, it was,
it was amazing.

343
00:18:49,250 --> 00:18:52,250
If you can play, you can
play. That's the mandate

344
00:18:52,250 --> 00:18:55,043
{\an8}the Edmonton Oilers are
adopting this Valentine's Day

345
00:18:55,043 --> 00:18:56,595
{\an8}during you can play night.

346
00:18:56,595 --> 00:18:59,939
Part of the NH L's hockey
is for everyone month.

347
00:18:59,939 --> 00:19:03,181
This Rainbow Pride tape was
used during their warmup.

348
00:19:03,181 --> 00:19:05,491
It was created right
here in Edmonton

349
00:19:05,491 --> 00:19:08,008
and was recently
adopted by the league.

350
00:19:08,008 --> 00:19:10,284
We've made so much progress.

351
00:19:10,284 --> 00:19:13,974
Every time a player comes
out, an athlete comes out,

352
00:19:13,974 --> 00:19:16,319
a family comes out, supports us.

353
00:19:16,319 --> 00:19:18,974
We take those as major victories

354
00:19:18,974 --> 00:19:21,284
and then I think just,
we need some more firsts.

355
00:19:21,284 --> 00:19:22,698
We need some more pioneers.

356
00:19:22,698 --> 00:19:24,698
And being a pioneer
can be a lonely job.

357
00:19:36,284 --> 00:19:37,939
You know, when you,
when you're growing up,

358
00:19:37,939 --> 00:19:39,802
you don't hear about
much about this league.

359
00:19:42,008 --> 00:19:45,008
It's kind of frowned
upon back home.

360
00:19:45,008 --> 00:19:46,974
If you play in the, in the coast

361
00:19:52,491 --> 00:19:55,181
Growing up it was, you know,
where careers go to die

362
00:19:55,181 --> 00:19:58,767
and this and that and just
not a place you wanna play,

363
00:19:58,767 --> 00:19:59,629
basically.

364
00:20:04,284 --> 00:20:07,319
I think two weeks ago
we lost six nothing.

365
00:20:07,319 --> 00:20:10,319
And I was, I was minus five.

366
00:20:10,319 --> 00:20:14,181
I didn't play well and I just
broke down after the game

367
00:20:14,181 --> 00:20:16,181
because I was like,
I didn't know.

368
00:20:16,181 --> 00:20:18,974
I didn't, I didn't
know what was happening to me.

369
00:20:20,526 --> 00:20:22,319
It's been three
years since I got drafted.

370
00:20:22,319 --> 00:20:23,491
There are guys younger than me

371
00:20:23,491 --> 00:20:25,112
that are playing in
the NHL right now.

372
00:20:25,112 --> 00:20:29,043
You know, if I don't figure
that out, I'm gonna get stuck

373
00:20:29,043 --> 00:20:30,595
behind and not be
able to make it.

374
00:20:35,767 --> 00:20:38,457
No, cannot, you cannot do
that.

375
00:20:38,457 --> 00:20:39,629
{\an8}[indistinct]

376
00:20:40,353 --> 00:20:41,491
{\an8}Dude, you, you have
to tell 'em, man,

377
00:20:41,491 --> 00:20:42,491
Where did you get those?

378
00:20:42,491 --> 00:20:44,284
Let's go.

379
00:20:44,284 --> 00:20:45,802
There's a lot of guys.

380
00:20:45,802 --> 00:20:48,664
{\an8}Like I was, I've been
on a couple teams, like

381
00:20:48,664 --> 00:20:51,008
{\an8}in this league already,
it's not a good brag,

382
00:20:51,008 --> 00:20:53,802
{\an8}but in the coast,
like, you know,

383
00:20:53,802 --> 00:20:55,112
{\an8}everyone's kind of
in the same boat.

384
00:20:55,112 --> 00:20:56,319
Like no one really
wants to be here.

385
00:20:56,319 --> 00:20:58,181
You know, we haven't
been doing well,

386
00:20:58,181 --> 00:20:59,319
like we've been losing a bunch.

387
00:20:59,319 --> 00:21:00,836
The only reason
that we keep going

388
00:21:00,836 --> 00:21:02,181
to the rink is because
the guys are good.

389
00:21:02,181 --> 00:21:03,767
- Yeah. The guys.
- And we enjoy being

390
00:21:03,767 --> 00:21:04,870
around each other.
- Yeah.

391
00:21:04,870 --> 00:21:06,043
Pick up that.

392
00:21:06,043 --> 00:21:08,250
No, you did pick up I saw you.
- No I didn't. No I didn't.

393
00:21:08,250 --> 00:21:11,491
Wow.
Check the film.

394
00:21:11,491 --> 00:21:13,698
We actually can
check the film.

395
00:21:13,698 --> 00:21:14,836
- I didnt know that one.
- Out.

396
00:21:14,836 --> 00:21:16,388
[laughing]

397
00:21:16,388 --> 00:21:17,422
Fuck off.

398
00:21:18,491 --> 00:21:19,595
[tv announcer]

399
00:21:19,595 --> 00:21:21,526
Im looking toward
the future

400
00:21:21,526 --> 00:21:23,595
and his name
is Luke Prokob.

401
00:21:23,595 --> 00:21:26,595
He was the hitman's first round
seventh overall draught pick

402
00:21:26,595 --> 00:21:28,905
in last week's WHL
Bannon draught.

403
00:21:29,939 --> 00:21:34,181
When I was 16, 17, I was in
Calgary playing junior hockey.

404
00:21:35,595 --> 00:21:39,043
That's kind of when started
having relationships and,

405
00:21:39,043 --> 00:21:40,388
and things like that

406
00:21:40,388 --> 00:21:42,698
and you know, how do you
want to introduce someone

407
00:21:42,698 --> 00:21:44,250
to your family when you're
not out to them yet.

408
00:21:46,560 --> 00:21:49,905
I couldn't continue on like
that, you know, I couldn't

409
00:21:49,905 --> 00:21:52,733
continue to, you know,
wear a hoodie and,

410
00:21:52,733 --> 00:21:55,698
hide myself from,
from the rest of life.

411
00:21:59,595 --> 00:22:01,112
It was hard for,

412
00:22:02,284 --> 00:22:04,422
a lot of, there's a
lot of long nights.

413
00:22:11,491 --> 00:22:12,939
[soft music]

414
00:22:22,319 --> 00:22:23,664
I was in my room

415
00:22:23,664 --> 00:22:24,974
and I remember I just
got a text saying like,

416
00:22:24,974 --> 00:22:25,974
can I come up and talk to you?

417
00:22:25,974 --> 00:22:26,939
And I was like, yeah, of course.

418
00:22:32,077 --> 00:22:34,457
I went up and I sat
down, I looked at her

419
00:22:34,457 --> 00:22:37,767
and, there were just like,

420
00:22:37,767 --> 00:22:38,939
nothing was coming
outta my mouth.

421
00:22:39,043 --> 00:22:42,664
It was just tears. It was, it
was crying, crying, crying.

422
00:22:43,802 --> 00:22:45,870
I just, I just finally,
you know, came out

423
00:22:45,870 --> 00:22:48,146
and I said it, you know, like
I was Atlanta, like I'm gay.

424
00:22:49,905 --> 00:22:54,560
I probably in less than
three seconds I was just like

425
00:22:54,560 --> 00:22:56,457
wrapped in her arms,

426
00:22:59,491 --> 00:23:00,974
and we sat there and
we had a good cry

427
00:23:00,974 --> 00:23:05,664
and you know, she
instilled in my brain that

428
00:23:07,146 --> 00:23:09,870
it doesn't, it didn't matter,
you know, that I was gay.

429
00:23:09,870 --> 00:23:14,043
She loved me no matter what.
I was still her brother.

430
00:23:14,043 --> 00:23:16,802
and that nothing
would ever change.

431
00:23:21,319 --> 00:23:22,595
It's something
I'll never forget.

432
00:23:22,595 --> 00:23:25,526
Like, just to know that
we had that relationship

433
00:23:25,526 --> 00:23:27,664
that he felt like he
could come to me first.

434
00:23:27,664 --> 00:23:31,353
It was the probably the
best experience I could've had

435
00:23:31,353 --> 00:23:33,215
for the first person
I told that I was gay.

436
00:23:34,905 --> 00:23:36,802
[soft music]

437
00:23:52,146 --> 00:23:54,181
Oh, look at him. Come on.

438
00:23:54,181 --> 00:23:56,836
Just fall for one
and not in the water.

439
00:23:57,870 --> 00:23:59,388
Once you come out
for the first time

440
00:23:59,388 --> 00:24:00,491
and it goes well, you want

441
00:24:00,491 --> 00:24:02,595
to tell the next
person right away,

442
00:24:02,595 --> 00:24:06,905
but you've expended
so much mental energy

443
00:24:07,802 --> 00:24:09,767
trying to come out to the
first person that like,

444
00:24:09,767 --> 00:24:11,422
you're just exhausted
by the end of it.

445
00:24:16,457 --> 00:24:19,629
That looks pretty good
too. Right side there.

446
00:24:21,939 --> 00:24:23,284
There was one night
we went to this cabin

447
00:24:23,284 --> 00:24:25,215
and he was like hanging out
with this girl all night.

448
00:24:25,215 --> 00:24:28,560
And honestly I like
she was, I don't know,

449
00:24:28,560 --> 00:24:29,595
I don't even know how to say it.

450
00:24:29,595 --> 00:24:32,077
- She was all over me.
- Yeah.

451
00:24:32,077 --> 00:24:34,112
Like kind of that.

452
00:24:34,112 --> 00:24:35,905
Luke didn't like kiss her
or anything that night.

453
00:24:35,905 --> 00:24:37,560
And I honestly like, it kind

454
00:24:37,560 --> 00:24:38,870
of clicked in my
head that night.

455
00:24:40,422 --> 00:24:42,733
- Controls him to drink.
- Oh no.

456
00:24:42,733 --> 00:24:45,560
It's gotta go. - You
know, Luke opening up to me

457
00:24:45,560 --> 00:24:48,560
that let me open up to
him about some things that

458
00:24:49,767 --> 00:24:51,250
I probably would've
never told him otherwise.

459
00:24:51,250 --> 00:24:54,250
Right? So sometimes
it takes one person

460
00:24:54,250 --> 00:24:55,905
to take a big step forward so

461
00:24:55,905 --> 00:24:58,215
that other people can
take little steps forward.

462
00:25:01,836 --> 00:25:03,146
Oh that looks like a dart.

463
00:25:06,146 --> 00:25:08,491
[excited cheers]

464
00:25:09,664 --> 00:25:11,284
Oh, I thought
that was perfect.

465
00:25:12,595 --> 00:25:13,526
Fuck.

466
00:25:17,939 --> 00:25:19,491
I remember specifically,

467
00:25:19,491 --> 00:25:21,767
I was terrified of
coming out to my dad.

