Before Heated Rivalry, NHL’s first gay player changed the sport from the inside
Gen Z might be obsessed with the fictional, prime-time romance HBO hit Heated Rivalry, but for ice hockey defenceman Luke Prokop, the reality of being an out, gay man in professional hockey is a story much closer to home.
In a whirlwind moment at age 19, Prokop made the brave decision to come out publicly just before his NHL Draft year.
Luke Prokop is ice hockey's only active gay player with a professional contract in North America. Joel Auerbach
At the time, North America had yet to see an active, openly gay player in major professional men’s sports.
Instantly, his world changed forever.
For Prokop, it’s a game of illusion versus reality with Heated Rivalry. The viral TV series follows two of the NHL’s best in a coming of age gay romance.
While it offers a beautiful story about acceptance, Prokop’s life is far from a scripted Hollywood movie. In fact, he admitted to nine.com.au that he was initially hesitant to tune into the hit series.
“Personally, I was very hesitant to watch the show at the beginning because I knew the concept, the characters, and the storylines,” admitted Prokop.
“I didn’t necessarily want people to associate some of those characters with me, because that’s not at all what hockey is like, or what I am like in the sport.
“But, what Heated Rivalry did for the sport of hockey...they did a fantastic job of finding a whole new audience of fans who are now so enamoured by the sport that they want to start playing and watching it.”
Despite the initial reservations, the 24-year-old recognises the show’s undeniable cultural impact both in Canada and globally.
“Because the show got so big, leagues around the world just had to accept it, whether they liked it or not. From there, it was up to the teams to provide an open, safe environment for those fans to come watch,” he said.
“Now, there are all these random pop-up teams appearing all over the globe because of the show, and that is something that is really cool to see.”
While ex-NRL player Kane Evans recently made headlines with an emotional coming out after years of hiding his true identity to the Australian public, Prokop grapples with a very different everyday reality.
Prokop is an active player fighting his way through the professional minor leagues.
An upcoming documentary with Prime Video followed Prokop for three years after his decision to come out. It was originally intended to track his smooth ascent through the American Hockey League right up to his NHL debut, but that didn’t exactly happen.
Kane Evan's emotional coming out on 100% Footy made waves in Australian sport. Nine
The narrative quickly shifted as not everyone gets to experience the bright lights of the big leagues right away.
Instead, Prokop has been a classic hockey grinder, carving out a path through the minor leagues.
He currently plays for the Bakersfield Condors, an American Hockey League affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers - home to global superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
In the AHL, the lifestyle is a far cry from the glamour of the NHL.
“As a kid, you don’t really think about having a career in anything other than the top professional league of whatever sport you’re playing. For me, I just had to adjust on the fly,” he explained to nine.com.au.
“I started out in the third professional league in North America, and it is completely different from what they tell you the NHL is like. You’re living with a teammate, though they do take care of your living arrangements, but obviously, the pay is not the same.
“You’re in smaller cities, and instead of flying, you’re travelling by bus. There are a lot of different factors that go into it.
Luke Prokop's life has changed since his announcement, but hockey hasn't. Patrick McDermott
“Jumping into the second league doesn’t happen right away; there is an adjustment period. The hockey is obviously a lot better, so you have to up your level of play to stick in that league.
“It’s crazy. There is a lot of stuff you don’t think about when you’re playing as a kid. You just have to adjust on the fly and roll with the punches.
“There are a lot of business decisions and political factors that you have absolutely no control over.”
Like many traditional sports leagues, ice hockey is historically slow to change.
Recently, the league faced heavy criticism when a small handful of players cited religious beliefs to opt out of wearing pride jerseys, leading the NHL to temporarily ban specialty warm-up jerseys altogether.
For an unestablished prospect, navigating those political waters is a delicate tightrope walk. Prokop suddenly found himself expected to have all the right political answers in a league he hadn’t even played in yet.
“It’s a bit difficult for me, especially because I’m not an established player in the top league,” he said.
“It’s hard to fully put my voice out there and stand up for things when I’m still trying to make it.
“I don’t want to piss too many people off to the point where it might affect my career.
Luke Prokop was 19 when he came out as gay. Marissa Baecker
“But at the same time, I do feel a responsibility to my community to stand up for them in whatever way I can.
“With the Pride jerseys and tape in the NHL, it was obviously a big deal that some players didn’t want to wear them. As human beings, we’re always trained to look at the negative.
“But if you look at the positive, maybe four or five guys didn’t wear the jerseys, but there are over 700 players in the league who still wore them and still used the tape.”
Prokop argues that the small, loud minority shouldn’t overshadow the overwhelming majority of accepting players.
“There are positive strides being made in hockey. People always ask how we grow the game, but it doesn’t happen with the snap of a finger.
“It takes time.”
Having bounced between seven different teams in the last six years, Prokop has tested teammate dynamics in various locker rooms across North America.
The 24-year-old admitted that he just wants to be mundane, normal player in the league.
“I know this for a fact: the relationships with my teammates since I’ve come out have been better than they were before,” he explains.
“I’ve been on seven different teams in the last six years, and everywhere I’ve gone, my teammates have been super welcoming, awesome, and curious.
“At the start, it can be a little bit awkward. A lot of guys in hockey aren’t accustomed to knowing a gay person; they grow up having a stereotypical view of what a gay man is like.
“Then they meet me and realise, ‘Oh, he’s just another hockey dude.’
“I use the same stupid lingo we all use, I chirp guys, and I find it easy to help my teammates feel comfortable around the situation.
“Once it gets to a point in the season where they feel comfortable joking around and making fun of me, they also get curious. They ask what coming out was like, if I have a boyfriend, and if he’s coming to team parties.
Heated Rivalry stars Connor Storrie (left) and Hudson Williams (right) have become stars overnight due to the success of Heated Rivalry. Penske Media via Getty Images
“Honestly, teammates might be just as nosy as everyone else - maybe even nosier.”
The Hockey Player, an upcoming documentary from Upper Canada Films will stream globally on Prime Video and Apple TV+ on June 29.
