Luke Prokop (Image: Getty Images)

Out ice hockey player Luke Prokop has shared a candid, joking account of the “really gay s***” he says goes on in hockey locker rooms, from constant bum-slapping to explicit body talk among teammates.

In a clip from his appearance on No Straight Answers, hosted by Zoe Boyd, Prokop says: “Like, we do some really gay s*** in hockey.” When Boyd suggests bum-slapping, Prokop replies: “All the time.”

Prokop also describes how common it is for players to comment on one another’s bodies. “Like, guys will talk about the size of everyone, and like … sometimes I’m standing there, this is all happening around me, and I’m like, ‘You guys are gayer than me.’” He adds: “Honestly, some of them are. And it’s every day, too. They’re talking about each others c**** every day. It’s so weird.”

The locker-room exchange is reportedly from a clip Boyd posted that does not appear in the finished interview.

Prokop’s coming out

Prokop, 23, also spoke about coming out and settling into teams after being open about his sexuality. He said he first came out to his sister, then his mum, before telling anyone else.

He later came out to his four closest straight male friends “around the kitchen island” at his home. Prokop described a long silence before he finally said: “Uh, I’m gay.”

He recalled one friend breaking the tension by asking a question, then responding: “Okay, so you’re gay. When can we start hunting for men?” Prokop said the moment was “so sweet” and “hilarious”, adding that his group chat with those friends is now titled “I have a question”.

Dressing room antics

Prokop said joking with teammates helped reduce awkwardness when joining new teams.

“A lot of guys on the team forget that I’m gay. Which is how I wanted it to be because I never wanted it to be awkward or weird for anyone else,” he said, adding that he encouraged teammates to make “a gay one-liner” if the opportunity came up.

Prokop plays for the Bakersfield Condors, the AHL affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers, after coming out publicly in July 2021 as a Nashville Predators prospect.

The Canadian defenceman became the first player under NHL contract to come out as gay in 2021. Wider debates about hockey’s approach to LGBTQ+ inclusion have also played out around league decisions, including when Pride jerseys were banned during warm-ups, over claims they were a “distraction”.

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