468
00:25:24,491 --> 00:25:27,319
I love my dad. Very
passionate man.

469
00:25:27,319 --> 00:25:29,284
He loves me, he loves my family.

470
00:25:30,870 --> 00:25:35,077
He expects a lot from us
and is extremely hard on us.

471
00:25:37,974 --> 00:25:40,595
We've never had a real
great, like personal,

472
00:25:40,595 --> 00:25:42,008
personal relationship.

473
00:25:42,008 --> 00:25:45,664
It's, it's always How was
practice? How was the gym?

474
00:25:45,664 --> 00:25:48,974
How was your skate? Are
you getting stronger?

475
00:25:48,974 --> 00:25:50,077
Are you getting faster?

476
00:25:53,664 --> 00:25:54,802
Dont get frustrated.

477
00:25:58,284 --> 00:26:00,146
So it's all, it's
like my relationship

478
00:26:00,146 --> 00:26:01,422
with dad's all about hockey.

479
00:26:04,905 --> 00:26:08,870
I was Luke's coach until
he was, until he was 13.

480
00:26:08,870 --> 00:26:11,008
And what was
that dynamic like?

481
00:26:11,008 --> 00:26:14,215
Oh, I mean, some nights
it wasn't great, right?

482
00:26:14,215 --> 00:26:16,388
Some of the car rides
home weren't great,

483
00:26:16,388 --> 00:26:20,043
but, you know, the kids
are, the kids are different.

484
00:26:20,043 --> 00:26:24,560
You know, Josh being older, I
was probably more hard on him

485
00:26:24,560 --> 00:26:27,560
because he would just
react differently to it.

486
00:26:27,560 --> 00:26:30,043
Right? And I, and
then I would, I would,

487
00:26:31,733 --> 00:26:36,388
regrettably I would kind of use
the same tactic on Luke and,

488
00:26:36,388 --> 00:26:39,526
and he wouldn't respond
the same way Josh would.

489
00:26:42,215 --> 00:26:45,560
I think Luke sometimes took
the criticism maybe a little

490
00:26:45,560 --> 00:26:48,215
bit, a little bit
personally, right?

491
00:26:48,215 --> 00:26:50,388
And, and not shut down

492
00:26:50,388 --> 00:26:53,008
but just, just withdrew
maybe a little bit more.

493
00:26:55,181 --> 00:26:57,388
You know, how how could I
feel good about going into

494
00:26:57,388 --> 00:27:00,939
a game when I just got
ripped by my dad, you know,

495
00:27:00,939 --> 00:27:02,077
a few hours earlier.

496
00:27:05,939 --> 00:27:10,905
The car rides, the not talking

497
00:27:10,905 --> 00:27:13,905
for a few days wanting to
have a sleepover with one

498
00:27:13,905 --> 00:27:15,905
of my teammates after a
game when I played bad.

499
00:27:17,112 --> 00:27:19,767
Just so you know, he
didn't feel comfortable

500
00:27:20,767 --> 00:27:22,457
ripping me when
there was, you know,

501
00:27:22,457 --> 00:27:23,767
when my teammate was with me.

502
00:27:26,319 --> 00:27:28,595
Yeah. I, those things
have definitely

503
00:27:28,595 --> 00:27:29,767
stuck with me for sure.

504
00:27:38,422 --> 00:27:40,629
The story with my dad
of how I came out

505
00:27:40,629 --> 00:27:45,319
to him was a lot different
than my sister and my mom.

506
00:27:45,319 --> 00:27:47,112
He was always
concerned about my dad

507
00:27:47,112 --> 00:27:49,664
and so we kind of like came
up with a little plan on

508
00:27:49,664 --> 00:27:50,939
how we were gonna
do that together

509
00:27:50,939 --> 00:27:52,733
and when also was the
right time for him.

510
00:27:54,664 --> 00:27:56,595
I mean, that was
the person I really

511
00:27:56,595 --> 00:27:57,905
wanted it to go well with.

512
00:27:59,319 --> 00:28:01,491
The person that has probably
instilled the most in life in

513
00:28:01,491 --> 00:28:03,457
me today as a person.

514
00:28:05,698 --> 00:28:09,802
He told me first and he wasn't
ready to tell his dad yet.

515
00:28:10,664 --> 00:28:12,008
And it was hard too

516
00:28:12,008 --> 00:28:16,939
'cause I couldn't
talk to Al about it.

517
00:28:18,905 --> 00:28:20,836
[emotional music]

518
00:28:22,836 --> 00:28:24,319
So it was really hard to -

519
00:28:27,388 --> 00:28:32,491
She had to, you
know, have these,

520
00:28:33,491 --> 00:28:35,181
you know, she
had this secret

521
00:28:35,181 --> 00:28:36,526
she couldn't tell me. Right?

522
00:28:36,526 --> 00:28:39,181
No. And I, yeah, it
was, it was a secret.

523
00:28:41,905 --> 00:28:45,664
I think it was September,
this is now probably three

524
00:28:45,664 --> 00:28:47,319
to four months since
I told my sister.

525
00:28:48,664 --> 00:28:52,526
I went to my best
friend's house.

526
00:28:52,526 --> 00:28:56,181
I asked her, I said, if, if
things don't go well, like

527
00:28:56,181 --> 00:28:59,526
with my dad, can I live here?

528
00:29:12,560 --> 00:29:16,181
So that's kind of when the,
the suicidal thoughts came.

529
00:29:18,595 --> 00:29:21,939
'cause my family is, is the
most important thing in my life.

530
00:29:22,733 --> 00:29:27,733
And to think at that age to try

531
00:29:27,733 --> 00:29:31,870
and continue on with
life without them is,

532
00:29:37,077 --> 00:29:41,767
and you know, not
knowing if was a

533
00:29:41,767 --> 00:29:44,112
great idea, if this was gonna
be the best thing that happen

534
00:29:44,112 --> 00:29:46,043
to me or the end.

535
00:29:47,767 --> 00:29:49,595
Came home from work one day
I was, she was like, you need

536
00:29:49,595 --> 00:29:51,250
to tell dad, you
need to tell dad.

537
00:29:51,250 --> 00:29:54,043
I'm like, Alana, stop. I need
to tell him on my own time.

538
00:29:55,388 --> 00:29:56,905
And there was a
little bit of silence

539
00:29:56,905 --> 00:30:00,526
and then she said he knows

540
00:30:02,733 --> 00:30:07,077
and she then told
me that she wanted

541
00:30:07,077 --> 00:30:08,215
to make it easier for me.

542
00:30:10,974 --> 00:30:14,733
So that was two weeks
that my dad had known.

543
00:30:14,733 --> 00:30:17,043
When my sister told
me that I freaked out.

544
00:30:18,870 --> 00:30:21,491
I never really got to tell
my dad on my own terms,

545
00:30:21,491 --> 00:30:22,974
which is something
i, I still kind

546
00:30:22,974 --> 00:30:25,008
of regret too to this day.

547
00:30:26,077 --> 00:30:28,077
So finally I met up
for lunch with my dad

548
00:30:28,077 --> 00:30:31,250
and I mean we just kind
of had a discussion about

549
00:30:33,629 --> 00:30:35,733
why I didn't feel
comfortable telling him,

550
00:30:38,698 --> 00:30:40,560
When you do learn of it,

551
00:30:40,560 --> 00:30:42,767
you have all these
different emotions,

552
00:30:42,767 --> 00:30:47,250
and I think the
biggest one that,

553
00:30:47,250 --> 00:30:50,388
I think we both felt was
that he had all this time

554
00:30:50,388 --> 00:30:51,767
where he was dealing with it.

555
00:30:51,767 --> 00:30:55,043
Right? So you go through
this sadness for him being

556
00:30:56,077 --> 00:30:57,215
I can, you know, tell anybody

557
00:30:58,250 --> 00:30:59,767
He loves us so much.

558
00:31:01,008 --> 00:31:02,698
So he was the one that
took it the hardest

559
00:31:02,698 --> 00:31:04,181
that I couldn't tell him.

560
00:31:06,353 --> 00:31:08,353
I mean, you feel a whole
bunch of different stuff,

561
00:31:08,353 --> 00:31:11,939
but I mean, at no
time do you ever

562
00:31:13,526 --> 00:31:15,181
like lose sight
that he's your son,

563
00:31:19,939 --> 00:31:22,939
You know, he probably,
you know, had these,

564
00:31:22,939 --> 00:31:27,146
these feelings at 14, you
know, now he's 18, right?

565
00:31:27,146 --> 00:31:30,181
So four years of being alone.

566
00:31:34,353 --> 00:31:37,698
- When he told you...
- Stop for a second.

567
00:31:37,698 --> 00:31:39,836
No? Let me go
grab some tissues.

568
00:31:47,491 --> 00:31:48,802
Everyone get ready
for the picture.

569
00:31:54,526 --> 00:31:56,491
If you look at
most sports growing up

570
00:31:56,491 --> 00:31:57,974
they're playing at school.

571
00:31:58,629 --> 00:32:01,870
You're exposed to
people of different races,

572
00:32:01,870 --> 00:32:05,077
different interests,
different genders.

573
00:32:05,077 --> 00:32:09,698
Hockey, we take our kids, we put
them in locker rooms with

574
00:32:09,698 --> 00:32:11,008
20 people just like them.

575
00:32:12,560 --> 00:32:17,560
Race, gender, presumed sexuality
socioeconomics, et cetera.

576
00:32:18,112 --> 00:32:21,388
And they're there six nights
a week from the age of seven

577
00:32:21,388 --> 00:32:26,077
or eight years old till
they're 16, then they go off

578
00:32:26,077 --> 00:32:28,215
and it's reinforced
even more in junior.

579
00:32:29,870 --> 00:32:32,353
It's a culture of machismo

580
00:32:32,353 --> 00:32:35,043
and it is a culture
that does not

581
00:32:36,698 --> 00:32:40,146
interest itself in
any form of diversity.

582
00:32:46,043 --> 00:32:49,215
I think I was so
used to being around it

583
00:32:49,215 --> 00:32:51,526
that it really didn't
affect me a whole tonne.

584
00:32:52,767 --> 00:32:56,250
If I wanted to be myself at
an earlier age, there's no way

585
00:32:56,250 --> 00:32:58,802
that I would be still playing.

586
00:33:00,388 --> 00:33:02,595
I still have nightmares
about it, honestly,

587
00:33:02,595 --> 00:33:03,767
like here and there like that.

588
00:33:03,767 --> 00:33:06,146
I'll be back playing
on that team.

589
00:33:07,939 --> 00:33:11,146
I ended up playing AAA hockey.

590
00:33:11,146 --> 00:33:13,767
You know, they were trying
to breed like OHL Stars.

591
00:33:15,181 --> 00:33:17,526
I was getting called
faggot and gay

592
00:33:17,526 --> 00:33:21,457
and got made fun of the
way I dressed at the time

593
00:33:21,457 --> 00:33:22,767
that the bullying was happening.

