Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki says his team is prepared to openly welcome any player who might come out as LGBTQ2, amid growing attention sparked by the popular Canadian television series Heated Rivalry.
Suzuki made his comments Sunday evening on the Quebec French-language talk show Tout le monde en parle. He appeared alongside fellow Habs players Juraj Slafkovsky, Alexandre Texier and Oliver Kapanen ahead of the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games in Italy next month.
The fear of being outed and their career being affected is a major theme of the show.
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“It has taken the world by storm and brought a lot of new audience members to hockey, which has been awesome.”
Suzuki said while NHL players publicly coming out is not something he or his teammates have experience with, “As a team, I think we are well-prepared to welcome anyone that would come out.”
He added his teammates are a very open group and always accepting of each other.
“That wouldn’t change if someone came out and was on our team or another team,” the 26-year-old London, Ont., native said.
“We do Pride nights to support,” Texier said in French. “It’s important, not just in sport, but in life in general. As hockey players, as Montreal Canadiens’ players, we would accept it. There’s no taboo,” the French player said.
As is explored in the tv series, being openly gay, bisexual, queer or otherwise has long been taboo in the hockey world — but there have been efforts in recent years to make the sport more open with Pride nights and initiatives like You Can Play, which promotes LGBTQ2 inclusion in athletics.
Speaking by phone on Monday, Montreal Canadiens vice-president of communications Chantal Machabée reiterated the message.
“We are an inclusive team, we welcome everyone,” Machabée told Global News.
Many sports in recent years, including women’s hockey, have embraced athletes who have come out — but an openly gay player has yet to play in the NHL.
In December, an NHL representative said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, “There are so many ways to get hooked on hockey and, in the NHL’s 108-year history, this might be the most unique driver for creating new fans.”
“See you all at the rink,” the representative added.
Later in January, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman voiced his support for the television series, telling reporters he watched all six episodes.
“I binged it in one night,” Bettman said.
All four Canadiens players who appeared on the talk show will represent their respective countries at the Olympic Games: Suzuki for Canada, Slafkovsky for Slovakia, Texier for France and Kapanen for Finland.
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