Red Wings Embrace NHL LGBTQ Effort With Pride Night

The Detroit News is reporting that the Detroit Red Wings will hold what is believed to be the first honor event for the LGBTQ community among the four major professional Detroit sports teams.

In 2012, the National Hockey League established a formal relationship with the You Can Play Project, aimed, in part, at battling homophobia in professional sports as well as equality when it comes to gender, ethnic, disability and socio-economic differences. The NHL named the month of February "Hockey Is For Everyone Month". As a part of that, teams will hold "Pride Nights" across the league, including the Red Wings' February 15 home game against the St. Louis Blues.

According to The Detroit News' report, the team will announce ceremonial puck droppers and a special national anthem singer in the coming days. While all four of Detroit's major pro teams have held unofficial pride-oriented events organized by local advocates, this game is believed to be the first such event organized by the front office of one of the big four.

As a part of "Hockey Is For Everyone Month", all 30 NHL teams have named a LGBTQ ambassador to represent his locker room. The Red Wings have named Frans Nielsen, the first Danish-born NHL player in history, as their ambassador.