594
00:33:22,767 --> 00:33:25,802
I was still like trying
to figure it out.

595
00:33:25,802 --> 00:33:27,698
So people calling me a faggot

596
00:33:27,698 --> 00:33:30,629
or making fun of me for being
gay, my instinct was like, no,

597
00:33:30,629 --> 00:33:32,939
I'm not like, why are
you saying this about me?

598
00:33:32,939 --> 00:33:34,422
And then I'd have to
like deepen my voice

599
00:33:34,422 --> 00:33:36,595
or something to change it.

600
00:33:37,733 --> 00:33:40,146
Like showers were a
whole thing getting made

601
00:33:40,146 --> 00:33:43,112
of the way your penis looks
like not just me, like everyone.

602
00:33:43,112 --> 00:33:46,077
Like it was a really
cutthroat environment.

603
00:33:49,802 --> 00:33:51,112
It was the assistant coach.

604
00:33:51,112 --> 00:33:54,388
He actually would get included
in on the jokes with the guys,

605
00:33:55,526 --> 00:33:57,767
and would make fun
of me for being gay.

606
00:33:57,767 --> 00:33:59,836
He wasn't like a teenager,
he was an adult in the room

607
00:33:59,836 --> 00:34:02,388
with these kids, with
them, seeing them shower,

608
00:34:02,388 --> 00:34:04,008
seeing them naked, you know,

609
00:34:04,008 --> 00:34:07,077
making all these jokes
about body stuff.

610
00:34:07,077 --> 00:34:08,388
I think if I saw
him again, I would

611
00:34:08,388 --> 00:34:09,526
tell him to go fuck himself.

612
00:34:09,526 --> 00:34:11,698
Like I hate that guy.

613
00:34:12,733 --> 00:34:14,802
And everyone loved him and it
made me sick. It was so crazy.

614
00:34:17,043 --> 00:34:20,388
[hockey tv show plays]

615
00:34:30,353 --> 00:34:35,215
[hockey tv show hosts]

616
00:34:37,526 --> 00:34:42,215
Holy shit. He went
that high? That's really cool

617
00:34:42,215 --> 00:34:45,008
actually. He played his whole
junior career in Washingtons,

618
00:34:45,008 --> 00:34:46,629
gets to kind of
stay in that area.

619
00:34:46,629 --> 00:34:48,319
That's cool for
him and his family.

620
00:34:51,353 --> 00:34:53,836
How do you feel when you
watch the draught happen?

621
00:34:53,836 --> 00:34:56,215
I get jealous a
hundred percent.

622
00:34:56,215 --> 00:35:00,560
My draught was the first
year I guess of COVID,

623
00:35:02,077 --> 00:35:04,595
it was the first virtual
draught they did.

624
00:35:04,905 --> 00:35:06,422
I mean, I was just really
hoping I didn't get

625
00:35:06,422 --> 00:35:07,802
drafted during a commercial.

626
00:35:15,250 --> 00:35:17,353
There's no guarantees, right?

627
00:35:17,353 --> 00:35:18,733
You got 32 teams

628
00:35:18,733 --> 00:35:20,905
and you need one team
to, to like you. Yeah.

629
00:35:20,905 --> 00:35:23,939
We decided to gather
as a family of friends

630
00:35:23,939 --> 00:35:26,905
and some Luke's coaches or
special people in his life.

631
00:35:26,905 --> 00:35:30,112
And so the thought comes
across your head like

632
00:35:30,112 --> 00:35:32,905
what happens if they don't call
his name and we're all here.

633
00:35:33,870 --> 00:35:35,733
And then they
called his name out

634
00:35:41,457 --> 00:35:43,077
and he always loved Nashville.

635
00:35:43,077 --> 00:35:44,698
He always, he had a couple

636
00:35:44,698 --> 00:35:46,250
of Nashville jerseys
growing up,

637
00:35:48,250 --> 00:35:50,284
so he was pretty excited

638
00:35:50,284 --> 00:35:53,595
that it was Nashville
that called his name that day.

639
00:35:54,905 --> 00:35:56,215
It was like a dream come true.

640
00:35:56,215 --> 00:35:57,181
Yeah.

641
00:35:57,595 --> 00:35:59,388
[uplifting music]

642
00:36:16,802 --> 00:36:19,388
The million dollar question
for me constantly is like,

643
00:36:19,388 --> 00:36:22,112
why isn't there
a gay NHL player?

644
00:36:22,112 --> 00:36:24,939
And you know, Luke now is
under contract with an NHL,

645
00:36:24,939 --> 00:36:27,181
which is such a
great breakthrough.

646
00:36:27,181 --> 00:36:28,664
Where are the current players?

647
00:36:29,974 --> 00:36:35,008
We have gay players. Any
statistician will tell you that

648
00:36:35,008 --> 00:36:36,388
we have gay players in the NHL.

649
00:36:36,388 --> 00:36:38,008
We have since the league opened

650
00:36:38,008 --> 00:36:39,870
for business a
hundred years ago.

651
00:36:39,870 --> 00:36:42,870
What we don't have
are out gay players.

652
00:36:42,870 --> 00:36:45,664
The question is why are
they not comfortable in this

653
00:36:45,664 --> 00:36:47,767
environment, in the
hockey environment?

654
00:36:48,974 --> 00:36:51,319
I ended up having this
phone call with George Larock

655
00:36:51,319 --> 00:36:54,560
that had played in the NHL,
the Canadians, the Oilers.

656
00:36:54,560 --> 00:36:57,319
He said, you need to find out
why it's not okay to be gay.

657
00:36:57,319 --> 00:36:59,664
He said, you know, there
are gay men in the NHL,

658
00:36:59,664 --> 00:37:01,733
their teammates
keep their secret.

659
00:37:02,215 --> 00:37:03,422
They, they are out there.

660
00:37:03,422 --> 00:37:07,215
And, and I know I've been privy
to some brokering some deals

661
00:37:07,215 --> 00:37:10,388
where an athlete NHL
player's going to come out

662
00:37:10,388 --> 00:37:13,181
and always at the last
minute it falls through.

663
00:37:16,422 --> 00:37:17,560
Oh.

664
00:37:17,870 --> 00:37:20,388
I don't see, especially
as there's no out alumni.

665
00:37:20,388 --> 00:37:24,905
No, - That's, that's so
disturbing. Like shocking to me.

666
00:37:24,905 --> 00:37:27,353
I can't like wrap
my brain around it

667
00:37:28,526 --> 00:37:30,077
of being like an adult

668
00:37:30,077 --> 00:37:34,870
and still being kind of
ashamed of who you are

669
00:37:34,870 --> 00:37:38,250
or not letting yourself
be your true self.

670
00:37:38,250 --> 00:37:39,974
I don't, I don't
understand that.

671
00:37:41,422 --> 00:37:44,733
I mean, I didn't think it
should matter that I was gay.

672
00:37:44,733 --> 00:37:49,250
I think, you know, if a gay
player were to be in the NHL,

673
00:37:49,250 --> 00:37:51,870
it's because of
his hockey talent.

674
00:37:53,008 --> 00:37:54,595
[soft music]

675
00:37:59,457 --> 00:38:01,733
Luke called us for and says,
you know, we need to talk.

676
00:38:02,836 --> 00:38:04,802
So we'd had no idea
what was going on.

677
00:38:10,388 --> 00:38:11,388
- How's it going
- Buddy.

678
00:38:11,388 --> 00:38:12,733
How are you doing?

679
00:38:12,733 --> 00:38:13,491
Good to see you. You
too. How are things?

680
00:38:13,698 --> 00:38:16,422
And yeah, Luke tells
us, he says, I'm gay

681
00:38:16,422 --> 00:38:18,250
and this is what I'm doing.

682
00:38:18,250 --> 00:38:20,905
And we're like. I'm the
only one that talked.

683
00:38:27,077 --> 00:38:28,802
And I get a phone call
from Jerry Johanson,

684
00:38:28,802 --> 00:38:30,491
Luke's agent, right?

685
00:38:30,491 --> 00:38:31,595
He goes, I have a
player in the Western

686
00:38:31,595 --> 00:38:32,974
League that wants to come out.

687
00:38:32,974 --> 00:38:35,181
Can you connect with him? And
I was like, what? Like really?

688
00:38:35,181 --> 00:38:36,491
Like, and he's like,
yeah, he's just,

689
00:38:36,491 --> 00:38:37,457
you know, he's
a signed prospect.

690
00:38:37,457 --> 00:38:38,870
He wants to, I was like, whoa,

691
00:38:40,595 --> 00:38:42,077
If things didn't
go well with hockey,

692
00:38:44,629 --> 00:38:46,043
I didn't really have a
backup plan for that.

693
00:38:48,284 --> 00:38:49,836
Hockey was my entire life.

694
00:38:49,836 --> 00:38:52,767
I don't know what I would be
doing if I wasn't playing.

695
00:38:55,802 --> 00:38:59,146
I believe that an openly gay
man should be able

696
00:38:59,146 --> 00:39:03,353
to have an NHL career,
but,

697
00:39:05,629 --> 00:39:07,836
people dont like change.

698
00:39:07,836 --> 00:39:10,353
There, there was no
guarantee the, you know,

699
00:39:10,353 --> 00:39:14,629
what the impact of this
would be on his career.

700
00:39:14,629 --> 00:39:16,319
I worried about his hockey.

701
00:39:16,319 --> 00:39:19,008
I worried about he
as a mum you worry

702
00:39:19,008 --> 00:39:23,698
and I so you worry where is
his life trajectory gonna go?

703
00:39:23,698 --> 00:39:27,974
What's gonna happen? How
is this all gonna work out?

704
00:39:30,181 --> 00:39:31,870
{\an8}there aren't teams
out there that,

705
00:39:31,870 --> 00:39:36,181
{\an8}that wouldn't support a gay
man in professional hockey.

706
00:39:36,181 --> 00:39:38,664
{\an8}So we had a, you know, we
had that discussion, Hey,

707
00:39:38,664 --> 00:39:40,526
do you really want to do this?

708
00:39:40,526 --> 00:39:44,146
Knowing that it could affect
ultimately how far you're able

709
00:39:44,146 --> 00:39:45,664
to go in this game.

710
00:39:45,664 --> 00:39:47,146
And he didn't care.

711
00:39:49,422 --> 00:39:52,870
I'd be fine not playing hockey
if, if it wasn't accepted.

712
00:39:54,181 --> 00:39:57,457
Hockey's a game. I love hockey.

713
00:39:57,457 --> 00:39:59,629
It's given me so much in life,

714
00:39:59,629 --> 00:40:04,629
but there's no way
I would jeopardise

715
00:40:06,181 --> 00:40:08,008
my life for a game.

716
00:40:09,353 --> 00:40:10,319
There's no way.

