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r/hockey
u/hockeyfan2847 • 6h Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov's Hockey Camp Hires Every Gay Athlete in North America (Discussion)
Okay, is anyone else noticing this pattern? The Game Changers summer hockey camp just announced their coaching staff for 2020 and it's literally:
- Scott Hunter (gay)
- Ryan Price (gay)
- Troy Barrett (gay)
- Leah Campell (bi)
- Wyatt Hayes (straight)
- J.J. Boiziau (straight)
- Max Riley (trans)
- Hayden Pike (somehow.. straight?)
And last year they brought on Eric Bennett (bi) as a guest coach.
I'm not complaining! This is actually amazing representation. But like...how does this keep happening? What are the odds? Are Hollander and Rozanov secretly the world's most aggressive allies? Are they standing outside NHL games with a clipboard asking "are you or have you ever been homosexual? Would you like a summer job?"
Comments:
↳ u/centaursfan94: omg I didn't even think about this but you're right, that's wild
↳ u/prideinhockey: This is actually so wholesome though?? Like imagine being a queer kid and showing up to hockey camp and seeing this coaching staff
↳ u/voyageurforever: Okay but Hollander's from a super progressive family so this tracks. He probably specifically reached out to them
↳ u/hockeyfan2847: But ROZANOV too? Mr. "I don't do feelings" himself?
↳ u/ryanpricedefensesquad: Ryan has talked about how supportive both of them were when he came out. They're good dudes.
↳ u/bunnyhop2847: the real question is are they HIRING gay coaches or are they TURNING coaches gay with their powerfully homoerotic rivalry energy 🤔
↳ u/centaursfan94: this is the dumbest thing I've ever read (upvoted)
chris @chrispuckdaily not to be parasocial but there's something very sweet about Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov going out of their way to create a safe space for queer coaches and I think that's beautiful
↳ beth ❄️ @bethontheice no literally, imagine being a young queer player and seeing THAT staff list. you'd know immediately that you're safe there
↳ marcus 🏒 @puckpuckgoose Okay but how tf did Hollander and Rozanov of all people become the faces of progressive hockey
↳ Jenna @hockeyjen92 Hollander I get, but Rozanov??? The man who once said his only hobby besides hockey is "beautiful women"???
↳ casey ⭐ @starstruckroz Character development king
Riley @rileywrites Everyone's talking about the Game Changers camp staff but has anyone noticed that Hollander and Rozanov LITERALLY SIT TOGETHER at You Can Play events? They co-donated to three different LGBT hockey organizations last year? They filmed a whole PSA together about inclusion in sports? This isn't new, we just weren't paying attention
↳ sam 🌈 @samloveshockey oh my GOD you're right
↳ alex 🎯 @alextheanalyst Wait WHAT I need links immediately
↳ Riley @rileywrites [link] here's them at the You Can Play gala sitting at the same table and laughing together like they're not supposed to be sworn enemies
↳ jordan ☕ @jordanspuckthoughts I just watched that PSA and Rozanov keeps looking at Hollander when he talks like he's checking if he's saying the right thing??? it's so soft???
↳ for the gays @rozanovslapdog "we might be rivals on the ice but we agree that hockey should be for everyone" SIRS
r/hockey
u/throwaway29577 • 4h My friend works at Game Changers camp and has TEA
Okay so I have a friend who's working as support staff at the Game Changers camp this summer and she told me some stuff that's making me lose my mind:
- Hollander and Rozanov were apparently SUPER specific about wanting to hire recently out players or players who'd faced discrimination
- They personally called each coach to offer them the position (not an assistant, THEM)
- When Ryan Price mentioned he was nervous about being so publicly out at a kids' camp, Rozanov allegedly said "then we make sure the kids know this is safe place, yes?"
- Hollander's already arranged for pride flags in the staff areas and pronoun pins for anyone who wants them
I don't know what timeline we're in but I'm not mad about it
Comments:
↳ u/hockeylover2983: WAIT THIS IS SO PURE
↳ u/admiralsfan88: Hollander with the pronoun pins I'm gonna CRY
↳ u/rozanovslefttoe: "then we make sure the kids know this is safe place, yes?" IN HIS LITTLE RUSSIAN ACCENT I'M UNWELL
↳ u/shanestan4ever: His MOM probably told him to do the pronoun pins but still cute
↳ u/truthseeker847: Or maybe athletes can just be good people without y'all writing fanfiction about it in the comments
↳ u/rozanovslefttoe: sir this is reddit
Hayden Pike ✔️ @HaydenPikeHockey Excited to send the twins to @GameChangersHKY this summer! Great coaching staff and great values. Proud of @ShaneHollander24 and @IlyaRozanovWins for building something special.
↳ kai @hausofhaas Hayden Pike praising Rozanov? In this economy?
↳ miley 🏒 @haydenpiked3 HAYDEN THE TWINS ARE FOUR
↳ Hayden Pike ✔️ @HaydenPikeHockey Never too early to start! Plus I'm told there's a parent viewing area with good coffee.
↳ J.J. Boiziau ✔️ @JJBoiziau There's also beer.
