Matt Murray has been a Kings fan since the late '80s, when Wayne Gretzky grabbed headlines by defecting to the West Coast. Since then, he has been a card-carrying bandwagon member as the club soared in popularity with their sole Stanley Cup appearance to their position near the bottom of the Pacific. But things are looking brighter, as he is anxious to witness the rise of the new Kings.
NHL lends support to movie with gay theme
The great Helene Elliott wrote a column in last Sunday's L.A. Times about the NHL lending support to the movie "Breakfast with Scot." The film is an adaptation of the 1999 book by Michael Downing. The NHL let filmmaker Paul Brown turn two of the main characters, who happen to be gay, into a former Toronto Maple Leaf player and the team's lawyer.
Even though the director didn't want to make an "issue-y" flick, he's certainly not shying away from it. And the support of one of the major sport league in North America makes it that much more groundbreaking.
The article was eye-opening to me, because thanks to Helene's brilliant investigative reporting, she uncovered a surprising fact about the owner of the L.A. Kings:
The caretaker of this most macho of sports, the NHL has long been insular and conservative. Among its most prominent figures is Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz, who owns the Kings and Staples Center and has given financial support to an anti-gay ballot measure and anti-gay groups in his home state of Colorado.
Since I work for a competitor of the Times, I am stuck between a rock and a hard place. But the article is great, and I suggest you stop reading this blog and check out her article right now. Be sure to come though...