717
00:40:20,836 --> 00:40:23,043
I think I sent
the Instagram post

718
00:40:23,043 --> 00:40:26,836
and Twitter post out
at like 7:30.

719
00:40:26,836 --> 00:40:28,077
And we did a
good job with it.

720
00:40:28,077 --> 00:40:31,008
Like, I didn't have any
control of my social media.

721
00:40:31,008 --> 00:40:33,388
Like, I logged out on my
Instagram and my Twitter.

722
00:40:35,836 --> 00:40:38,008
You let it fly, said you guys

723
00:40:38,008 --> 00:40:38,560
Let it fly.

724
00:40:38,560 --> 00:40:39,664
You guys deal with it.

725
00:40:42,560 --> 00:40:43,698
My whole goal

726
00:40:44,526 --> 00:40:46,491
outside of doing it for
me personally was just

727
00:40:46,491 --> 00:40:48,491
to help one kid out there

728
00:40:50,388 --> 00:40:54,664
and someone has to do it.

729
00:40:54,664 --> 00:40:55,836
You know what I mean?

730
00:40:55,836 --> 00:40:57,664
Like someone has
to take that step

731
00:40:57,664 --> 00:40:59,319
and say, fuck it, I'm
gonna be the first

732
00:40:59,319 --> 00:41:00,595
person to, to come out.

733
00:41:01,077 --> 00:41:02,250
[emotional music]

734
00:41:05,422 --> 00:41:08,767
I'm gonna take all of the
shit that comes my way

735
00:41:08,767 --> 00:41:10,595
and I'm gonna show
that it it's okay to be

736
00:41:10,595 --> 00:41:11,870
who you are and
do what you love.

737
00:41:17,526 --> 00:41:19,422
Hi everyone. While the past year

738
00:41:19,422 --> 00:41:22,526
and a half has been crazy, it
has also given me the chance

739
00:41:22,526 --> 00:41:24,733
to find my true self.

740
00:41:24,733 --> 00:41:28,008
Today I'm proud to publicly
tell everyone that I'm gay.

741
00:41:30,595 --> 00:41:34,215
I hope that in sharing who I
am, I can help other people see

742
00:41:34,215 --> 00:41:37,284
that gay people are welcome
in the hockey community

743
00:41:37,284 --> 00:41:40,284
as we work to make sure that
hockey truly is for everyone.

744
00:41:44,905 --> 00:41:46,733
I may be new to the community,

745
00:41:46,733 --> 00:41:49,215
but I'm eager to
learn about the strong

746
00:41:49,215 --> 00:41:51,595
and resilient people
who came before me

747
00:41:51,595 --> 00:41:54,043
and pave the way so I could
be more comfortable today.

748
00:41:57,250 --> 00:41:59,388
This is just the
beginning of my journey

749
00:41:59,388 --> 00:42:00,629
and I'm excited to see

750
00:42:00,629 --> 00:42:03,664
where it takes me both
in hockey and in life.

751
00:42:06,974 --> 00:42:10,974
Fuck. Finally, like finally

752
00:42:10,974 --> 00:42:12,491
somebody has done it.

753
00:42:12,491 --> 00:42:14,974
Like, holy smokes, thank God.

754
00:42:14,974 --> 00:42:16,457
I think I read pretty
much all the stories

755
00:42:16,457 --> 00:42:18,457
that I could find at the time

756
00:42:18,457 --> 00:42:23,008
and so I was just so impressed

757
00:42:23,008 --> 00:42:25,353
And I said, the media's gonna
take this and run with it.

758
00:42:26,767 --> 00:42:29,836
{\an8}Luke Prokob came out
with an Instagram post.

759
00:42:29,836 --> 00:42:33,491
{\an8}He will be the first openly
gay player in the NHL.

760
00:42:33,491 --> 00:42:37,146
As the first player ever
under contract has come

761
00:42:37,146 --> 00:42:38,664
out as gay.

762
00:42:38,664 --> 00:42:41,319
{\an8}Luke Prokop of the Nashville
Predators Organisation has

763
00:42:41,319 --> 00:42:43,146
{\an8}officially come out
on social media.

764
00:42:43,146 --> 00:42:45,526
{\an8}Edmonton born Defensemen
said he didn't know

765
00:42:45,526 --> 00:42:48,526
{\an8}how others were going
to react.

766
00:42:50,181 --> 00:42:53,284
{\an8}[upbeat vocal music]

767
00:43:16,181 --> 00:43:17,698
On top of the world.

768
00:43:17,698 --> 00:43:21,353
I was taken back by
how positive it was

769
00:43:21,353 --> 00:43:24,698
and that's,

770
00:43:24,698 --> 00:43:28,008
that's all you want
when you're coming out.

771
00:43:31,422 --> 00:43:32,560
Yeah, Elton John called me.

772
00:43:32,560 --> 00:43:36,146
That was sick, that
was the morning after.

773
00:43:38,043 --> 00:43:40,422
So I got a text message
from Austin Matthews

774
00:43:40,422 --> 00:43:41,698
that was really cool to see.

775
00:43:42,112 --> 00:43:43,388
[gentle music]

776
00:43:45,733 --> 00:43:47,870
I couldn't believe what
a different person he was

777
00:43:51,870 --> 00:43:53,388
because he was
struggling before.

778
00:43:53,388 --> 00:43:56,250
Yeah. - So he would
participate in more things

779
00:43:56,250 --> 00:43:57,905
and just be more open to things.

780
00:43:59,698 --> 00:44:01,457
[cheering]

781
00:44:06,146 --> 00:44:09,491
Everything changed. So
like the, the switch flipped.

782
00:44:12,836 --> 00:44:16,215
[gentle guitar music]

783
00:44:32,939 --> 00:44:34,802
What you think
of that shoot man?

784
00:44:34,802 --> 00:44:36,112
That was dope.

785
00:44:36,112 --> 00:44:40,077
Yeah, - Like nothing, never
done anything like that so

786
00:44:40,077 --> 00:44:42,939
little definitely way
out like my comfort zone.

787
00:44:42,939 --> 00:44:45,319
But they made me feel like
I was doing a good job

788
00:44:45,319 --> 00:44:47,974
and said I was a natural
and things like that

789
00:44:47,974 --> 00:44:49,664
and got to wear some
pretty cool fits.

790
00:44:49,664 --> 00:44:51,422
- Yeah.
- So it was dope.

791
00:45:11,560 --> 00:45:14,353
There's a real difference
between reacting to a gay player

792
00:45:14,353 --> 00:45:15,733
and welcoming a gay player.

793
00:45:15,733 --> 00:45:17,250
I think that the, the notion

794
00:45:17,250 --> 00:45:19,664
that we're gonna
create a a safe space,

795
00:45:19,664 --> 00:45:21,008
no one's really done that.

796
00:45:21,008 --> 00:45:23,146
{\an8}You can have an out player,
but it's what comes

797
00:45:23,146 --> 00:45:24,733
{\an8}after that announcement.

798
00:45:24,733 --> 00:45:28,422
It's really the ecosystem
that needs to take over.

799
00:45:28,422 --> 00:45:31,043
When we knew that there was
a potential trade to happen

800
00:45:31,043 --> 00:45:33,664
and bring Luke in, like we
had some conversations, like

801
00:45:35,008 --> 00:45:37,491
anytime you go through an
experience that no one has dealt

802
00:45:37,491 --> 00:45:40,319
with before, you're gonna
have questions like, oh,

803
00:45:40,319 --> 00:45:42,077
are we gonna be able to room him

804
00:45:42,077 --> 00:45:43,836
with different
players on the road?

805
00:45:43,836 --> 00:45:45,181
Or like, what if we had a player

806
00:45:45,181 --> 00:45:47,664
that was extremely
homophobic, like

807
00:45:47,664 --> 00:45:49,181
how would we deal with that?

808
00:45:49,181 --> 00:45:50,664
[hockey announcer]

809
00:45:53,215 --> 00:45:54,250
There's still hurdles

810
00:45:54,250 --> 00:45:55,698
and burdens as there
always will be,

811
00:45:55,698 --> 00:45:57,870
but the players accepted him

812
00:45:57,870 --> 00:45:59,319
and you know, I thought

813
00:45:59,319 --> 00:46:01,870
his teammates did
a tremendous job of

814
00:46:01,870 --> 00:46:04,388
just letting him come to
a place that felt normal.

815
00:46:07,491 --> 00:46:08,974
It's the Edmonton
Oil Kings by far

816
00:46:08,974 --> 00:46:11,353
that made me feel
the most comfortable

817
00:46:11,353 --> 00:46:12,457
within an organisation.

818
00:46:13,319 --> 00:46:15,836
When Luke came in, it was
the captain at the time,

819
00:46:15,836 --> 00:46:18,457
Jake Neighbours and our
assistant captain that stood up

820
00:46:18,457 --> 00:46:21,146
and were like, Luke is one of
us, so if you have questions,

821
00:46:21,146 --> 00:46:22,491
ask them now.

822
00:46:22,491 --> 00:46:25,181
Otherwise we're not
making a deal about this.

823
00:46:31,284 --> 00:46:33,698
You know, this massive
weight has lifted off

824
00:46:33,698 --> 00:46:34,767
his shoulders.

825
00:46:34,767 --> 00:46:37,319
He's, he's basically,

826
00:46:37,319 --> 00:46:39,491
he's basically become
like a different person,

827
00:46:39,491 --> 00:46:42,319
like it translated into
his hockey big time.

828
00:46:42,319 --> 00:46:43,767
Able to create the
turnover here for Edmonton.

829
00:46:43,767 --> 00:46:45,215
Here comes Prokop and
over the Raider line.

830
00:46:45,215 --> 00:46:46,802
[hockey announcer]

831
00:46:51,319 --> 00:46:54,284
Luke Prokop shows
off the hand-eye

832
00:46:56,146 --> 00:46:58,043
I have the most
goals I've ever scored.

833
00:46:58,043 --> 00:47:00,491
I have the most
points I've ever had.

834
00:47:00,491 --> 00:47:04,043
I set a WHL record in the
playoffs for plus minus.

835
00:47:04,043 --> 00:47:05,457
Prokop scores.

836
00:47:07,560 --> 00:47:10,146
What a gorgeous shot
from Luke Prokop.

837
00:47:13,043 --> 00:47:14,560
There were so many
things statistically

838
00:47:14,560 --> 00:47:16,698
that you can look at
where it was like,

839
00:47:16,698 --> 00:47:18,008
okay, what was the change?

840
00:47:18,008 --> 00:47:19,733
And it was all coming up.

841
00:47:19,733 --> 00:47:22,870
It wasn't extra skills,
it wasn't extra workouts.

842
00:47:22,870 --> 00:47:25,043
- Luke Prokop.
- It wasn't better

843
00:47:25,043 --> 00:47:26,353
sleep, it wasn't
better nutrition.

