NHL, NHLPA launch inclusion coalition to 'support diversity in hockey'

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The NHL and the NHLPA on Tuesday announced the launch of the Player Inclusion Coalition that will aim to diversify the sport.

The program includes 20 members with "a range of perspectives across players of color, LGBTQ+ Players, and allies" who will "work to advance equality and inclusion in the sport of hockey on and off the ice," the league said.

"Every member of the NHL Player Inclusion Coalition shares a passion to bring diversity and inclusion to the forefront of the hockey community. It has been incredible to work together to amplify the role of Players as advisors, ambassadors, and catalysts for real change, which benefits underrepresented groups in the game," said co-chair Anson Carter, who played in 674 NHL games. "As we enter the coalition's next phase, we are excited to grow our impact by sharing more of our work with fans to invite everyone who loves hockey to join the movement with us."

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A general view of the NHL logo on the back of the goal on April 24, 2022 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. (Rich Graessle/Getty Images)

"It’s no secret that this is a sport that struggles with diversity and inclusion sometimes," retired U.S. star Meghan Duggan, a member of the coalition who is gay, said at an event in Nashville, Tennessee. "That’s why this group is here: to continue to push, to continue to make recommendations, to continue to have players step up and be public allies."

"Ignorance is just not an excuse anymore," Duggan continued. "We have so many resources at our fingertips to understand: ‘What is the terminology for the queer community? What is the