NHL player Jujhar Khaira is Gay Twitter™’s newest hockey daddy & we may need to apply ice

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Jujhar Khaira is only the third player of Indian or Punjabi descent to play in the NHL.

But now, the forward owns a new title: favorite of the gays!

For reasons unknown, gays started salivating over pictures of Khaira on social media Wednesday night. The timing was quite random, considering Khaira currently plays for the Iowa Wild in the AHL, one step below the NHL.

How about we take this to the next level?

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But as we know, there’s not always a rhyme or reason for gay thirst. Sometimes, it just pops up.

That was the case with Khaira, our newest hockey daddy.

Jeeeesus Christ— spenny (@gayformao) January 11, 2024

Anything, I would do anything for him— Lucas (@lucasmorenx) January 11, 2024

Khaira, 29, made his NHL debut with the Edmonton Oilers during the 2015-16 campaign. He scored his first goal the following season, a game-winner against the Arizona Coyotes.

“You always picture it in your head,” Khaira told reporters after the game. “It feels good.”

As only the third player of Indian descent to step onto the NHL ice, Khaira knows the importance of visibility. He was a proud ambassador for the NHL’s You Can Play campaign, which seeks to eliminate homophobia in hockey. The program was launched in 2012 by legendary NHL exec Brian Burke following the tragic passing of his gay son, Brendan.

Despite looking different from his teammates, Khaira says he’s never felt unwelcome in a hockey locker room. He wishes everybody could enjoy the same experience.

“Everybody I’ve played with, I’ve never felt excluded,” he said in 2017. “Always felt welcome. That’s from Day One. There’s always a few people that you run into or play against where emotion will get high and stuff gets said, but since I’ve been a pro, not much of that.

“A hockey team is like a family and I don’t think anybody, especially myself, has ever been excluded or not felt part of it in any way.”

In many respects, it’s fitting that Khaira played for the Oilers, one of the most inclusive franchises in the NHL. They were the first NHL team to use rainbow tape on their sticks, and were also one of the first clubs to embrace Pride Nights. Back in 2014, then-captain Andrew Ference marched in Edmonton’s Pride parade wearing his Oilers jersey–a strong statement given the team’s stature in the city.

Each summer, the Oilers play in the Pride Cup, which coincides with Edmonton’s Pride celebrations.

Oilers forward Connor McDavid, one of the best players in the NHL, has also asserted himself as a steadfast LGBTQ+ ally. He spoke out against the league’s ill-conceived Pride tape ban, and last month, wrapped his stick in rainbow tape to show solidarity with the New Jersey Devils on their Pride night.

Following six seasons in Edmonton, Khaira signed with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2021. He scored nine goals in two seasons, along with eight assists.

But as far as we’re concerned, he’s a perfect 10.

While we respect all handsome athletes, there’s something unique about hockey players. They’re rugged, tough and bearded.

It’s apparent that Khaira plays hard, as evidenced by the cut across his nose.

Oh, and did we mention he’s 6’4″?

Though the Minnesota Wild signed Khaira in September, he’s only played one game at the NHL level this season.

It sounds like we need to make a field trip to Iowa, in search of hockey love.

We think we speak for many when we say, Khaira can put his puck wherever he wants…

Related:

Ex-hockey jock Brock McGillis talks fighting homophobia one locker room at a time & his Grindr love story

McGillis, a former semipro hockey player, recently launched his “Culture Shift Tour.”