Jump to content
The Official Site of the Vancouver Canucks
Canucks Community

Manny Malhotra to March in Vancouver Pride Parade


Champions of Nothing

Recommended Posts

MODERATOR'S NOTE

This thread is intended to allow CDC to discuss the good deed that is being done by Manny Malhotra in supporting a cause. Whether or not each of us as individuals supports that cause is not up for discussion in this thread. Please stay on topic and do not derail the thread with posts aimed at attacking anyone's views.

Warnings and/or suspensions will be given to violators. Please report violations rather than responding to them. Thank you.

Manny Malhotra teams up with You Can Play

…Canucks centreman to march in 2012 Pride Parade

Vancouver, B.C. – Vancouver Canucks forward Manny Malhotra, and You Can Play co-founder, Patrick Burke, will march in the Vancouver 2012 Pride Parade, on Sunday, August 5th. The Canucks centre is the third professional hockey player to participate in Pride events this year under the You Can Play banner. Tommy Wingels of the San Jose Sharks and Vincent LoVerde, of the Ontario Reign, marched in Chicago on June 24th.

Malhotra joins Canucks teammates Ryan Kesler and the Sedins, Daniel and Henrik, in lending his name and efforts to You Can Play, an organization dedicated to eliminating homophobia in sports. He is among more than 50 elite NHL players who have taped PSAs and spoken in favor of changing the culture of locker rooms and spectator areas by focusing solely on an athlete’s skills, work ethic and competitive spirit.

On Malhotra’s efforts, Burke said, "You Can Play is proud and honored to have the Vancouver Canucks and Manny Malhotra join us in supporting LGBT athletes and fans. Vancouver has a wonderful LGBT community and a passionate hockey community. We are thrilled to see the Canucks working to bring those two groups closer together. Having a well-respected warrior in Manny stand up along with Henrik, Daniel, Ryan, and dozens of other NHLers around the League gives hope to young LGBT hockey players everywhere."

Burke, a scout for the Philadelphia Flyers, appeared in the debut You Can Play public service announcement in March, with his father, General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Brian Burke. The PSA was showcased on an NBC NHL Game of the Week broadcast. Since then, the group’s website has featured an additional 20 PSAs done by NHL, AHL, OHL and NCAA athletes. Dozens of additional athletes have spoken in support of You Can Play, with Malhotra, being the most recent.

“I’m thrilled to be able to show my support for You Can Play,” said Manny Malhotra. “It’s paramount that equality in sport, and beyond, becomes the norm. Everybody has the right to play the game they love. I am excited to share this message of equality and show my support this Sunday.”

Burke and Malhotra will march with players from the Vancouver Cutting Edges. Founded to play in the Gay Games in New York in 1994, they are the only gay hockey club in Western Canada.

Emblematic of pro athletes’ embrace of the You Can Play mission, Wingels, an advisory board member of the organization said, “I decided to march because it was a great way to show support for You Can Play. I felt it was important to show that I was an ally, and that there are many others out there as well. I think it is important to be an ally and show that the game of hockey welcomes everybody, regardless of who they are.”

Joining them all at Sunday’s march will be another representative from the Canucks organization, Fin, the team’s mascot.

The You Can Play website, home to the player PSAs that promote the organization’s goals and positive messages, is augmented on social media channels, Facebook, Twitter and Youtube.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Vancouver looking more and more like a great place for the first gay hockey player to come out of. With the Sedins and Kesler repping YCP, and Malhotra doing this, it looks like the entire leadership team is on the same side here. Absolutely inspirational to see.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for remaking this thread. It's a great thing Manny is doing, joining some of his teammates in standing up for a this cause.

What a great group of players we have in Vancouver, we really are lucky.

Edit: The inclusion of Fin is a great move by the Canucks organization too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...