NHL Publicly Supports Transgender Hockey Tournament; Controversy Ensues

The National Hockey League has joined the cavalcade of professional sports organizations supporting left-wing causes. On Tuesday, the league’s official Twitter account tweeted their full-throated support of the Team Trans Draft Tournament, which occurred last weekend in Middleton, Wisconsin.

“Team Trans” refers to itself as “the first-ever ice hockey team made up entirely of transgender athletes.” The tournament was apparently “comprised entirely of transgender and nonbinary players.”

(That description naturally leads to questions. Did women play against men, for instance?)

“The NHL is proud to support this past weekend’s Team Trans Draft Tournament in Middleton, Wisconsin. This was the first tournament comprised entirely of transgender and nonbinary players, with around 80 folks participating!” the league announced.

Reportedly, the NHL helped with funding for the tournament as well.

When questioned if this meant that men were playing on a women’s team, the league’s Twitter account melted down into full “woke” speak, answering: “Trans women are women. Trans men are men. Nonbinary identity is real.”

The NHL’s comments began a Twitter war, with many calling out the league for bowing to pressure from transgender activists, and the account is currently restricting who can comment on their tweets.

The tweet may be a part of the league’s “Hockey is for Everyone” campaign, which claims it “uses the game of hockey — and the League’s global influence — to drive positive social change and foster more inclusive communities.”

“We support any teammate, coach or fan who brings heart, energy and passion to the rink. We believe all hockey programs — from professionals to youth organizations — should provide a safe, positive and inclusive environment for players and families regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity or expression, disability, sexual orientation and socio-economic status,” the campaign states on its website.

The league has been attempting to garner new fans by shedding their “whites only” reputation. In 2020, at the height of the Black Lives Matter riots, the NHL unveiled several new initiatives designed to make hockey a “more inclusive” sport. The league had players and team personnel go through mandatory inclusion and diversity training, and launched a program designed to lure more ethnically and racially diverse players into the sport.

With their embrace of transgender activism, their embrace of all things “woke” appears to be complete.

Professional sports has been under attack by woke elements for a while now, but the attacks increased in 2020 during the Black Lives Matter riots in the wake of the death of Minneapolis criminal George Floyd.

During the NBA’s farcical “bubble” tournament in 2020, league officials had players play on a floor with “Black Lives Matter,” emblazoned upon it. Players on all teams typically knelt while the Star Spangled Banner played.

Major League Baseball bowed to pressure from the far Left over Georgia’s new voting law and moved the All Star Game from Atlanta in 2021. This season, during June, which is known as “Gay Pride” month, the league adopted special LGBT uniforms for players.

The National Football League endured years of kneeling for the National Anthem by players who claimed they were protesting against racism. The league has adopted special helmets displaying various “woke” messages such as “End Racism,” “Stop Hate,” and “Black Lives Matter.”

And now the NHL has fully bowed to the far Left element of society by embracing transgenderism.

Sports used to be an escape for people — something pure in which only the competition mattered. You could cheer on the remarkable athletic abilities of your favorite team without being bombarded with the news of the day.

But we can’t even have that anymore. It seems everything must be tainted with far-Left talking points and propaganda.

Only when people tune out, stop watching, and loudly say “No more!” will that change.