#coquitlam express

I attended two Pride games this past season, an NHL game and a BCHL game. These games were held about a month apart and in two completely different leagues with different budgets, but overall, they celebrated the same thing. Going to these games brought on thoughts and feelings as a queer person that are hard to say are resolved even now, especially with the fact that these were my first Pride hockey games I've gone to.

I went to the Vancouver Canucks Pride game on January 21st, 2026, with a few friends. Vancouver is known for their large queer community, so it wasn't a surprise to see how many people showed up for this game. They had their pride sign out front, music, and plenty of 2SLGBTQIA+ organizations set up on the concourse.

What I noticed past just the rainbow lighting is the uptick in security. I've been to Canucks games before, and there have never been this many security guards. They checked bags, and as we walked through the metal detectors, I had a sense of unease. It was not enough to ruin anything, but the heavy reminder of why they would need more security on a Pride night lingered, even as we rushed to the glass to show off our signs.

I regret not heading to the concourse to look at the tables that night in more detail. Truthfully, I was not having the greatest time and didn't want to drag my friends with me, so I didn't have to go alone. However, I knew of some of the featured tables there. I had heard of Cutting Edges before, the Vancouver-based LGBTQ+ hockey club that started three decades ago with a mission to help promote a better, more inclusive environment for 2SLGBTQIA+ people in hockey. They’ve been a constant at Pride events – especially sports Pride nights – and host their own tournaments alongside their regular beer league games. I also knew of the 2SLGBTQIA+ police nonprofit they had on the same concourse. There's always something unsettling when I think about them being at Pride events. With the history of police violence towards the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, there is plenty of discourse surrounding police presence at these events, especially during Pride month. They’re not there to be cops, at least not explicitly. The organization is meant as support for queer people in law enforcement, but can one truly separate and compartmentalize the “Gay Cop” label? It always leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

The Canucks promoted and platformed plenty of LGBTQ+ artists for the entire night. From Stephen Scaccia as the anthem singer to Connor Nelson as the intermission entertainment to John Ferrie, an artist who was painting live the entire night. The Canucks always make sure to name and link whoever they bring to their specialty nights, with the information being readily accessible even after the night has passed. They make sure that these artists are rightfully spotlighted, but you can't help but wonder why they can't do this at any non-special game as well.

There are complicated feelings when it comes to large organizations and companies celebrating Pride. The Canucks do more than most, but it still doesn't negate the complex feelings you get as you watch players skate out during warm-ups with a lack of rainbow tape on their sticks, or when you notice that this is the only time sports teams will even mention the 2SLGBTQIA+ community outside of Pride month. You remember that being queer in these spaces is only something to be shown off during the “acceptable” times or situations. It makes me feel high off a feeling of celebration, but strange all the same.

So, I go to a junior hockey Pride night.

Coquitlam Express starting lineup in Pride jerseys. Credit: Me

It was the Coquitlam Express' Pride Night on February 27th. They were the first team in the BCHL to even host a Pride Night back in 2023 and are still one of the only teams to host one now. You don't usually hear of a junior hockey club hosting a Pride Night — there's certainly something to be said about that — but I dragged my friend along, and we went to this comparatively smaller game.

It was hard to miss the fact that they were having a Pride Night due to the significant amount of promotion on social media. Showing off Pride jerseys, LGBTQ+ organizations tabling, the likes. It was definitely a much smaller scale, and you could tell. The BCHL is a well-known junior league, but there's no big arena or party like the WHL or NHL; there's just my friend and I sitting in our seats after we stopped and looked at the tables.

There weren't high expectations for this Pride night, yet it was mainly the little things that made it such a great experience. The team doesn't have a high budget, but they were wearing (a little tacky) pride jerseys, replaced all the usual lights with rainbow ones, and gave out little rainbow flags to kids and other attendees.

Even now, I remember my friend turning to me and saying how great it is to see kids run around with these Pride flags.

I don’t believe that every single player I saw play in these games fully cares about 2SLGBTQIA+ issues. But they still taped up their stick and put on those jerseys and haven’t said horrible things about gay people online. An incredibly low bar, yet somehow needed in these times. These games are more or less for money. Good intent or not, organizations like the Canucks know they’ll profit from Pride nights, both financially and in brownie points. Maybe I’m glad to give those brownie points out if it means they’ll continue to publicly show support for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

As much as I love to criticize how large organizations and companies treat pride, I am happy to see them doing it at all. In times like these, more and more people are becoming comfortable with not even pandering to gay people at all. They'll drop the Pride games and the posts because they know they can get away with it.

The Vancouver Canucks are expected to host a Pride game, but at the end of the day, they are not obligated to. The Coquitlam Express isn't even expected to have one at all, and still goes out of its way to have one.

A change is needed within hockey culture and the way it treats its queer community. As a trans person, I'll always feel weird about how sports leagues will pander to people like me without helping in ways that matter. I know they can do more. It’s easy to get stuck in a loop of despair and doomscrolling about how new rules and legislation are keeping us out of something we love.

In June 2026, the Express will hold identification and evaluation camps in Sweden, Germany, and the Czech Republic, offering European players an unprecedented opportunity to showcase their talent and pursue their hockey dreams in British Columbia’s premier junior league.

“Our program has always been about finding passionate, high-character players—no matter where they’re from,” said Tali Campbell, President and General Manager of the Coquitlam Express. “The BCHL has grown into one of the top development leagues in the world, and by expanding our reach to Europe, we’re creating a pathway for elite European players to experience that standard of competition and development.”

The Express European Tryout Tour will feature on-ice sessions, fitness testing, and player evaluations conducted by Express management and scouting staff. Selected players will be invited to attend the club’s Main Camp in Coquitlam in September 2026.

“This is an exciting next step for our organization and for the league as a whole,” added Campbell. “We’re proud to lead the way in growing the BCHL’s global footprint and connecting talented athletes from around the world to Canadian junior hockey.”