However, the team has said that they will add a specific Pride Night as a part of the month's festivities. The Blue Jackets have already indicated that for 2019, Hockey is for Everyone will still happen. After all, there isn't a bar in town - especially gay and lesbian ones - that doesn't have Ohio State football games showing on their screens every week.įor tangible reasons, the evening was a both a turning point, as well as a small milestone. Maybe the front office finally believes the stats after straight white men and women, the LGBTQ community is the next largest demographic group who consistently attend games, which makes perfect sense in Columbus. This year, however, seems to be the turning point in how the team wants to relate with the gay Jackets fan base, and Columbus' LGBTQ community as a whole. And, while the team has been a participant in the annual pride parade and festival, it has taken a Herculean effort each year to get the team to actually do the work getting involved. After all, when comparing what other teams do for their LGBTQ communities, the Blue Jackets only scratched the surface - especially when you consider that the CBJ have a rather sizable gay following - complete with a pop-up gay bar that takes place at every home game during the 2nd period intermission next to the team's infamous cannon.įor at-least the five years that my husband and I have been season ticket holders, we have been clamoring for the team to get on the Pride Night bandwagon, but to no avail. To say that the entire evening was monumental would an extreme overstatement. In addition, You Can Play's David Palumbo was interviewed, both on the team's broadcast, as well as on the Jumbotron in-game, the arena's during breaks announcer, Mike Todd, was proudly sporting the rainbow t-shirt that was being sold in the team store for all to see, and the coups de grace was the team actually inviting the Columbus Gay Men's Chorus (of which my husband and I both sing with) to perform the National Anthem no small feat in that the team virtually never has anyone sing the anthem other than Leo Welsh, who is to Columbus what Jim Cornelison is to the Blackhawks, Rene Rancourt to the Bruins, and who Roger Doucet was to the Canadiens.Ĭolumbus Gay Men's Chorus sings National Anthem (author is the tall guy, back row/center) (As a side note, the rest of the fans in attendance were given a plastic team mug, so the gays definitely got the better of this evening's giveaway swag.) For the 2018 event, the Blue Jackets not only had the requisite athletes with Pride tape on their sticks during warm ups, and which were auctioned off by the Blue Jackets Foundation, but this year all attendees who purchased their tickets in the special Sky Terrace Party Deck, way atop Nationwide Arena, were given a special puck with the team's logo, along with the slogan, "March With Us," in rainbow colors. However, this year's night, which took place on Saturday, February 10th versus the New Jersey Devils, had a markedly different atmosphere one that had all the makings of a "sort-of" Pride Night, minus the actual title.
The Columbus Blue Jackets version of Hockey is for Everyone Night has consistently been a lukewarm event, with no one particular group or organization highlighted, and the in-game hoopla surrounding the night never having been anything to make you excited to be one of the "Everyone."