#DrawYourSword?? pic.twitter.com/wr0HzabbzoLUKE FREAKING PROKOP BAYBEEEEEEE #PREDS @lukeprokop_6 https://t.co/ECZmF1shoaLUKE https://t.co/ant7pQva7EThe Gladiators are the ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Nashville Predators, who selected Prokop in the third round of the 2020 NHL Draft.
Prokop 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.A post shared by Luke Prokop (@lukeprokop_)Back to back ?
pic.twitter.com/HFHoPesRueFor years, there was a homophobic fear across male pro sports that out gay players would be distractions and prevent their teams from winning.