On Wednesday, the NHL announced that February would be Hockey Is For Everyone month, an initiative made in collaboration with both the Players Association and You Can Play, an organization whose mission is to eliminate homophobia and transphobia in sports.
“You Can Play is dedicated to ensuring equality, respect and safety for all athletes, without regard to sexual orientation and/or gender identity. You Can Play works to guarantee that athletes are given a fair opportunity to compete, judged by other athletes and fans alike, and only by what they contribute to the sport or their team’s success. You Can Play seeks to challenge the culture of locker rooms and spectator areas by focusing only on an athlete’s skills, work ethic and competitive spirit.”
As part of You Can Play’s efforts, they revealed that every team this season has named an ambassador to YCP, someone who is dedicated to “being a leader in the locker room and in the community on diversity, equality, and inclusion.”
For the Sharks, the obvious choice at the start of the season would have been Tommy Wingels, who has been vocally supportive of You Can Play throughout his career. It wouldn’t be surprising for that tradition to continue for him in Ottawa (though Dion Phaneuf got the nod as Ottawa’s YCP ambassador this year).
In Wingels’ absence, Chris Tierney has been named the Sharks’ ambassador to YCP – though that’s not to say he earned the title without merit. Tierney has been incredibly active in the San Jose community, and especially with the Sharks Foundation. Earlier this week, he visited the Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center with Paul Martin and Micheal Haley as part of Capes for Heroes.
The @SanJoseSharks joined Capes for Heroes to bring smiles, and capes, to the kids and families at KP Santa Clara. pic.twitter.com/2FVOvQYV4Z
— KP Santa Clara (@KPSantaClara) January 31, 2017
With help from @Capes4Heroes, @SanJoseSharks helped kids @KPSantaClara personalize their own superhero capes. Thanks for being our heroes. pic.twitter.com/Izew4S5KfO
— NHL (@NHL) February 1, 2017
He’s got a solid history of being good with kids in the community, an important skill to have when trying to create a culture change. Check out how adorable he is helping kids with eye exams and getting fitted for glasses at the start of this season:
Good vibes of the day: @SharksCare (with the help of @JRandalWard42 & @tierney71) distributed glasses to 47 students. pic.twitter.com/PAOatcLz8L
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) October 16, 2016
Tierney cares about his teammates and his community and his commitment to the diversity of the sport feels authentic. This is a fantastic leadership opportunity for him and shows his place in the locker room is an important one. Even a quick glance through his twitter shows nothing but support for his teammates, a love for San Jose, and a desire for positive culture change:
#BellLetsTalk #BellLetsTalk #BellLetsTalk #BellLetsTalk #BellLetsTalk #BellLetsTalk #BellLetsTalk #BellLetsTalk #BellLetsTalk #BellLetsTalk
— Chris Tierney (@tierney71) January 25, 2017
While other teams potentially used this as a PR opportunity (Andrew Shaw, anyone?), the Sharks choosing Tierney seems like a genuine effort to meet the needs of the LGBT community, both in the fan base, and in the locker room.
Here’s the full list of ambassadors to You Can Play:
Anaheim Ducks – Ryan Kesler
Carolina Hurricanes – Eddie Lack
Calgary Flames – Matt Stajan
Chicago Blackhawks – Trevor Van Riemsdyk
Colorado Avalanche – Gabriel Landeskog
Columbus Blue Jackets – Scott Hartnell
Dallas Stars – Curtis McKenzie
Detroit Red Wings – Frans Nielsen
Edmonton Oilers – Matt Hendricks
Florida Panthers – Shawn Thornton
Los Angeles Kings – Dustin Brown
Minnesota Wild – Charlie Coyle
Montreal Canadiens – Andrew Shaw
Nashville Predators – Colin Wilson
New Jersey Devils – Andy Greene
New York Islanders – Casey Cizikas
New York Rangers – Mats Zuccarello
Ottawa Senators – Dion Phaneuf
Philadelphia Flyers – Claude Giroux
Pittsburgh Penguins – Chris Kunitz
San Jose Sharks – Chris Tierney
St. Louis Blues – David Perron
Tampa Bay Lightning – Brian Boyle
Toronto Maple Leafs – James van Riemsdyk
Vancouver Canucks – Henrik Sedin
Washington Capitals – Braden Holtby
Winnipeg Jets – Jacob Trouba
The Sharks will host a Hockey Is For Everyone night on March 2nd versus the Canucks.
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