In a storyline as much Brokeback Mountain as Slap Shot, the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs, one of Canada's iconic teams, has lent its name and logo to a movie whose central character is a gay former hockey player.
The move has raised eyebrows within the normally conservative world of professional sports.
In the 89-year history of the NHL -- the world's most elite ice hockey league with Canadian and US teams, known for nightly brawls between players -- no active player has ever admitted publicly to being a homosexual.
The film, Breakfast with Scot, tells the story of a former Maple Leafs hockey player whose relationship with the team's lawyer is exposed when they become the guardians of a young boy with sexual identity issues of his own.
The movie is based on the 2001 novel by US writer Michael Downing and is produced by Canadian companies Miracle Pictures and Capri Releasing.
What astonished many observers is that the NHL cooperated in getting permission for the film makers to use their official logos and uniforms.
John Lashway, senior vice-president of communications at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE), the parent company of the Maple Leafs hockey club, said that the team was approached by the NHL and urged to lend their name and logo to the proposal.
"We really didn't want to make a statement about homosexuality one way or another, but we recognize that people have diverse lifestyles," Lashway said.
After reviewing the proposal, MLSE agreed to back the project on its own merits.
"You have to give full credit to the NHL and the Leafs for signing on. It also shows the possibility, for if someone were to come out, perhaps it wouldn't be as big a deal as we think," actor Tom Cavanaugh, who plays the main character, told the Toronto Star newspaper.
"Sports is almost like the last bastion for that hurdle to be cleared in many ways," he added. "It's kind of an unwritten rule in sports circles that it's just not talked about, it's just not as accepted as it is in normal society. It's a strange thing. Hockey is no different."
The release notes for Breakfast with Scot say that the movie explores the issues of homosexuality in professional sports and the reasons behind society's reluctance to accept gay heroes.
Public reaction to the Maple Leafs' decision to cooperate has been split.
"We received several phone calls and e-mails from people who were angry that we had linked the Maple Leafs image with the homosexual lifestyle," Lashway said. "But we have had about the same number of reactions from people who have applauded the courage of our decision."
Don Cherry, a flamboyant and hugely popular hockey coach-turned-commentator, whose politically incorrect rants are a staple in the "Coach's Corner" segment of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's Saturday night hockey broadcasts, couldn't keep his hands off this story either.
"I know [NHL Commissioner] Gary Bettman wanted a kindlier and gentler league, but this is too much," he told the Toronto Star.
One evangelical Christian group, the Canada Family Action Coalition, responded to the news with anger, calling for a boycott of MLSE.
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
The famously raucous Hong Kong Sevens are to start today in a big test for a shiny new stadium at the heart of a major US$3.85 billion sports park in the territory. Officials are keeping their fingers crossed that the premier event in Hong Kong’s sporting and social calendar goes off without a hitch at the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium. They hope to entice major European soccer teams to visit in the next few months, with reports in December last year saying that Liverpool were in talks about a pre-season tour. Coldplay are to perform there next month, all part of Hong Kong’s
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
Matvei Michkov did not score on Monday, but the Philadelphia rookie had a hand in both goals as hosts the Flyers earned a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. Ryan Poehling and Jamie Drysdale got the goals for the Flyers (31-36-9, 71 points), who won their third straight. Michkov and Travis Konecny assisted on both. Ivan Fedotov stopped 28 shots to earn his first win since March 1, ending a personal six-game losing streak. Zachary L’Heureux got the lone goal for Nashville. Michael McCarron and Brady Skjei got the assists for the Predators (27-39-8, 62 points), who have just four goals in their
RSS