In a recent survey issued by USA TODAY, 34 of 35 NHL players polled said they would be accepting of an openly gay teammate.
Calgary Flames president Brian Burke, who also serves on the advisory board of You Can Play, told the publication he’s not surprised by the positive poll result.
“I’m disappointed by the one player,” he added.
“I think the [survey] says a lot about our players,” Burke said. “I think it says a lot about how far society has come in this area.”
You Can Play is an organization co-founded by Burke’s son, Patrick, that works to ensure equality among all athletes regardless of sexual orientation. Both father and son got involved as a way to honour Burke’s late son, Brendan, who was killed in a car accident in 2010 at age 21. Brendan came out as gay the year prior during his time as a student manager of the Miami University hockey team. The NHL formed a partnership with You Can Play in 2013.
“I don’t think our players have an issue with gay players. I think the first player to come out is going to find an unbelievably welcome reception,” said Burke. “I think my generation has a bigger problem than their generation when it comes views on the gay community.”
The survey, which was conducted anonymously at the NHL and NHLPA’s media tour in Toronto at the beginning of the month, asked 35 players a variety of questions, including their stance on jersey advertisements, who this year’s sleeper team could be, and which player they think will receive the Art Ross Trophy this season.
Here are some more of the results:
Twenty-five players said the NHL should realign if teams in Las Vegas and Quebec City are added to the league.
Twenty-five players voted against putting advertisements on jerseys.
Nineteen players think Sidney Crosby will win the Art Ross Trophy this season. John Tavares earned the next-highest vote total, with five.
The jury’s still out on who this year’s sleeper team might be, with players naming 14 different teams as possibilities to be better than people expect. The Columbus Blue Jackets lead the voting with eight, while the Buffalo Sabres and Edmonton Oilers earned five votes apiece.
Thirteen of 17 players surveyed believe Phil Kessel will score a minimum of 40 goals this year with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
(via USA TODAY)