844
00:47:26,353 --> 00:47:27,422
It was me coming up.

845
00:47:29,733 --> 00:47:33,698
The horn sounds, the wait
is over the Edmonton Oil Kings

846
00:47:33,698 --> 00:47:35,767
sit at their throne once again.

847
00:47:35,767 --> 00:47:39,698
Their crown, the 2022 Western

848
00:47:39,698 --> 00:47:41,077
Hockey League champions.

849
00:47:42,629 --> 00:47:46,905
Oh, what a nice, oh, what
a season. Oh, what a team.

850
00:47:50,043 --> 00:47:51,698
{\an8}The year couldn't
have gotten better.

851
00:47:51,698 --> 00:47:53,112
{\an8}You know, I got
traded to my hometown

852
00:47:53,112 --> 00:47:54,698
{\an8}team, they accepted me.

853
00:47:54,698 --> 00:47:56,250
It was awesome. We won.

854
00:48:06,698 --> 00:48:09,077
Everybody just wants
to say that it's good.

855
00:48:09,077 --> 00:48:12,457
And it's hasn't been,
it hasn't been easy.

856
00:48:12,457 --> 00:48:13,733
It hasn't been the
worst thing ever,

857
00:48:13,733 --> 00:48:14,905
but it hasn't been easy.

858
00:48:18,250 --> 00:48:20,767
He got a lot of hate
when he was playing

859
00:48:20,767 --> 00:48:23,284
and he kind of, I think
pushes it under the rug

860
00:48:23,284 --> 00:48:25,905
because he doesn't want
that to be the spotlight.

861
00:48:25,905 --> 00:48:28,595
But it was there.

862
00:48:30,112 --> 00:48:31,422
I think fans more so,

863
00:48:31,422 --> 00:48:33,767
but opponents too, like
I've, I've seen it.

864
00:48:37,939 --> 00:48:41,595
There was a certain
incident where there was a,

865
00:48:42,905 --> 00:48:45,457
how do I say this in
the nicest terms,

866
00:48:45,457 --> 00:48:48,077
a cock sucking gesture
towards me from

867
00:48:48,077 --> 00:48:49,836
the other guy on the other team.

868
00:48:49,836 --> 00:48:51,767
Our guys saw it

869
00:48:51,767 --> 00:48:56,112
and went to absolutely bananas
at the end of the game.

870
00:48:56,112 --> 00:48:58,181
Went after the kid, our
coach went to their coach

871
00:48:58,181 --> 00:49:01,353
and was like, did you not just
see this gesture they made?

872
00:49:01,353 --> 00:49:04,939
And the coach was like, I
didn't see it. Well you did.

873
00:49:09,077 --> 00:49:11,802
I feel like it's glossed
over really easily

874
00:49:11,802 --> 00:49:13,353
how hard it's been for him

875
00:49:13,353 --> 00:49:16,008
because he will
not tell you that

876
00:49:16,008 --> 00:49:20,353
Luke was 19 when he came
out like that was too young

877
00:49:20,353 --> 00:49:22,319
to take on the burden
that he's taken on.

878
00:49:24,008 --> 00:49:26,526
I mean, playing hockey in the
southern United States like

879
00:49:26,526 --> 00:49:30,698
that's, they've been
very loud with their laws

880
00:49:30,698 --> 00:49:34,422
and their decisions that they've
made in, in certain states

881
00:49:34,422 --> 00:49:38,077
that people like
him aren't accepted.

882
00:49:43,250 --> 00:49:46,664
[locker room banter]

883
00:49:51,353 --> 00:49:52,767
There's been at
times this season

884
00:49:52,767 --> 00:49:55,319
where it feels like you,
they just forget about you.

885
00:49:56,457 --> 00:49:59,664
So feeling like the team
that drafted you, signed you,

886
00:49:59,664 --> 00:50:01,526
it doesn't believe
in you anymore.

887
00:50:01,526 --> 00:50:05,491
It's hard to continue to go out,
play and try to please them.

888
00:50:05,491 --> 00:50:06,802
Number 25,

889
00:50:10,836 --> 00:50:12,181
What would Luke need
to do to show he's

890
00:50:12,181 --> 00:50:13,836
ready to play in the NHL?

891
00:50:13,836 --> 00:50:16,836
{\an8}Yeah, it's rounding
out your game in terms

892
00:50:16,836 --> 00:50:17,905
{\an8}of defensive habits

893
00:50:19,112 --> 00:50:22,664
{\an8}and that's being engaged, being
athletic, you know, you have

894
00:50:22,664 --> 00:50:24,802
to be hard on guys defensively,

895
00:50:27,802 --> 00:50:31,353
you expect that from a
six foot five guy,

896
00:50:31,353 --> 00:50:33,319
and probably, that's an area

897
00:50:33,319 --> 00:50:35,526
where it doesn't come
naturally to him.

898
00:50:35,526 --> 00:50:37,664
It's just this innate
ability to go

899
00:50:37,664 --> 00:50:40,491
to a different place and
be like, you're in my way,

900
00:50:40,491 --> 00:50:42,491
get outta my way.

901
00:50:42,491 --> 00:50:43,974
This wants to be your
career and your livelihood.

902
00:50:43,974 --> 00:50:46,974
Like let's kind of foster
these habits and this attitude.

903
00:50:46,974 --> 00:50:48,595
And it's always
been the same thing

904
00:50:48,595 --> 00:50:51,457
for the past five years ever
since I got into junior.

905
00:50:51,457 --> 00:50:53,008
You need to be more physical.

906
00:50:53,008 --> 00:50:55,146
You're six foot five, you
need to use your body more.

907
00:50:55,146 --> 00:50:57,974
You know, like that's
not my personality off,

908
00:50:57,974 --> 00:50:59,319
outside of the rink at all.

909
00:50:59,319 --> 00:51:00,629
And I have a hard time just kind

910
00:51:00,629 --> 00:51:02,112
of flipping the switch
when I get to the rink.

911
00:51:04,733 --> 00:51:06,422
It's just who I am as a person.

912
00:51:06,422 --> 00:51:09,319
Not to, not to want
to do those things.

913
00:51:09,319 --> 00:51:12,215
Penetrate their house. Let's
get fucking inside tonight.

914
00:51:12,215 --> 00:51:13,698
Lots of fucking shots, lots

915
00:51:13,698 --> 00:51:15,767
of second thirds crash
that fucking net.

916
00:51:15,767 --> 00:51:17,905
Get some bodies there. If
we're going low to high, it has

917
00:51:17,905 --> 00:51:19,802
to be fucking low to high.

918
00:51:20,870 --> 00:51:23,250
There's always an underlying
feeling of like, you know,

919
00:51:23,250 --> 00:51:24,802
why are these
decisions being made?

920
00:51:25,870 --> 00:51:27,319
Right? And, and
we'll never know.

921
00:51:27,319 --> 00:51:28,733
We will never know it

922
00:51:28,733 --> 00:51:30,215
because no one will ever,

923
00:51:31,181 --> 00:51:32,974
they're not gonna tell you
if reasons are made based

924
00:51:32,974 --> 00:51:34,733
on, you know, him
being openly gay.

925
00:51:34,733 --> 00:51:37,250
But I think it's,

926
00:51:37,250 --> 00:51:38,905
I question it I think
a lot more than he

927
00:51:38,905 --> 00:51:40,733
does, which is good.

928
00:51:40,733 --> 00:51:45,077
But, I wonder, you know,
why he's in the situations

929
00:51:45,077 --> 00:51:47,802
that he's in and if
it will ever happen.

930
00:51:47,802 --> 00:51:50,008
Why do you draught a
player in the third round,

931
00:51:51,077 --> 00:51:52,802
sign him within two months

932
00:51:53,595 --> 00:51:57,077
and basically give
him no opportunity

933
00:51:57,077 --> 00:52:01,284
to develop within your
system all coinciding

934
00:52:01,284 --> 00:52:02,802
with when he came out.

935
00:52:05,733 --> 00:52:08,077
So I mean, you guys
can connect the dots.

936
00:52:12,250 --> 00:52:15,043
[cheering]

937
00:52:15,043 --> 00:52:17,767
Sometimes you wonder if it was

938
00:52:17,767 --> 00:52:19,526
easier if I didn't come out.

939
00:52:21,802 --> 00:52:24,836
I wanna put my whole
focus on hockey.

940
00:52:24,836 --> 00:52:27,457
And then you have to add
on the fact of, you know,

941
00:52:27,457 --> 00:52:30,457
do I feel like my
teammates respect me?

942
00:52:30,457 --> 00:52:33,146
Do I have to be
careful around them?

943
00:52:33,146 --> 00:52:37,629
Do I have to keep my mouth
shut if I didn't, you know,

944
00:52:37,629 --> 00:52:38,870
come out, I wouldn't
have to worry about all

945
00:52:38,870 --> 00:52:43,112
that extra stuff And
I don't know, maybe,

946
00:52:44,491 --> 00:52:49,388
maybe my life would be
more where I want it to be

947
00:52:49,388 --> 00:52:54,457
if I didn't in terms of
hockey, I have to deal with all

948
00:52:54,457 --> 00:52:57,905
that extra stuff because I want
live the way I want to live.

949
00:53:05,353 --> 00:53:07,974
I really believe that we
were making steady progress.

950
00:53:07,974 --> 00:53:11,353
There's been kind of a hard
right turn on the right wing

951
00:53:11,353 --> 00:53:12,870
fringes of America

952
00:53:12,870 --> 00:53:15,870
and Canada where it's been
pushed back against the

953
00:53:15,870 --> 00:53:20,146
{\an8}LGBTQ+ community, which I
resent and fear greatly.

954
00:53:22,526 --> 00:53:26,870
{\an8}At least four NHL players
have pride night this season.

955
00:53:26,870 --> 00:53:29,870
{\an8}The players cite their
religious beliefs as reasons

956
00:53:29,870 --> 00:53:32,526
for not donning the
pride warmup jerseys.

957
00:53:35,870 --> 00:53:38,870
We made such a stride with
the NHL wearing pride jerseys,

958
00:53:38,870 --> 00:53:40,629
having pride
nights, all of this.

959
00:53:40,629 --> 00:53:44,560
And then a handful of guys
call it three or four came out

960
00:53:44,560 --> 00:53:47,733
and said something
and we pulled back

961
00:53:47,733 --> 00:53:51,284
The NHL banned pride
tape and specialty jerseys

962
00:53:51,284 --> 00:53:53,870
after several players
sparked controversy

963
00:53:53,870 --> 00:53:56,077
for sitting out
pride night activity.

964
00:53:57,112 --> 00:53:59,284
Luke and I just walked
out of an interview

965
00:53:59,284 --> 00:54:01,905
and all of a sudden
Elliot Friedman called me

966
00:54:01,905 --> 00:54:03,422
and said, Hey Gary
Beman just announced

967
00:54:03,422 --> 00:54:04,595
that pride juries are now

968
00:54:04,595 --> 00:54:06,284
{\an8}banned 'cause they're
a distraction.

