At the Boston Bruins’ Hockey Is for Everyone night last week, where the team beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-3, defenseman Charlie McAvoy stepped up and spoke out in support of inclusivity and support for LGBTQ+ fellow skaters and the community.
Reports Boston.com:
Speaking after the Bruins’ “Hockey Is For Everyone” night at TD Garden, Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy wanted to let fans know that hockey is making strides in its efforts to make the game more inclusive and welcoming to all.
During warmups, McAvoy was one of several Bruins skaters who featured rainbow-colored tape wrapped around their sticks.
Ahead of Boston’s matchup against the Golden Knights, the opening ceremony on Causeway Street featured hockey players from LGBTQIA+, sled hockey, deaf, blind, special hockey, and standing amputee/limb difference athletes taking to the TD Garden ice with Boston’s starters.
According to a Bruins team release, Hockey is for Everyone stands as an NHL initiative that “uses the game of hockey and the National Hockey League’s global influence to drive positive social change and foster more inclusive communities regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, disability, sexual orientation and socio-economic status.”
For McAvoy, both the NHL and the game of hockey as a whole have made major progress over the years when it comes to making the sport accessible to all.
“I feel like I see it here, most definitely,” McAvoy said after Boston’s 4-3 win over Vegas. “And I think you see it in the game too, with initiatives like this. I’ve heard so much support from people within those communities, that this means a lot to them. So it’s the least that we can do to show our support and show that we’re all on the same team.”
Read the complete Boston.com story here.
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