Inclusivity top of mind as player returns to home ice 20 years later

For more than 20 years, Matt Kenny stayed away from the game he grew up playing.

“When I left the sport, I put my bag in my parents’ basement and never put hockey equipment on again.”

This weekend, the former Kingston, Ont., hockey player will return to the ice alongside former teammates for the first time in more than two decades.

The reunion is part of Matt’s Hockey Homecoming & Community Pride Skate, a Kingston Pride event focused on making hockey more welcoming and inclusive for people of all backgrounds.

Held Saturday at the INVISTA Centre, the event will feature a reunion game, a free youth hockey skills workshop, an inclusive coaching seminar and a community Pride skate designed to welcome players and families.

For Kenny, the day is about more than hockey.

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“This event is about coming home,” he said in an interview with Global News.

Kenny publicly shared his story and began advocating for inclusion in sports through his work with You Can Play, an organization focused on creating safer and more welcoming environments for LGBTQ+ athletes, according to a release about the event.

Kenny grew up in Kingston and spent more than a decade playing competitive hockey throughout the region.

While hockey was central to his childhood, he said being a closeted athlete made it difficult to feel fully accepted within the sport.

“I loved hockey,” Kenny said. “The city is what raised me, the sport is what raised me and these guys were my brothers.

“But in my situation, I was hiding a huge chunk of who I was because hyper-masculine competitive sport didn’t really make space for LGBTQ+ athletes, especially at that time.”

Today, he serves as an ambassador and education consultant with the advocacy organization You Can Play, which works to promote inclusion in sports.

Kenny was also diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2021.

“We all have our own struggles, but seeing how far he’s come has been incredible,” former teammate Ryan Ambrose said.

Ambrose said he hopes young athletes can learn from events like this and feel comfortable being themselves in sport.

The event’s message extends beyond inclusion, Kenny said.

“At the end of this event, I want people to walk away believing everyone belongs on the ice,” he said.

For those who may be struggling, Kenny hopes the event sends a simple message.

“If you’re struggling or don’t think you have community, you absolutely do,” he said.

“Know that people support you, even if you don’t know who they are. I’m one of them. I’m in your corner.”

– With files from Jesse Reynolds