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NHL, Leafs
Give Nod for Gay Movie
By Cyd
Zeigler jr.
In a move
that has surprised many, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the
National Hockey League have given permission to a production
company to use their names in a movie about a gay
former-professional hockey player.
The movie,
Breakfast with Scot , is a comedy about a gay couples'
lives being turned upside down when they become the
guardians of an 11-year-old boy who is, for lack of a better
term, a flaming homosexual. The story is based on the novel
by the same name, though the characters in the novel have no
relation to professional hockey.
The movie's
star, Tom Cavanaugh, who plays a gay ex-Maple Leaf whose
partner is a lawyer for the team, was shocked that they
secured the right from the NHL and the Leafs.
"I never in
a million years thought when we finally went to shooting
we'd be donning Leaf sweaters," Cavanaugh told the Toronto
Star. "I thought it'd be that thing where it's the Toronto
Razorbacks or whatever. There's something instant to the
viewer when you put on a Leafs jersey or any Original Six
jersey." The term refers to the six original NHL teams,
which include the Maple Leafs.
"It's
harder to tell the story asking the public to remember this
is supposed to be the NHL, even though we have to call it
the NHA. You have to give full credit to the NHL and the
Leafs for signing on. It also shows the possibility for if
someone were to come out, perhaps it wouldn't be as big a
deal as we think."
Many movies
in the past have had trouble securing the right to feature
real teams and leagues. Any time a movie uses a fictional
team name, chances are it's because the team or league they
wanted to feature rejected a request for use. From sports
movies like Any Given Sunday, to action movies like The Sum
Of All Fears, to gay-related movies like Brokeback Mountain,
the list of movies forced to use fictitious team names is
long. The NFL is generally regarded as the biggest stickler,
but all of the big four pro sports leagues are protective of
the use of their team and league names on TV and in movies.
What impact
this might have on gays in pro hockey is likely negligible.
Retired gay athletes have trickled out of the closet in
major sports, and even the generally positive reaction to
their coming out hasn't exactly opened a floodgate of openly
gay active ballplayers.
Still, it's
a strong statement by the Leafs and the NHL, whether they
wanted to make one or not. The statement isn't necessarily
pro-gay, but that sexuality simply isn't an issue. While
this is the politically correct position that most
businesses have taken in recent years, it is still a
powerful position for the NHL and one of its most-storied
franchises to openly take that stance. While it may not
create a flurry of NHL players skating out of the closet, it
certainly continues to build an atmosphere in professional
sports that is more and more accepting of gay issues and,
ultimately, players.
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