Luke Prokop is playing like a man on a mission. The out hockey star is on the cusp of making the NHL, and enjoying arguably his best season yet.
The defenseman keeps racking up points for the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators, scoring his third game-winning goal of the season in a recent victory. Prokop, who’s played 19 games for the Gladiators, is tied for the league lead in game-winning goals by a defenseman.
His shot last weekend from the blue line was a beauty.
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Gladiators are the ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Nashville Predators, who selected Prokop in the third round of the 2020 NHL Draft. He publicly came out as gay the following year, making him the first out player to ever be signed to an NHL contract.
He’s been a remarkable success since then. His previous two teams, the Edmonton Oil Kings and Seattle Thunderbirds, won championships in the Western Hockey League while he was on the squad.
For years, there was a homophobic fear across male sports that out gay players would be distractions and prevent their teams from winning. But that unfounded belief was completely wrong.
Gay athletes often experience success post-coming out, with many saying the freedom to live authentically allows them to play their best.
Look no further than Prokop. He was called up to the AHL this season, putting him one step away from the NHL. Within the first weeks of the new season, he tallied his first game-winner.
Prokop is candid about the fear he felt before coming out. He was unsure how he would be perceived, and didn’t know whether it would end his nascent career.
But he came to the conclusion that his pro hockey career was secondary to his personal happiness. In a new interview with The Athletic, he says coming out was a risk worth taking.
“I’d like to think I’m a realistic person,” he said. “I know hockey is not going to be forever. As much as (when I came out) I would have loved to keep playing, I was OK with not playing any more if it didn’t work out — just being able to live my life the way I wanted, to be myself.
Those words echo Prokop’s remarks last summer to Glory Sports.
“I was entirely okay with not playing anymore and just being who I wanted to be, because I found love from my family and friends,” he said. “There was anxiety, for sure. But at the end of the day, I had to be true to myself.”
The Predators’ steadfast support of Prokop was the final boost he needed before his big announcement.
“The phone call I had with [the Predators] was the last little bit of confidence I needed,” he said. “I knew they believed in me 100% and thought it was the right thing to do.”
While Prokop fielded calls and messages from many famous people–including Elton John–he says the most meaningful outreach came from Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews. Though Prokop didn’t know the star center, his backing signaled that he would be accepted in pro hockey after all.
“I look forward to sharing the ice with you someday,” Matthews texted.
In Prokop’s first game as an out gay man, he squared off against Philadelphia Flyers goalie Carter Hart and Boston Bruins defenseman Jake DeBrusk. During warmups, DeBrusk gave Prokop a congratulatory tap.
“Congrats,” he said. “I’m really happy for you. If you need anything, let me know.”
Growing up, Prokop, like many male athletes, heard his teammates spout casual homophobia. They would mindlessly call something “gay” and use other uncomfortable language.
When he came out, he says his teammates texted to apologize.
“Some guys texted me (after I came out), ‘F—, sorry if I said anything to offend you when we played.’ I’d just say, ‘Guys, you had no idea.’ The lesson is you don’t know what everyone is going through. The words you say do matter. Make sure you think before you speak,” he said.
So far, his current teammates are following his advice.
“The way hockey is going with the language, guys are naturally changing their language. I’ve heard a change in language on every team I’ve been on,” he said.
Better yet, Prokop says he hasn’t heard a single homophobic comment from any opposing players.
“Zero,” he said.
Though Prokop is only 21 years old, there’s responsibility that comes with being the only one. When the NHL’s Pride Night debacle was happening last season, the onus fell on Prokop to make a statement.
Despite his junior status, he expressed his disappointment in some players’ decisions to forgo wearing rainbow warmup jerseys during Pride Night.
“I share the disappointment in what feels like a step back for inclusion in the NHL,” he posted on social media. “Pride nights and pride night jerseys play in important role in promoting respect and inclusion for the LGBTQIA+ community, and it’s disheartening to see some teams no longer wearing them or fully embracing their significance.
“Everyone is entitled to their own set of beliefs but I think it’s important to recognize the difference between endorsing a community and respecting individuals within it.”
The NHL responded this season with a misguided ban on speciality jerseys and Pride tape, though they quickly reversed the latter. It only took days for the first player, Arizona Coyotes defenseman Travis Dermott, to defy the league and wrap his stick in Pride tape, anyway.
Since then, many of the NHL’s biggest stars, including Edmonton Oilers All-Star Connor McDavid and Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand, have brandished their support for LGBTQ+ Pride.
Prokop, for his part, laments the focus has been on the few holdouts, rather than the widespread player-driven support for inclusion around the league.
“To take away choices from players was really confusing,” he said. “Some of them don’t really care. For some, it was near and dear to their heart. To take it away was mind-boggling. From the players’ side, the support was there. Zach Hyman talked about it, Travis Dermott. I like what they did. They didn’t make a big deal about it before — they just did it. Let fans see the rest, and it’ll take care of itself. There’s a massive amount of support from players in the NHL.”
Prokop was part of a special, DIY Pride Night last season, and all of his teammates joined the festivities. Every player put rainbow tape on their sticks during warmups, and some even kept it for the game.
Afterwards, he says his teammates told him the experience was eye-opening.
Some guys told me it was the most impactful game they’d been in during their career,” he said. “They said they didn’t realize how many Queer fans they had. I don’t think they realize how much my community watches hockey, plays hockey and cares about hockey.”
While Prokop isn’t in the NHL yet, he’s scoring game-winning goals and changing hearts and minds.
What a success.
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