Though Ekblad isn't LGBTQ, he does consider himself an ally. In an interview with Boca Magazine, Ekblad had a clear message for athletes who are concerned about coming out.
"Don't be afraid," he said. "You'll be surprised how many people are accepting."
Ekblad appeared in a Nike commercial for Pride month in June. He starred alongside basketball player Brittney Griner and skateboarders Lacey Baker and Brian Anderson, all of whom identify as LGBTQ.
"It was a great experience," Ekblad said about participating in the ad. "On Facebook and Twitter some people congratulated me and thanked me for speaking out. I appreciate that."
With no openly LGBTQ active athletes in the NHL, MLB, NFL, or NBA, Ekblad hopes that a former No. 1 overall draft pick and rookie of the year acting as a spokesperson can provide some sense of comfort for those considering coming out.
Even though homophobic slurs are still used in "locker room talk," Ekblad believes the overall acceptance of LGBTQ people has improved.
"Do I think it's getting better? I think so. People are getting more educated and more understanding," he said. "I would like to think the climate is getting better."
Last season, the NHL made February "Hockey Is For Everyone" month. In the end, that's all Ekblad is trying to accomplish. He doesn't want athletes to have less of a chance at succeeding just because of their sexual orientation.
"If you're good enough to play, you're good enough to play on my team," said the Panthers' alternate captain.
In honor of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrating their 100th season, Hunter Brothers Farm in Florenceville-Bristol, New Brunswick built a corn maze featuring two of Toronto's marquee players, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner.
Chip and Tom Hunter, whose family has owned the farm since 1890, aren't rookies at this. Every year since 2003 they build a specially designed corn maze, and opted to have two of the game's best young players at the forefront in this year's edition.
NHL legends Jean Beliveau and Patrick Roy have been featured in past editions.
Fans who don't think such activity is too corny will have their chance to navigate through the maze beginning Sept. 9.
Shane Doanretired from the NHL on Wednesday, doing so after 21 seasons with a single franchise.
The longtime Arizona Coyotes captain began his career with the organization in 1995, however, in June the team announced it was parting ways with Doan in order to turn its attention to the team's younger players.
Knowing he wouldn't be returning to the Coyotes, four teams quickly reached out to the unrestricted free agent, and at least one more club did so later on.
Upon his retirement, the 40-year-old Doan wraps up his NHL career with the fourth-most games played with one franchise, coming in at 1,540 contests. He trails only Detroit Red Wings legends Alex Delvecchio (1,549), Nicklas Lidstrom (1,564), and Gordie Howe (1,687).
Shane Doan, the longtime captain of the Arizona Coyotes who made his NHL debut with the original Winnipeg Jets in 1995, was more than a leader to his team. On Wednesday, he announced his retirement from the NHL, doing so after 21 seasons with a single franchise.
On-ice achievements aside, Doan's desire to remain with the only club he had ever known may have been the biggest factor in why the Coyotes have remained in the desert after years of uncertainty and instability.
"If Shane all of a sudden jumped for greener pastures five, six, seven, eight years ago, I'm not quite sure this franchise would still be here as we sit here today," former Coyotes general manager Don Maloney told Jonas Siegel of The Canadian Press. "When you think of loyal, tough, strong, leader, character, teammate, all those words come to mind when you think of Shane."
Maloney, now vice-president of hockey operations with the Calgary Flames, speaks from experience. He and Doan were critical pieces in keeping things afloat in the desert through his nine-year run as GM.
Four of those years included the Coyotes being under league ownership after former franchise holder Jerry Moyes placed the team into bankruptcy in 2009. The ensuing years brought a string of potential suitors, finally resulting in the 2013 sale to IceArizona, a group led by Calgary businessman George Gosbee.
But amidst ownership instability, relocation speculation, shoestring budgets, city council battles, and arena woes, Doan was the one constant. Not even Maloney, who built a Coyotes team which advanced to the 2012 Western Conference Finals, could withstand it all, as he was fired in 2016.
Still, Doan remained. The fourth captain in Coyotes' history hangs up his skates as franchise leader in games played, goals, assists, and points.
"I think it's such a credit to who he is as a person that through thick and thin, through some very difficult times, he stood up and said, 'I'm not going anywhere. This works here. This is a great franchise. This is a great place to live. We can make it work here,'' Maloney added.
"(Shane's) first thought in anything that was done - off the ice, on the ice - is how does it affect this team, how does it my teammates and then - well down the line - how does it affect me? And I think that's what you want in a captain, to be constantly thinking of team and how to make things better."
Booth, 32, has spent the past two seasons in the KHL, where he netted a combined 24 points in 42 games. His last NHL season came in 2014-15, when he registered 13 points in 59 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Booth's NHL career also included stops with the Vancouver Canucks and Florida Panthers. He has recorded 231 points in 502 career games.
Holland noted the request to join the Red Wings' training camp was initiated by Booth, a Detroit native. It marks the third pro tryout for Booth, who attended Anaheim Ducks camp a year ago after linking up with the Panthers in 2015.
The National Hockey League and the players' association have donated $200,000 to the American Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity for flood relief efforts in Houston as a result of Hurricane Harvey.
Hurricane Harvey is the first Category 3 or stronger hurricane to make landfall in the United States since 2005, and has caused catastrophic flooding in the fourth-largest American city. Flooding has displaced more than 30,000 people and has damaged hundreds of thousands of homes.
While there is no NHL team in Houston, the league and its players still have ties to the city, most notably Winnipeg Jets defenseman Tyler Myers, a native Houstonian.
The sport also has a history in the city. While no NHL club has called Houston home, the city was home to hockey with the former Aeros who competed in World Hockey Association from 1972-78, and an American Hockey League squad of the same name from 1994 to 2013.
