Luke Prokop Q&A: the Before and After of Coming Out as Gay
A calendar year in the past, defenseman Luke Prokop was shed. He was a Nashville Predators draft pick with nowhere to play, as the pandemic had delayed the start out of the 2020-21 WHL period. He was at house – and weighing whether to inform the globe he was gay.
A yr later, certainly every little thing has altered for Prokop, 19, who now plays for the Edmonton Oil Kings. In July 2021, he turned the 1st drafted-and-signed NHL participant to arrive out, and his everyday living has transformed given that that instant. What is Prokop up to now, and how does he really feel about the response because he came out? What is actually adjusted about his hockey vocation working day to day?
He just lately caught up with The Hockey Information to share his story.
THE HOCKEY Information: Was hockey often what you desired to do, or did you have other important pursuits as a child?
LUKE PROKOP: Not genuinely. When I glance again at my childhood, hockey was constantly a staple. My brother is two years more mature than me. He played from a pretty younger age, my dad played, both of those my grandparents performed from a decently young age. So it was just organic that I would get into the sport. All over maybe 12, 13, I started off to know I was a really fantastic hockey player and maybe I could create something out of it.
THN: Did you always know you had been likely to be a defenseman, or did you at any time believe about playing any other situation?
PROKOP: No, not definitely. From a young age, it was much more my dad who recognized that I tended to remain back again a small little bit far more than trying to hurry off and get a bunch of plans. So that’s what produced me much more of a defenseman than a ahead. I in no way experienced curiosity in playing the other positions.
THN: Is there a sure player you have generally experimented with to emulate?
PROKOP: Increasing up, it was usually Shea Weber. At any time given that the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver was when I begun really to target on his game and see a ton of similarities involving me and him. I test to emulate a large amount of his taking part in design and place it into my game.
THN: Did you know you had been homosexual at a young age, or is it a thing you came to know afterwards in your teens?
PROKOP: Far more so my teenagers. When I moved to Kelowna at 14 to enhance my stock for the Bantam draft, moved absent from household with a unique group of men, that was all-around the time when I began to realize I may be a bit distinct in conditions of my sexuality. I didn’t seriously know a whole ton about it. I was questioning a good deal of issues at the time. I started to get additional and more cozy with it as I as I aged into my teens.
THN: Supplied the documented record of homophobia in hockey society, ended up you at any time hesitant to keep taking part in when you ended up in your closeted yrs?
PROKOP: Yeah, for absolutely sure. The language was surely an situation, but to see nobody brazenly out in the activity was really hard, to not have an individual to seem up to who was currently enjoying in the NHL or playing professional hockey. It just produced me hesitant on, if I did come out, if I would be able to however make it there. If there had been men and women who did not like that I arrived out or were being against it, would it influence my profession likelihood of making the NHL?
THN: Observing stories like Brock McGillis coming out in 2016 and Yanic Duplessis in 2020, did it build momentum for you to occur out?
PROKOP: I hadn’t performed a whole large amount of analysis about other players coming out before I had imagined about accomplishing it. I failed to know genuinely at all about Brock’s tale right up until I met him a couple of weeks ahead of my announcement came out. And then I heard about Yanic via social media, and it served just figuring out that I experienced some allies, some buddies out there that I could speak to if I was having difficulties by means of things.
THN: A 12 months back, there was no main junior being played mainly because of COVID, and you weren’t nevertheless out about your sexuality. Where was your head at then vs . now?
PROKOP: There have been a great deal of concerns a calendar year in the past, especially with hockey, coming out, there was just a complete good deal of things likely on in my head. Now, I am a lot more cost-free. I’m obvious minded, I’m a great deal far more self-assured than I was a 12 months in the past. If you inquire any of my mates or my relatives, I think they would echo that.
THN: At least publicly, the response when you came out seemed exceptionally beneficial. Did you feeling that? What was that expertise like?
PROKOP: The response was unquestionably a good deal a lot more optimistic than I had expected. As human beings, we’re programmed to assume of the lousy issues that can occur. About a 7 days right before, I was wondering about all the destructive reviews I was going to get and questioning if I really needed to do this, but that working day, on Monday, it was possibly the most memorable day of my everyday living so far, the most constructive working day of my life so much. The quantity of aid I obtained, not just from the hockey community, but persons everywhere you go, – I was getting messages from people today in Sweden, or Australia. My tale experienced achieved so far, and I was inspiring so a lot of men and women. It was quite humbling for me to see that.
THN: Does it have extra weight currently being the to start with participant to appear out whilst underneath an NHL deal?
PROKP: I think so. I never like to imagine of it as a whole ton of weight because my identity, I believe that, has always been like that. I’ve always required to enable men and women and be a function model. No make any difference if it is really for younger young ones who were being considering about coming out to just young hockey gamers in common, I have normally preferred to be a part product. So, it is really not a substantial ton of pounds, but it can be anything that I just take extremely very seriously. I consider to join with as a lot of people today who achieve out to me as I can, whichever they need to have, if they just will need anyone to inform their tale to, or an additional ear, or some tips, or just about anything like that. I am often inclined to do that.
THN: How distinctive has this hockey period felt, participating in as an out homosexual person?
PROKOP: It is been genuinely neat. I’ve had various discussions, with my close friends, on the crew, just about anything at all. I have a great boyfriend now, and they always want to know how he’s executing and know about his life style and our romance and things. So just to see them staying so concerned like that has been genuinely great. I never have to disguise nearly anything from them, both. I can be totally open with them, I can converse to them about whatsoever I want. So it is been awesome this yr so considerably.
THN: From a pure hockey standpoint, and just wanting to the foreseeable future of your vocation and your path to the NHL, what’s the No. 1 talent you want to increase to speed up your route to the NHL?
PROKOP: I imagine for me, I understood that if I have been to make the NHL, I would not be in much of an offensive job. It would be secondary to what my occupation would be in the NHL: much more of a shutdown, really hard-nosed form of D-person to enjoy towards. So, I am striving to produce and construct up some of that aggression in my own zone, and I feel I’ve accomplished a good job with that so much this 12 months, and I want to retain expanding that section of my game.
THN: Provided your drive to assistance individuals – are there huge strategies for you coming down the pipeline in terms of mentorship or charity work or public talking? Just about anything that you might be seeking to do? Or is it as well challenging to plan that in the middle of a hockey period?
PROKOP: I by now had commenced the Photographs for Influence with Young children Support Phone a couple of (months) back again, so I am quite fast paced executing that. Perfectly, not hugely fast paced, due to the fact I am just actively playing hockey and shooting pucks (donating $10 for every shot), but not a full ton other than that, I test to retain push and media and manufacturer stuff really late in the course of the year, since I’m a hockey participant. The motive that I am acquiring that focus is because of my hockey skills. So I want to retain earning positive that those are up to my standards ahead of I do anything else.
This is an extended variation of an job interview that appeared in the 2022 Money & Energy difficulty edition of The Hockey Information.