↳ Hayden Pike ✔️ @HaydenPikeHockey Even better.
morgan @morganwatcheshockey The funniest part of this whole "Hollander and Rozanov hire every gay coach" discourse is that they 100% don't see it as a pattern. In their heads they're just like "oh Scott's a good coach" "Ryan's great with kids" "Barrett's offensive skills are excellent" and the gay thing is just a coincidence
↳ parker @parkerpuckfan no you're so right, they're probably genuinely confused by the articles
↳ tess @tessellate Rozanov's probably reading this reddit thread like "what is problem? I hire good coaches. They are gay? So?"
↳ monica @monicaskates Hollander's definitely sent the reddit thread to his mom like "is this weird? I genuinely can't tell"
The Hockey News - Opinion Piece
"The New Face of Allyship: What Hollander and Rozanov Get Right"
By Jennifer Walsh
In a sport that's historically been unwelcoming to LGBTQ+ athletes, Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov are quietly revolutionizing what it means to be an ally...
[Article continues discussing their hiring practices, charitable donations, and public support]
Comments:
↳ MariaH: This is great but can we talk about how WEIRD it is that these two specifically are leading this charge?
↳ DavidK: Not really? Hollander's always been outspoken about social issues. Rozanov's the surprising one.
↳ TommyB: Maybe Rozanov's just following Hollander's lead? They seem to coordinate on this stuff.
↳ JessicaL: They definitely coordinate. I was at the You Can Play gala and they were literally finishing each other's sentences during their speech.
↳ DavidK: ...okay that's actually kind of weird for rivals
(2 Years Later)
Riley @rileywrites Remember in 2020 when we were all like "wow Hollander and Rozanov are such aggressive allies, how do they keep hiring every gay coach in hockey, what a coincidence" lmfaooooo we were SO DUMB
↳ jordan ☕ @jordanspuckthoughts PLEASE I just went back and read those threads. "Maybe they're turning coaches gay with their homoerotic rivalry energy" WE WERE RIGHT BUT ALSO SO WRONG
↳ casey ⭐ @starstruckroz "Rozanov's probably following Hollander's lead" yeah he was following him alright, straight to bed
↳ sam 🌈 @samloveshockey The reddit post about "what are the odds" BABY THE ODDS WERE 100% BECAUSE THEY WERE FUCKING
↳ Ilya Rozanov ✔️ @IlyaRozanovWins I was very good ally! I hired gay coaches because they were good coaches. That they were gay was just... happy coincidence ;)
↳ Shane Hollander ✔️ @ShaneHollander24 You literally said "we should hire Scott because he will understand"
↳ Ilya Rozanov ✔️ @IlyaRozanovWins Understand what? I do not remember. I am old man with bad memory.
↳ Scott Hunter ✔️ @ScottHunterOfficial I'm starting to understand why you two kept this secret for so long. The straights would never have believed it.
↳ mira 💫 @mirahollanovfan "aggressive allies" they were aggressively MARRIED
↳ beth ❄️ @bethontheice Shane Hollander really arranged pronoun pins while actively lying about his own identity for 7 more months, the RANGE
↳ danny @dannyontherink no but actually good for them for creating that space even when they couldn't be out themselves. that's real allyship (to themselves, apparently)
Harris 🍎🌈 @HarrisDrover I'm never letting them live this down. "How do they keep hiring gay coaches?" Because they WERE gay coaches.
↳ Troy Barrett ✔️ @TBarrett17 In their defense, they genuinely did just hire good coaches
↳ Ilya Rozanov ✔️ @IlyaRozanovWins Thank you Troy! See, someone understands!
↳ Troy Barrett ✔️ @TBarrett17 Who also happened to all be gay, which you 100% knew and specifically sought out
↳ Ilya Rozanov ✔️ @IlyaRozanovWins ...okay yes
↳ Shane Hollander ✔️ @ShaneHollander24 We wanted to create a safe environment. For the kids. And for us, I guess.
↳ Ryan Price @RyanPrice It meant a lot to me at the time. Still does. Thank you both.
↳ Ilya Rozanov ✔️ @IlyaRozanovWins ❤️
↳ Kip Grady @KipGradyBoat This whole thread is making me emotional. I remember being so nervous about being openly gay at a hockey camp and you guys made it feel normal. Thank you.
↳ Eric Bennett ✔️ @EricBennettNYC Turns out the real aggressive allies were the gays we hired along the way
↳ val @valideas NOT THE REDDIT POSTER SAYING "ARE THEY TURNING COACHES GAY" 💀💀💀
↳ tess @tessellate that person KNEW, they were just speaking in code
↳ ruby @rubyplays "we might be rivals on the ice but we agree hockey should be for everyone" YEAH BECAUSE YOU WERE FUCKING FOR 10 YEARS
alex 🎯 @alextheanalyst I will never recover from "aggressive allies" being the actual funniest thing we could have possibly called them
↳ Hayden Pike ✔️ @HaydenPikeHockey I knew the whole time and I STILL thought the articles were funny
↳ Shane Hollander ✔️ @ShaneHollander24 You sent me that Hockey News piece with "lol" as the entire message
↳ Hayden Pike ✔️ @HaydenPikeHockey Because it WAS funny! "The new face of allyship" you were actively having a secret affair!
↳ Ilya Rozanov ✔️ @IlyaRozanovWins Not secret affair. Secret MARRIAGE.
↳ Scott Hunter ✔️ @ScottHunterOfficial Somehow that's worse