Shane Doan had more than a few teammates over his 21-year NHL career.
That was never more evident than on Wednesday, when the longtime Arizona Coyotes captain announced his retirement, and an outpouring of support followed on social media from teammates old and new:
No better man to learn from than this guy. The best and most humble human being I've ever met. Thank you for everything Doaner! 🐐🐐 #HOFpic.twitter.com/qhvKaEPWXB
Nvr enough can b said about Shane.Fortunate 2 have had this yr 2 learn from the best person ive ever met.What a career Doaner.Congrats #GOATpic.twitter.com/gSxqpUeHpL
Congrats on an incredible career Doaner. One of the best people to ever play the game. Honored to be your teammate and call you a friend. 🐐 pic.twitter.com/mb2SPy1L8u
Thank you Shane Doan for everything u've done for me, the Coyotes organization, & the game of hockey throughout ur career. Enjoy retirement. pic.twitter.com/laCzaqlSLl
Another of the game's most distinguished players, Teemu Selanne, also got in on the accolades. Selanne and Doan were teammates for one season with the original Winnipeg Jets in 1995-96.
The following season, Doan remained with the franchise when it uprooted for Phoenix, while Selanne was traded to the then-Anaheim Mighty Ducks.
Shane Doan, Great human being, amazing career, Thanks for everything you have done for hockey, good luck life after hockey my friend 😊 pic.twitter.com/OXC1iA3iIv
Congratulations to Shane Doan on being an excellent ambassador for the game during his 21 yrs in the @NHL starting right here in Winnipeg. pic.twitter.com/rCG567Wmgg
Doan finishes his career having spent its entirety with the Winnipeg/Arizona franchise, and ranks first in Coyotes history in games played, goals, assists, and points.
The Stanley Cup: beautiful, majestic, and notoriously hard to win.
Even qualifying for the playoffs in today's fast-paced NHL continues to get more difficult with each passing year, leading to a growing trend of teams making the postseason one year, only to miss out the very next one - to wit: seven teams that qualified for the 2016 playoffs failed to do so in 2017.
Next campaign will be much of the same.
Here are three postseason teams from last year that won't be competing in the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Boston Bruins
An Eastern Conference powerhouse for most of the last decade, the Bruins have seen a steady drop in the standings over the past three seasons, impacting their ability to be a legitimate playoff threat.
Sure, Charlie McAvoy and David Pastrnak are two young studs who have the capability to be the faces of the franchise for years to come, and the club managed to claw its way into the 2017 postseason.
However, that doesn't change the fact that Boston lacks offensive depth, touts an injury-prone 30-year-old No. 1 goalie, and has an unproven blue line.
While Pastrnak and McAvoy have the potential to be cornerstone pieces for years to come, the team will still be hard pressed to qualify for this season's playoffs.
Especially when you consider some of the other talented Eastern Conference teams that will be vastly improved when the puck drops on the 2017-18 season. Toronto, Carolina, and Buffalo (yes, Buffalo) will all be stiff competition for Boston in search of the seventh or eighth playoff seed.
Simply put, the East has drastically improved around them, while the Bruins are still waiting for their youth movement to pay off. No matter how you slice it, the conference is no longer full of teams the Bruins can steamroll.
Expect them to be on the outside looking in come April.
San Jose Sharks
Since entering the league in 1991, the Sharks have failed to qualify for the postseason only six times, so calling for them to miss the playoffs this season may be a bit of a bold prediction.
But, after analyzing some of the other Western Conference bubble teams, predicting the Sharks will miss out on the postseason isn't actually that audacious.
Los Angeles, Dallas, and Arizona missed out on spring hockey last year and will be breathing down San Jose's neck for one of the final playoff spots this year as all three stand to ice much-improved rosters in 2017-18.
Meanwhile, the Sharks will throw out almost the exact same lineup as last year - minus franchise-leading goal scorer Patrick Marleau, of course.
Losing a 37-year-old veteran nearing the end of his career doesn't usually signify the end to a team's playoff reign, but the Sharks already lacked the elite scoring punch needed to hang with the big boys in the West, so Marleau's lost production will be amplified.
Of course, Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton possess the offense to lead a successful group, but after that, the Sharks' forwards leave a lot to be desired.
The Joes can score, Brent Burns - beard aside - is a perennial Norris Trophy threat, and Martin Jones has shown flashes of brilliance. But that doesn't change the fact that San Jose's roster is filled with holes up and down the lineup, a fact that will lead them to miss the playoffs this season.
Montreal Canadiens
Before we get too ahead of ourselves, take in the forward lineup the Canadiens are prepared to play with this season:
Left Wing
Center
Right Wing
Max Pacioretty
Phillip Danault
Jonathan Drouin
Alex Galchenyuk
Tomas Plekanec
Artturi Lehkonen
Paul Byron
Andrew Shaw
Brendan Gallagher
Charles Hudon
Torey Mitchell
Ales Hemsky
Regardless of how you spin it, Montreal will struggle to score goals, as not a single one of their centermen has surpassed 29 tallies in a single season. As for the rest of the group? Well, let's just say Carey Price better have another Hart-caliber year in his back pocket.
Galchenyuk, Pacioretty, and Drouin are all elite forwards, but the Habs can't expect to rely on a single line and hope to make the playoffs.
General manager Marc Bergevin continues to take heat for his lack of offseason moves. Despite bringing in Drouin, Hemsky, and defenseman Karl Alzner, Bergevin has come up short of providing his club with the talent needed to ensure a deep playoff run.
Following another up-and-down season and subsequent turbulent offseason, the Canadiens will be in tough to qualify for the playoffs in 2017-18. Don't forget, as was the case with the Bruins and Sharks, the teams around them have drastically upped their games.
