"You Can Play is thrilled to be working with the Minnesota Wild on You Can Play night to celebrate LGBT inclusion in sports," said Patrick Burke, the NHL Director of Player Safety and co-founder of You Can Play. "We have seen a wonderful outpouring of support from players like Zach Parise and Jason Pominville, who was one of our earliest supporters. We hope LGBT hockey players, coaches and fans in the State of Hockey know that their hometown team accepts and welcomes them for who they are."
In 2013, the NHL and the NHL Players' Association announced a partnership with You Can Play that advances their longstanding commitment to make the NHL the most inclusive professional sports league in the world.
You Can Play works to guarantee that athletes are given a fair opportunity to compete, judged by other athletes and fans only by what they contribute to the sport or their team's success. It seeks to challenge the culture of locker rooms and spectator areas by focusing only on an athlete's skills, work ethic and competitive spirit.
