If you poke around the MGHA website, you’ll find that the only requirement to join the league is willingness to be nice to LGBT+ people. An interest in hockey is good to have, but not strictly necessary. So, I signed up. I had no interest in playing hockey, but I knew how to be polite. Actually, I had zero interest in playing any competitive team sports. It seemed silly to me to get worked up about a game when the difference between winning and losing is kind of arbitrary and almost entirely out of my control. After the first few games, when people would ask me if I enjoyed the game, I would always say “yes,” but in the back of my mind I would think “Hmmm, did I really enjoy game?”

But by middle of the season things started to change. I’d be on the bench watching James or Bob or whoever was on the ice playing right wing and think to myself, would they just please get the fuck off the ice already, so I can go out and take my turn?

The big switch came from learning a whole bunch of new things, including

1. boatloads of practical information about hockey

2. It’s really OK to take the puck, even if I’m not going to do anything smart with it when I get it.

3. To play well and have fun, I need to focus on what I do when the puck comes to my part of the rink. I don’t need to care about winning and losing.

I learned these lessons after weeks of nice, supportive, encouraging talk on the bench and in the locker room. The MGHA isn’t joking when they say you need to be a nice person to play. So, thank you to my teammates and the MGHA for showing me that competitive sports can be fun.

Go Blunicorns! Sparkle hard!

Gay hockey to me is not just a sport to play, but a family who cares for each other. A family who’s excited with you and there for you when you’re down. Mentors to guide you not only in hockey, but in life. A safe place to discover and become yourself. Yes of course I love to play hockey and that’s the main objective of the MGHA, but it is so much more than a sport to play.

A family, or as I call them a pack means that it’s members will always be there to support and defend each other to survive and thrive. When a member is down and out the MGHA reaches out to support its members in any way possible. It’s helping you by supporting your business or listening to your recommendation on another. From taking you out to lunch to be an ear to helping you pick out your gear to ensure proper fit and safety.

I don’t know how to play hockey is not an excuse to the MGHA. They will teach you, seriously and help you get better too! My first season I fell all the time. In fact, there’s a move called the “Alpha Tornado” because I fell so much. My assigned mentor and teammates with experience all encouraged the crap out of me every step of the way. I have more mentors now and not only in hockey, but to help me thrive in life. I have and will face many changes with this league by my side.

Over the past 5 years playing with the MGHA I have discovered not only that I might be a little bit athletic, but I have some good leadership skills I’m discovering and beginning to use. This past season I got to be a co-captain and it required me to be responsible for more than just my own gear each week. Although I made a few mistakes along the way, my team and this league made me feel like I was doing a wonderful job as a co-captain. There are so many examples I could give to show what gay hockey means to me.

In the end if you’re reading this you’re probably wondering why you should play. You are probably also wondering if you can play? Trust me, I still fall all the time and I have so much fun. Please come play with me and the rest of the MGHA. We’ll become the pack you never had or knew you needed.