NHL Unites Pride Cup puts LGBTQ hockey in the spotlight this weekend
For the NHL Unites Pride Cup, teams from Seattle and Vancouver will face off this weekend in British Columbia for unity and the trophy. The post NHL Unites Pride Cup puts LGBTQ hockey in the spotlight this weekend appeared first on Outsports.
Mark
On the heels of one of the most successful performances by out hockey players in Olympic history, the LGBTQ presence within the sport will take center ice once again this weekend when the NHL Unites Pride Cup takes over the Pacific Northwest.
The third edition of the annual tradition will feature three games between two LGBTQ hockey teams, the Seattle Pride Hockey Association and Vancouver, B.C.’s The Cutting Edges, over the course of two days in Surrey, B.C., just southeast of Vancouver.
The two squads will play a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 28, followed by an afternoon capper on Sunday, March 1. Each team will receive a $25,000 donation as well.
While both teams will surely be looking to win the pride of the PNW, the weekend is about more than just the action on the ice.
Get off the sidelines and into the game
Our weekly playbook is packed with everything from locker room chatter to pressing LGBTQ sports issues.
Subscribe to our Newsletter today
LGBTQ sports advocacy group You Can Play and Pride Tape, the makers of the rainbow stick tape utilized by multiple pro hockey players to celebrate LGBTQ pride on the ice, will be on hand to facilitate a coaching session on creating welcoming and safe environments for LGBTQ athletes and promote their missions of inclusivity in hockey.
“The Cutting Edges are honored to be part of the NHL Unites Pride Cup alongside great partners like Seattle Pride Hockey Association, the NHL and Pride Tape,” The Cutting Edges president Kyle McCarthy said in a statement released by the NHL. “This is an opportunity for all of us to celebrate what hockey is all about, community.”
“The NHL Unites Pride Cup is about more than hockey — it’s about visibility, belonging, and showing LGBTQ+ players and fans that this sport is for them,” Seattle Pride Hockey Association president Steven Thompson added. “We’re incredibly proud to share the ice with the Vancouver Cutting Edges and grateful to the NHL for continuing to invest in community-driven inclusion. Moments like this help shape the future of hockey into one that truly welcomes everyone.”
While registration is required for the coaching session, all three games during the NHL Unites Pride Cup will be free to attend at the North Surrey Sport & Ice Complex.
Subscribe to the Outsports newsletter to keep up with your favorite out athletes, inspiring LGBTQ sports stories, and more.
The post NHL Unites Pride Cup puts LGBTQ hockey in the spotlight this weekend appeared first on Outsports.