969
00:54:06,284 --> 00:54:08,767
{\an8}That's just become more

970
00:54:08,767 --> 00:54:11,939
{\an8}of a distraction from
really the essence of

971
00:54:11,939 --> 00:54:13,457
{\an8}what the purpose of
these nights are.

972
00:54:13,457 --> 00:54:15,905
And I'm like, oh, should
we go retake this interview?

973
00:54:17,939 --> 00:54:19,629
Probably have heard in
the commissioner say yes

974
00:54:19,629 --> 00:54:22,284
or the league would
accept a gay player,

975
00:54:22,284 --> 00:54:24,905
but there's always
a but. But, we need

976
00:54:24,905 --> 00:54:26,939
to respect everyone's views.

977
00:54:26,939 --> 00:54:31,181
So your your goalie's from
Russia, so you're dealing

978
00:54:31,181 --> 00:54:34,353
with a Russian culture
as part of your team.

979
00:54:34,353 --> 00:54:36,250
I'm gay. Well, you're
gonna have to deal

980
00:54:36,250 --> 00:54:38,077
with a little gay culture
as part of your team.

981
00:54:44,250 --> 00:54:48,457
You know, the people at the
very top have been in hockey

982
00:54:48,457 --> 00:54:51,457
all along and they've grown
within hockey culture.

983
00:54:51,457 --> 00:54:53,698
And hockey culture
has not been one

984
00:54:53,698 --> 00:54:57,664
that's ever celebrated
diversity or inclusivity.

985
00:55:00,112 --> 00:55:01,870
Hockey is not a
diverse sport sexually,

986
00:55:01,870 --> 00:55:04,905
it's not a diverse
sport racially it's
not a diverse sport.

987
00:55:04,905 --> 00:55:07,526
You know, like hockey is the
only sport where you have

988
00:55:07,526 --> 00:55:09,664
to divide up white people into
categories where you're like,

989
00:55:09,664 --> 00:55:11,664
no, no, no, he's Finnish
and he's Swedish.

990
00:55:13,491 --> 00:55:17,595
There's very little
queer representation.

991
00:55:17,595 --> 00:55:22,008
So people are making
decisions without even talking

992
00:55:22,008 --> 00:55:26,974
to us, without knowing
the impact of any of this.

993
00:55:28,698 --> 00:55:33,664
The NHL still has a lot of
committed people in its office,

994
00:55:33,664 --> 00:55:35,836
but even those people know
that they don't, at the end

995
00:55:35,836 --> 00:55:37,043
of the day call the shots.

996
00:55:38,112 --> 00:55:41,146
It's the team owners.
If you take an example

997
00:55:41,146 --> 00:55:45,870
of the Jersey issue that
there was 32 people around

998
00:55:45,870 --> 00:55:50,836
that table who decided they
knew what the impact would be

999
00:55:50,836 --> 00:55:52,560
and they thought it would
be minimal.

1000
00:55:52,560 --> 00:55:54,319
It's this cycle.

1001
00:55:54,319 --> 00:55:57,008
You're not exposed to
any form of diversity.

1002
00:55:57,008 --> 00:56:00,388
How are you expected
to change this?

1003
00:56:01,733 --> 00:56:03,388
We need seats at the table.

1004
00:56:04,905 --> 00:56:07,767
I can't necessarily speak
my mind on a whole tonne

1005
00:56:07,767 --> 00:56:10,870
of things when you don't wanna
talk badly about the people

1006
00:56:10,870 --> 00:56:12,250
that you work for.

1007
00:56:12,250 --> 00:56:13,457
Basically they own you.

1008
00:56:15,319 --> 00:56:17,422
The banning of pride tape,
the banning of pride.

1009
00:56:17,422 --> 00:56:20,112
Jerseys, actions speak
louder than words.

1010
00:56:21,043 --> 00:56:22,560
{\an8}[emotional music]

1011
00:56:47,698 --> 00:56:50,388
I don't have time to
be patient anymore.

1012
00:56:50,388 --> 00:56:51,560
Maybe the onus is on me

1013
00:56:51,560 --> 00:56:53,767
and maybe I have to train
hard in the summertime

1014
00:56:53,767 --> 00:56:56,388
and just work extremely
hard to make them, you know,

1015
00:56:56,388 --> 00:56:57,526
not set me down.

1016
00:56:59,457 --> 00:57:00,870
The start of the summer

1017
00:57:00,870 --> 00:57:03,146
after everything that
had happened with
my previous season,

1018
00:57:03,146 --> 00:57:04,939
it was like a rock was
put into my pocket.

1019
00:57:05,664 --> 00:57:09,146
That was the pressure from
myself, my parents, friends,

1020
00:57:09,146 --> 00:57:11,319
coaches, agents, Nashville.

1021
00:57:11,319 --> 00:57:12,802
And I could feel it
weighing me down.

1022
00:57:13,733 --> 00:57:15,457
I'm putting my body
through hell right now

1023
00:57:15,457 --> 00:57:17,146
for Nashville just to
say, fuck you going

1024
00:57:17,146 --> 00:57:18,250
down to the coast league.

1025
00:57:19,250 --> 00:57:21,939
As the summer got on, I got
stronger mentally, physically,

1026
00:57:21,939 --> 00:57:23,560
and I was like, I
know the rock's there,

1027
00:57:23,560 --> 00:57:25,112
but I don't care that
it's there anymore.

1028
00:57:26,077 --> 00:57:29,146
I think I've grown so
much as a person, I just kind

1029
00:57:29,146 --> 00:57:30,629
of want to go out
and play hockey

1030
00:57:30,629 --> 00:57:31,802
and be the best version

1031
00:57:31,802 --> 00:57:34,008
of myself every day
on and off the ice.

1032
00:57:36,974 --> 00:57:38,836
So this year I've probably
got an extra month, month

1033
00:57:38,836 --> 00:57:42,284
and a half in the gym and
I've ran my fastest benched my

1034
00:57:42,284 --> 00:57:44,974
most, squatted my
most, so excited to see

1035
00:57:44,974 --> 00:57:46,698
what I can do on the ice.

1036
00:57:46,698 --> 00:57:47,664
And you know,

1037
00:57:47,905 --> 00:57:50,422
how good I'll feel when,
when the season turns around.

1038
00:57:56,698 --> 00:57:59,457
[energetic music]

1039
00:58:12,870 --> 00:58:15,698
This feels like the
last hurrah for me.

1040
00:58:15,698 --> 00:58:17,353
If I don't have a good year,

1041
00:58:17,353 --> 00:58:19,664
then I might not make
the NHL ever again.

1042
00:58:21,388 --> 00:58:24,388
I also know there's a
lot of scouts here, so

1043
00:58:24,388 --> 00:58:26,733
I'm showing not just Nashville,

1044
00:58:26,733 --> 00:58:28,870
but I'm showing all those
other scouts the side

1045
00:58:28,870 --> 00:58:30,526
that they've wanted to
see for me since I was

1046
00:58:30,526 --> 00:58:31,698
16 years old and junior.

1047
00:58:37,388 --> 00:58:38,698
You know, you're
playing against guys now

1048
00:58:38,698 --> 00:58:41,215
who have mortgages,
kids, families,

1049
00:58:41,215 --> 00:58:44,112
and it's like, you're in my way.

1050
00:58:44,112 --> 00:58:46,836
I'm trying to provide for my
family. This is my livelihood.

1051
00:58:46,836 --> 00:58:48,767
I'm fighting
for this.

1052
00:58:54,664 --> 00:58:56,629
I am in a battle right
now with three other guys

1053
00:58:56,629 --> 00:58:58,422
to make this team and
I need to do something

1054
00:58:58,422 --> 00:58:59,664
to separate myself.

1055
00:59:03,560 --> 00:59:05,250
[energetic country music]

1056
00:59:11,112 --> 00:59:14,319
It is gonna be that ugly sort
of defence in the trenches,

1057
00:59:15,422 --> 00:59:18,939
battles down low, net front
play, like, these hard ugly jobs

1058
00:59:18,939 --> 00:59:21,560
where the game gets
ugly, slow, gritty.

1059
00:59:22,767 --> 00:59:25,595
Anytime a coach sees a guy
who's willing to commit to that,

1060
00:59:25,595 --> 00:59:27,595
it's like, we have
something here.

1061
00:59:27,595 --> 00:59:28,664
You know?

1062
00:59:35,112 --> 00:59:36,319
And I was just
like, fuck this.

1063
00:59:36,319 --> 00:59:37,629
Like, I need

1064
00:59:37,629 --> 00:59:40,043
to start doing this stuff
if I'm gonna play pro.

1065
00:59:41,526 --> 00:59:43,112
Not to say I was
looking for a fight,

1066
00:59:43,112 --> 00:59:45,767
but you know, I would've
happily gotten in one today.

1067
00:59:50,457 --> 00:59:53,802
- Let go, let go, let go.
- What?

1068
00:59:54,250 --> 00:59:55,664
[hockey umpire]

1069
01:00:06,802 --> 01:00:09,112
I thought rookie camp
went pretty well for me.

1070
01:00:09,112 --> 01:00:11,939
I had some feedback from the
coaches and stuff like that.

1071
01:00:11,939 --> 01:00:15,008
They had noticed a big
change in me right away.

1072
01:00:17,939 --> 01:00:20,422
I do. Like, I was
just mad at nationals,

1073
01:00:20,422 --> 01:00:22,215
so it came out onto the ice.

1074
01:00:23,250 --> 01:00:26,284
He's had a couple cups of
coffee I would say there,

1075
01:00:26,284 --> 01:00:29,112
as we say in the game, but
we've had very strong teams too.

1076
01:00:29,112 --> 01:00:32,698
So he's come in at a time where
there's steep competition.

1077
01:00:32,698 --> 01:00:36,319
So hopefully Luke can crack
the Milwaukee squad this year

1078
01:00:36,319 --> 01:00:37,629
and you know,

1079
01:00:37,629 --> 01:00:39,836
hopefully continue his
journey with the organisation.

1080
01:00:49,491 --> 01:00:51,595
[upbeat country music]

1081
01:00:58,836 --> 01:01:00,526
We are in the first week

1082
01:01:00,526 --> 01:01:03,250
of the regular season in
the American Hockey League.

1083
01:01:18,181 --> 01:01:21,802
I finally got my opportunity
playing against Chicago.

1084
01:01:21,802 --> 01:01:22,939
seventh game of the year.

1085
01:01:23,836 --> 01:01:24,802
I was actually the third star

1086
01:01:24,802 --> 01:01:26,836
of the game when we
were going off the ice

1087
01:01:26,836 --> 01:01:29,250
and they said that, I was
like, no, you got that wrong.

