A few years ago if you told us the first player on a professional sports team to come out as gay would be a hockey player, we’d have thought you had too many checks to the head.
But given the NHL’s supportive statements, and the amazing work of the Burke family, it wouldn’t seem so strange now.
Which brings us to the rumors that Josh Gorges of the Montreal Canadiens will announce he’s gay this week. NHL Insights posted several tweets yesterday suggesting a public announcement was imminent:
“It is still unconfirmed at this point, but speculation is that a
#Montreal#Canadiens player will come out this week.#LGBT#YouCanPlay”@flika98 It is unconfirmed, but speculation is that it may be @jgorges26 that will come out as the first openly gay nhl player.
#LGBT
Gorges, a 28-year-old defensiveman from British Columbia, previously played for the San Jose Sharks. Below, Gorges (far right) at a Halloween party with teammates Christopher Higgings, Mike Komisarek and Carey Price. (Just cuz.)
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h/t: Aksarbent
AlexM
I am a hockey fan and i’ve been hearing rumors like that these past couple weeks. Although, i heard that it was going to be a Blackhawks player.
MikeE
Well, as long as he doesn’t chicken out like that soccer player and “Retire” the very next day.
Alan down in Florida
If it’s true I wish him (whoever “he” might be) the best of luck and a long, happy successful career and life.
If they played hockey in those Speedos the stands would be full every night.
viveutvivas
That picture is just missing one thing. Me on my knees.
Eric
Somehow I feel like the fact Gorges just got engaged to a woman might put a hole in your theory. Plus, using an anonymous account for rumours like this seems a little bit irresponsible
SkeeterVT
I’ve bean an avid hockey fan for more than 40 years, but nothing — not even Montreal Canadiens player Josh Gorges’s imminent coming out as the first openly gay active male athlete in team sports — will break my boycott of the NHL for the rest of this season in retaliation for the lockout.
gghh_elle
Makes sense.
Besides the fact that he has a (female) fiancée which whom he lives… And besides the fact that that you have no “proof” whatsoever to back up your “news”.
Y’know, besides that… Makes sense.
MileHighJoe
OMG, why would you publish a rumor like this? It makes no sense.
If it’s FALSE, you look stupid.
If it’s TRUE, you’re causing real harm to a gay hockey player by not allowing him to come out on his own terms.
That’s called a Lose-Lose. #losers
2gay4u
@Eric: Mark Tewksbury got engaged to woman as well. Whats your point?
jackpapa
well, whomever it is, more power to him.
MuscleModelBlog.com
Perhaps this is just a rumor and nothing more–he does have a girlfriend or a finacee, right? (However, not everyone involved with a woman is straight…the examples are too numerous to list).
If he is gay, awesome–it will break a lot of stereotypes. If he isn’t, then that’s great, too.
We’ll just have to wait and see…
balehead
No surprise it would be a Canadian first! The most awesome athletes all around!
balehead
Hopefully he’s not being “gay separatist smeared” just because of the photo…
kennetho9322
@gghh_elle: I think you meant… no “poof” whatsoever.
PRINCE OF SNARKNESS aka DIVKID
I’d be very surprised if this is true..dude has the straightest twitter follows EVER with “babes” and porn starlets etc; and no music interests or anything else outside of sport and women*.
Even if it’s all just deep disguise does this sound like someone psychologically ready to come out of the closet? Maybe bi but I’d be very surprised.
* He does follow Ellen DeGeneres so that’s a sliver of hope maybe.
miagoodguy
I will never understand why people like “outing” people. I guess it makes them feel better about themselves. You can report on it without actually naming the person. Coming out is a personal thing and no one has the right under any circumstance to out you (assuming this is even true and I doubt it is).
PRINCE OF SNARKNESS aka DIVKID
Queerty, just delete this silly fucking page now while you still have a thread of credibility left. This is NO way helpful — as manti would say: “faaaaar from it.”
The reality:http://bigbadblog.weei.com/sports/boston/hockey/bruins/2013/03/06/you-can-play-president-patrick-burke-on-dc-rumor-of-canadiens-player-coming-out-total-nonsense/
Mofdgheb
I agree that Queerty’s reportage of this tweet is tactless and irresponsible.
The Twitter account was probably created by some Bruins fan who thinks that being gay is an fitting insult to the individual in question.
Chad Hunt
I’d definitely like to “puck” him with my big stick.
GarySmith21
As a hockey fan of the Montreal Canadiens, this news appauls me, not the news itself, but the Montreal Gazette hockey site of the team..Hockey Inside/Out is dissing both this news, the player and especially this site.
GarySmith21
ps mILAN lUCIC iS GAY AND HAS BEEN SEEN AT SEVERAL NYC AND BOSTON NIGHT SPOTS