Pride Game Highlights Pittsburgh's LGBTQ+ Hockey 

Before the puck dropped on the Penguins’ fourth annual Pride Game, the Pittsburgh LGBTQ+ Hockey (Pittsburgh Tigers) organization hosted a meetup for anyone who wanted to attend and connect ahead of the night's festivities to celebrate the community.

“This is great. This has been the culmination of many years working with the Penguins,” said Mike Marsico, who launched the Tigers in 2012 with his husband, Adam Knoerzer.

“For them to continue to show their support in a world where there's so much controversy, other teams aren't doing this - but for the Penguins to double down, this means a lot to us. It means a lot to all the future people out there who want to play and who don't feel safe anywhere else.”

The goal of the Tigers has always been to foster an inclusive environment for all, which is something that Marsico and Knoerzer experienced while playing with the New York Gay Hockey Association and wanted to recreate after relocating to Pittsburgh.

"For me, it's a sense of responsibility that we owe these people a place where they can play safely, where they can be out, where we can help them," Marsico said. "We've had so many people over the years where this is part of their coming out journey. They might not have been out to their families, and very oftentimes, not out to other players or coworkers or things like that. This is a sense of strength for them."

Some members had previously given up the sport because it didn't feel right, until they found out about the Tigers. One person had stepped away for almost two decades after not feeling comfortable in other environments and returned to become one of the team's strongest players.

"This is helping people rediscover it. At the end of the day, for me, that's all I could ask for," Knoerzer said. "Because when I found that league in New York, I finally felt like I found my people. It's nice to see that kind of continuing here, and now, we have such involvement. We have a board; we have a real organization and other people who are willing to step up and help do things with outreach."

The Penguins, who were named the NHL's 2021-22 Inclusion Champions by You Can Play, have been involved with the Tigers for a while - which has played a role in helping their growth.

Both men have always loved the Penguins and even got married at PPG Paints Arena in 2015 (after holding a pre-wedding scrimmage with the Tigers at another local rink). Having their favorite team love them back and work to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community - on nights like this and beyond - means a lot to Marsico and Knoerzer.

"We appreciate the Penguins, and all of the effort that they're putting into this as well, because in a lot of ways, the Penguins are blazing that trail in terms of what that kind of partnership looks like between a local community and a sports organization," Knoerzer said.

"It's not lip service. It's not like, hey, I'm going to change my logo for a month and the rest of the year, you don't exist. That's one of the wonderful things about working with the Foundation, is the commitment to continue it throughout the year and continue to find ways to mutually benefit."

Now, the Tigers are at the point where they’re hoping to have another team, and would like to host an LGBTQ+ tournament here in Pittsburgh like bigger cities do. Through marching in the Pittsburgh Pride Parade, participating in other events around town, and teaming up with the Penguins, word has really gotten out about what an amazing organization the Tigers are.

"We've been getting to a point where people are coming to us and seeking us out," Marsico said. "People write to us all the time saying like, hey, we saw you advertised through the Penguins, we saw you had an open skate at the rink I play in."

People who would like to learn more can visit the team’s website, which has details for the next two events: a Learn to Play Beginner Hockey Clinic on April 18, and an LQBTQ+ Family & Friends Open Skate and Pizza Party on April 27.

Everyone is welcome, and it's particularly important to Knoezer and Marsico that they don't end up prioritizing gay white men over any other group that's part of the LQBTQ+ community, which can be the case in other queer leagues around the country.

"We are deliberate in our commitment to sort of embrace a wider spectrum of identity and making sure everybody feels comfortable," Knoezer said. "Because I don't want us to be one of those teams that's meant as a safe space, to reproduce the same exclusionary attitudes that led to them having to exist in the first place."

They also appreciate support from allies who are non-LGBTQ+, whether it's a simple gesture like using rainbow Pride tape, or actually coming and playing with the Tigers.

"So many people join our team because they want to support the cause, and they just find that we're a fun, positive team to play with, whereas other hockey teams are not," Marsico said. “The team's open to everybody. We've had people just come and skate with us who might never have been on the ice before. We have people who used to play years ago but haven't had a chance to play. So, there's a place to play – and then for folks who don't want to ice skate, we've also got some opportunity socially, too.”