1088
01:01:29,250 --> 01:01:30,629
But I did. I mean,
I did play well.

1089
01:01:32,008 --> 01:01:35,698
Just excited to finally be
in the spot that I've wanted

1090
01:01:35,698 --> 01:01:37,802
to be, to be playing in
the league that I've wanted

1091
01:01:37,802 --> 01:01:39,146
to be playing in,
the competition

1092
01:01:39,146 --> 01:01:40,664
I've wanted to be
playing against.

1093
01:01:44,629 --> 01:01:46,284
All the hard work I
put in the summer feels

1094
01:01:46,284 --> 01:01:47,560
like it's paid off.

1095
01:01:52,008 --> 01:01:53,767
[hockey announcer]

1096
01:01:58,077 --> 01:02:01,836
The first American Hockey
League goal for Luke Prokop.

1097
01:02:02,595 --> 01:02:06,733
Luke Prokop gets his
first a AHL goal at

1098
01:02:06,733 --> 01:02:09,422
18:28 of the first period

1099
01:02:09,422 --> 01:02:12,043
to give Milwaukee
a two nothing lead.

1100
01:02:12,043 --> 01:02:14,526
Bound by a job to go
to the rink every day

1101
01:02:14,526 --> 01:02:15,905
and work my bag off

1102
01:02:15,905 --> 01:02:18,319
and make it so that
there's not even a question

1103
01:02:18,319 --> 01:02:19,733
to take me out
of the lineup.

1104
01:02:26,664 --> 01:02:29,319
[upbeat country music]

1105
01:02:46,077 --> 01:02:48,733
Okay guys, hello right here.

1106
01:02:51,077 --> 01:02:56,319
Mayor of Milwaukee,
Cavalier Johnson has

1107
01:02:56,319 --> 01:03:01,560
Declared and proclaim that
Wednesday, January 29th, 2025

1108
01:03:01,560 --> 01:03:06,250
to be Luke Prokob day
City of Milwaukee.

1109
01:03:09,043 --> 01:03:10,870
- Wow.
- Holy shit.

1110
01:03:11,629 --> 01:03:13,526
[cheering]

1111
01:03:14,767 --> 01:03:15,629
The man of the hour.

1112
01:03:20,629 --> 01:03:22,870
It's really nice
to, to meet y'all and,

1113
01:03:22,870 --> 01:03:24,595
and know that I, you know,
have some people in my

1114
01:03:24,595 --> 01:03:25,802
corner that are rooting for me.

1115
01:03:25,802 --> 01:03:27,250
So, I really appreciate
it. Thank you.

1116
01:03:32,526 --> 01:03:37,388
[various meet and greets]

1117
01:03:50,664 --> 01:03:54,319
I hope that this is a point
in the history of the game

1118
01:03:54,319 --> 01:03:58,319
where the people that make
institutional decisions

1119
01:03:58,319 --> 01:04:01,388
are electing to think about
this in a more serious way

1120
01:04:01,388 --> 01:04:05,008
of like, look how much
more you could have.

1121
01:04:05,008 --> 01:04:06,974
- Awesome, thank you.
- Nice to meet you.

1122
01:04:06,974 --> 01:04:10,526
Leagues that dont start
to listen to that.

1123
01:04:10,526 --> 01:04:12,629
They're gonna find
themselves in an echo chamber

1124
01:04:12,629 --> 01:04:15,526
that at some point isn't gonna
sell out stadiums anymore.

1125
01:04:28,181 --> 01:04:29,146
Course.

1126
01:04:31,112 --> 01:04:33,181
Okay. Maybe not a
personal question.

1127
01:04:34,353 --> 01:04:36,870
No, I'm not dating
anyone right now.

1128
01:04:36,870 --> 01:04:39,870
It'd be nice to, you know,
share this space with someone

1129
01:04:39,870 --> 01:04:43,353
or start, you know,
actually dating someone,

1130
01:04:44,457 --> 01:04:46,939
but I'm not gonna
rush into anything,

1131
01:04:46,939 --> 01:04:49,733
or you know, be with
the wrong person.

1132
01:04:49,733 --> 01:04:53,353
We're gonna, you know, wait
for that person to come.

1133
01:05:05,939 --> 01:05:09,422
[explosions]

1134
01:05:12,733 --> 01:05:16,215
[American national anthem]

1135
01:05:17,457 --> 01:05:20,905
I haven't played a game
since beginning of April.

1136
01:05:23,836 --> 01:05:25,870
I've been having these episodes.

1137
01:05:27,008 --> 01:05:28,629
Whenever I exercise,

1138
01:05:28,629 --> 01:05:31,112
my heart rate will get
really, really fast.

1139
01:05:31,112 --> 01:05:34,250
It actually happened during
a game against Rockford early

1140
01:05:34,250 --> 01:05:36,733
March, and I got
pulled from the game.

1141
01:05:41,664 --> 01:05:45,043
[locker room banter]

1142
01:05:50,008 --> 01:05:53,802
The diagnosis is called
Ectopic Atrial Tachycardia.

1143
01:05:54,836 --> 01:05:57,077
So it's tomorrow
morning, I'm getting

1144
01:05:57,077 --> 01:05:58,560
a procedure done on my heart.

1145
01:06:01,629 --> 01:06:02,939
This surgery's basically kinda

1146
01:06:04,077 --> 01:06:05,733
officially ending my season.

1147
01:06:07,526 --> 01:06:09,767
Just gonna pause
Your favourite colour.

1148
01:06:09,767 --> 01:06:10,595
Oh, good one mom.

1149
01:06:19,733 --> 01:06:20,802
What'd you wish for?

1150
01:06:21,905 --> 01:06:24,870
Everything goes well
tomorrow. Hopefully.

1151
01:06:31,595 --> 01:06:34,457
The future of my time
with Nashville is

1152
01:06:34,457 --> 01:06:35,422
still up in the air.

1153
01:06:35,664 --> 01:06:38,284
I still could be here next
year if they wanna sign me.

1154
01:06:38,284 --> 01:06:39,939
I don't think they will.

1155
01:06:41,664 --> 01:06:43,008
I don't know if I've done enough

1156
01:06:43,008 --> 01:06:45,905
to prove myself to other teams.

1157
01:06:45,905 --> 01:06:48,008
I only have 40 games
of a AHL experience,

1158
01:06:48,008 --> 01:06:49,595
my entry level contract.

1159
01:06:49,595 --> 01:06:51,181
Is that enough? Did I do enough

1160
01:06:51,181 --> 01:06:53,422
to earn myself another contract?

1161
01:06:53,422 --> 01:06:56,146
- Doing okay? - Yeah.
- You have any pain?

1162
01:06:57,664 --> 01:06:59,284
[indistinct]

1163
01:06:59,664 --> 01:07:01,905
I have no idea what
next season looks like for me.

1164
01:07:01,905 --> 01:07:04,560
Where I'm gonna be, if
I'm gonna get a contract?

1165
01:07:06,077 --> 01:07:08,043
If I don't, I might have
to go over to Europe.

1166
01:07:17,733 --> 01:07:20,353
[bright music]

1167
01:07:45,733 --> 01:07:47,629
It feels great to be
home for the summer.

1168
01:07:51,733 --> 01:07:54,043
And I've only been
out for three years,

1169
01:07:54,043 --> 01:07:56,905
so, I don't know a whole tonne
of the history, you know,

1170
01:07:56,905 --> 01:07:59,215
but within my community and
the province and the city.

1171
01:08:01,629 --> 01:08:05,457
1992 King's College
fired Delwin Vriend

1172
01:08:06,526 --> 01:08:08,146
solely for being gay.

1173
01:08:08,146 --> 01:08:10,215
It was a policy
of King's College.

1174
01:08:10,215 --> 01:08:12,112
If you were gay, you can't
be a teacher.

1175
01:08:13,215 --> 01:08:14,388
At that time,

1176
01:08:14,388 --> 01:08:17,870
the Individual Rights Protection
Act did not include the

1177
01:08:17,870 --> 01:08:19,181
word sexual orientation.

1178
01:08:20,664 --> 01:08:24,491
So, we went to Court of
Queen's bench in 1996.

1179
01:08:24,491 --> 01:08:27,698
The lead judge, you
know what this guy did?

1180
01:08:28,629 --> 01:08:30,146
He was so homophobic,

1181
01:08:30,146 --> 01:08:33,974
and so outraged that we
were even in his courtroom.

1182
01:08:33,974 --> 01:08:35,353
He turned his chair around.

1183
01:08:38,802 --> 01:08:40,112
Seven years in the making,

1184
01:08:40,112 --> 01:08:41,526
we finally get to
the Supreme Court

1185
01:08:41,526 --> 01:08:42,595
of Canada.

1186
01:08:44,457 --> 01:08:45,560
We won.

1187
01:08:48,112 --> 01:08:52,319
And now the Supreme Court
decision in the Vriend case is

1188
01:08:52,319 --> 01:08:55,664
{\an8}used in law courts
around the world

1189
01:08:55,664 --> 01:08:59,353
{\an8}to bring sexual orientation
into their legislation.

1190
01:09:00,664 --> 01:09:02,870
And let's be clear, this
fight will never end.

1191
01:09:02,870 --> 01:09:05,008
And that's why I'm really
proud that Luke is here

1192
01:09:05,008 --> 01:09:07,905
with us today, because
this has to continue.

1193
01:09:07,905 --> 01:09:10,870
Discrimination hinders coming
out, coming out hinders

1194
01:09:10,870 --> 01:09:11,905
discrimination.

1195
01:09:14,698 --> 01:09:16,043
All the stuff that
they had to go through

1196
01:09:16,043 --> 01:09:17,629
to get our rights in this city

1197
01:09:17,629 --> 01:09:20,353
and in this province was,
was something really cool.

1198
01:09:20,353 --> 01:09:22,664
And, you know, Pride was a
protest. That's what it was.

1199
01:09:22,664 --> 01:09:23,939
And, and they were protesting

1200
01:09:23,939 --> 01:09:27,215
for our rights basically
in this province only,

1201
01:09:27,215 --> 01:09:28,698
you know, 25 years ago.

1202
01:09:31,043 --> 01:09:33,181
I think I've learned
a lot about myself.

1203
01:09:34,698 --> 01:09:37,043
You know, with hockey, these
decisions are probably gonna

1204
01:09:37,043 --> 01:09:39,595
seem super tiny and super
small in five years.

1205
01:09:41,043 --> 01:09:42,181
Life's gonna be okay.

1206
01:09:44,560 --> 01:09:47,112
I think it's just time for
me to get a fresh start.

1207
01:09:47,112 --> 01:09:49,319
That's what I'm hoping is
gonna happen this summer.

1208
01:09:49,422 --> 01:09:51,664
[bright vocal music]

1209
01:09:52,181 --> 01:09:54,353
The Edmonton Oilers
have signed Luke Prokop

1210
01:09:54,353 --> 01:09:56,043
{\an8}to their organisation.

1211
01:09:56,043 --> 01:09:57,836
{\an8}He'll play for their
a AHL affiliate,

1212
01:09:57,836 --> 01:09:59,974
the Bakersfield Condors
starting this month.

1213
01:10:03,526 --> 01:10:06,422
Obviously super happy to
sign with my hometown team.

1214
01:10:10,664 --> 01:10:13,043
It's it's in the
basement at home.

1215
01:10:13,043 --> 01:10:17,664
[hockey announcer]

1216
01:10:21,836 --> 01:10:23,284
It's been kind of a breath

1217
01:10:23,284 --> 01:10:24,870
of fresh air just being
in a new organisation,

1218
01:10:24,870 --> 01:10:26,526
which is, you know
what I wanted.

1219
01:10:26,526 --> 01:10:28,043
Prokop worked
it up the board.

1220
01:10:28,043 --> 01:10:29,698
Training camp was really cool,

1221
01:10:29,698 --> 01:10:31,905
seeing Will Mc David on the ice

1222
01:10:31,905 --> 01:10:33,836
and he came out to, he's
like, hi, my name's Connor.

1223
01:10:33,836 --> 01:10:35,698
And I'm like, I know
who you fucking are.

1224
01:10:37,388 --> 01:10:39,939
I was able to showcase myself
in a way where like, okay,

1225
01:10:39,939 --> 01:10:42,870
this kid belongs and
he's an actual prospect.

1226
01:10:42,870 --> 01:10:46,664
[hockey announcer]

1227
01:10:47,008 --> 01:10:50,043
Prokop, shot, and it scores!

1228
01:10:50,043 --> 01:10:51,698
[buzzer sounds]

1229
01:10:52,939 --> 01:10:54,802
Prokop for the point, score.

1230
01:10:54,802 --> 01:10:56,664
[buzzer sounds]

1231
01:10:58,181 --> 01:11:00,974
{\an8}It's feeling like I was,
when I was back in junior,

1232
01:11:01,767 --> 01:11:03,595
just playing carefree

1233
01:11:03,595 --> 01:11:05,008
and truly feeling like

1234
01:11:05,008 --> 01:11:07,250
that these people in the
organisation believe in me.

1235
01:11:11,767 --> 01:11:13,457
I've been really happy
with how I've playing,

1236
01:11:13,457 --> 01:11:14,905
and the Stan Bowman
is like, yeah,

1237
01:11:14,905 --> 01:11:16,284
well you look like
a real integral

1238
01:11:16,284 --> 01:11:17,595
piece for us for the future.

1239
01:11:18,457 --> 01:11:21,595
I think we've played 15
games, I've played 14 of them.

1240
01:11:23,284 --> 01:11:25,112
It's everything that I
thought it would be just

1241
01:11:25,112 --> 01:11:27,043
with a fresh set of eyes
and a new opportunity.

1242
01:11:39,939 --> 01:11:42,905
Heated rivalry
going to number one is

1243
01:11:42,905 --> 01:11:44,008
so incredible.

1244
01:11:44,008 --> 01:11:45,043
[social media reacts]

1245
01:11:53,284 --> 01:11:55,008
The story we're telling
in heated rivalry

1246
01:11:55,008 --> 01:11:58,284
is a distinct fantasy and
it is there to be joyful.

1247
01:11:58,284 --> 01:12:02,319
It shows men being vulnerable
and it humanises people.

1248
01:12:10,698 --> 01:12:12,802
The queer community, they
finally feel like they have a

1249
01:12:12,802 --> 01:12:15,146
seat at the hockey
table of conversation.

1250
01:12:15,146 --> 01:12:18,146
It's a reminder that,
like, hockey has the potential

1251
01:12:18,146 --> 01:12:19,146
to appeal to everybody.

1252
01:12:20,077 --> 01:12:23,491
But I do hope that they
hear the rallying cry

1253
01:12:23,491 --> 01:12:25,181
of these new fans

1254
01:12:25,181 --> 01:12:29,181
and these people who want to
be fans who have been asking

1255
01:12:29,181 --> 01:12:30,974
for change in this culture.

1256
01:12:35,008 --> 01:12:39,319
They're making themselves
so heard that I think the rest

1257
01:12:39,319 --> 01:12:41,974
of society is having no choice

1258
01:12:43,008 --> 01:12:46,077
but to pay attention
to what they're doing.

1259
01:12:46,077 --> 01:12:47,974
And I think it's beautiful.

1260
01:12:53,664 --> 01:12:57,353
Luke is a big tough hockey
player and he goes out there

1261
01:12:57,353 --> 01:12:59,526
and he hits in
the corner and he,

1262
01:12:59,526 --> 01:13:00,905
and he stands up
for his teammates.

1263
01:13:00,905 --> 01:13:03,422
And so him being also gay,

1264
01:13:03,422 --> 01:13:06,560
it's like melding worlds
together for people to see.

1265
01:13:08,250 --> 01:13:09,595
He's existing in a space

1266
01:13:09,595 --> 01:13:11,629
that doesn't have
people like him.

1267
01:13:11,629 --> 01:13:14,595
So just his existence matters.

1268
01:13:14,595 --> 01:13:18,250
Just his existence will get
people to critically think about

1269
01:13:18,250 --> 01:13:19,836
what they do and what they say.

1270
01:13:22,939 --> 01:13:26,250
There's lots of guys that
learned that it wasn't a thing,

1271
01:13:26,250 --> 01:13:28,077
that he's just a
regular teammate.

1272
01:13:28,077 --> 01:13:29,905
They learned so much
from being with Luke

1273
01:13:29,905 --> 01:13:31,870
that they can now take
to other teams.

1274
01:13:31,870 --> 01:13:35,077
Lets go. Woo!
Always on time.

1275
01:13:35,077 --> 01:13:37,077
My coach in Bakersfield
won't ever say

1276
01:13:37,077 --> 01:13:38,733
girlfriend or wife anymore.

1277
01:13:38,733 --> 01:13:41,905
He'll only say partner. You
know, there's guys on my teams

1278
01:13:41,905 --> 01:13:44,560
that are asking questions
if I have a boyfriend

1279
01:13:44,560 --> 01:13:46,664
and what was it
like to come out?

1280
01:13:46,664 --> 01:13:48,629
So it's like throwing
a stone into a pond,

1281
01:13:48,629 --> 01:13:49,733
the ripples spread.

1282
01:13:56,043 --> 01:13:58,319
{\an8}Yeah, there's a lot of things

1283
01:13:58,319 --> 01:14:00,181
to be grateful for
in my life right now.

1284
01:14:02,112 --> 01:14:05,974
I have a boyfriend,
first time I've ever said

1285
01:14:05,974 --> 01:14:07,457
that on camera.

1286
01:14:09,836 --> 01:14:12,629
First time that like, I'll
even like say it to my parents

1287
01:14:12,629 --> 01:14:14,491
and stuff, which is cool,

1288
01:14:14,491 --> 01:14:16,629
but also terrifying
at the same time.

1289
01:14:18,629 --> 01:14:19,870
With my dad this year we're off

1290
01:14:19,870 --> 01:14:21,698
to a little bit
of a better start.

1291
01:14:21,698 --> 01:14:23,043
You know, if I have a bad game

1292
01:14:23,043 --> 01:14:24,905
and we're able to kind
of go back to normal,

1293
01:14:29,146 --> 01:14:31,664
Why very much fisticuff
served hitting or anything?

1294
01:14:31,664 --> 01:14:34,284
I kind of like that when
I gotten that scrum.

1295
01:14:36,974 --> 01:14:41,146
From my perspective,
all of us are probably

1296
01:14:41,146 --> 01:14:44,077
at some point living
our childhood again

1297
01:14:44,077 --> 01:14:45,767
through our sons.

1298
01:14:47,319 --> 01:14:49,319
There's so many things
that I'd do different.

1299
01:14:49,319 --> 01:14:53,629
I mean, they didn't play
it to become a NHL player.

1300
01:14:53,629 --> 01:14:54,905
They played it
'cause it was fun.

1301
01:14:59,974 --> 01:15:04,215
If hockey is done
right, if it is inclusive,

1302
01:15:04,215 --> 01:15:08,353
if it is accessible, it
has incredible benefits.

1303
01:15:08,353 --> 01:15:12,077
Here we have Luke,
the champion of Pre-novice.

1304
01:15:15,112 --> 01:15:17,181
You know, accolades
are amazing.

1305
01:15:17,181 --> 01:15:19,388
Winning championships
are amazing,

1306
01:15:19,388 --> 01:15:20,836
but people forget
all about that.

1307
01:15:22,388 --> 01:15:24,284
They remember the people
that made a lasting

1308
01:15:24,284 --> 01:15:25,319
impact on the game.

1309
01:15:26,112 --> 01:15:27,457
[cheering]

1310
01:15:28,733 --> 01:15:33,043
If it worked out from a
hockey perspective, great.

1311
01:15:33,043 --> 01:15:36,043
If it didn't, you
know, he's kind

1312
01:15:36,043 --> 01:15:37,698
of feel like he's did his job.

1313
01:15:42,388 --> 01:15:44,870
Coming out I've been
able to connect with kids

1314
01:15:44,870 --> 01:15:46,767
who are kind of in the
same spot that I was

1315
01:15:46,767 --> 01:15:48,181
and being able

1316
01:15:48,181 --> 01:15:50,698
to help them along their
journey has been amazing.

1317
01:15:52,870 --> 01:15:55,043
It didn't matter to him
at the end of the day,

1318
01:15:55,043 --> 01:15:58,043
whether he gotta play
one NHL game or not.

1319
01:15:58,043 --> 01:16:01,457
It was more important
for him to help people

1320
01:16:01,457 --> 01:16:03,939
and throw this huge
weight off his shoulders

1321
01:16:03,939 --> 01:16:05,215
and be able to move forward.

1322
01:16:07,905 --> 01:16:10,008
If one kid watches this
and says,

1323
01:16:10,008 --> 01:16:12,353
yeah, I'm having those
same fears and anxiety,

1324
01:16:12,353 --> 01:16:15,284
but Luke's done it,
Luke's helping to say

1325
01:16:15,284 --> 01:16:16,698
that it can be okay.

1326
01:16:18,629 --> 01:16:21,077
My main goal with this
whole documentary is for it

1327
01:16:21,077 --> 01:16:22,388
to reach kids like me.

1328
01:16:23,250 --> 01:16:25,974
If I could help one person,
I feel like I've done my job.

1329
01:16:27,802 --> 01:16:31,112
I know that he truly feels
like he's making a positive

1330
01:16:31,112 --> 01:16:34,146
impact on others
and in his own life and,

1331
01:16:35,560 --> 01:16:38,595
[emotional music]

1332
01:16:52,008 --> 01:16:53,319
and you are just proud of him.