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ReOrientation tackles thorny issue of homophobia in hockey

Aaron Ward hopes that those who watch his first mini-documentary get the same benefit from it that he did from working on it.

The retired 13-year NHL veteran is host of the TSN three-part series ReOrientation, which makes its debut on the 6 p.m. broadcast of SportsCentre on Wednesday. And while he considers himself a life-long liberal sensitive to the issues of those different from him, he says doing the series on the sports world's attitudes towards homosexuality opened his eyes even wider to what's been called ``casual homophobia."

The former NHL defenceman coaches a team of 10-year-olds. Even though he's heard homophobic slurs in dressing rooms since he was a kid, he was still shocked to hear one of his players use a homophobic slur in the dressing room recently.

``A few years ago, I would have walked out of the dressing room and addressed the player later," he says. ``This time, I told them all right then that they can't use words like that and why. I haven't heard any of those since."
Anyone who's even been in a sports locker room knows that derogatory comments are part of the language, with homophobic slurs leading the way. Ward and producer Mike Farrell hope to change that with their series.

If they succeed, the quality of the series will have had a lot to do with it. Ward, basically a television neophyte, does an excellent job of interviewing. He also isn't afraid to admit he's used homophobic language in the dressing room, language one player describes as ``just another adjective" in the hockey repartee.

It doesn't pull any punches, either. Even to those accustomed to sports locker rooms will be shocked to hear what some athletes have said with microphones and cameras in front them.

Farrell says he got thinking about the project a few years ago when he used the word ``faggot" at a party in reference to some of his hockey buddies. The presence of a gay man opened his eyes.

``That's when it clicked in," he says. ``I'd always participated in the casual homophobic language of the dressing room. It's not used in hate, but in ignorance.

``I still hear it, every week and that got me thinking about why this is still allowed."

Though sports such as football and soccer are touched upon in the series -- former NFL defensive tackle Esera Tuaolo's segment is exceptionally moving -- the NHL is the focus.

Both Ward and Farrell point out that the NHL is the only major pro sport that hasn't had an active or former player come out of the closet.

But Ward doesn't believe that hockey is any more homophobic than other sports. It's more the nature of the game, Ward says, noting that the NHL has embraced the You Can Play movement and its message that gay athletes should be accepted.

``In hockey, you're taught to be part of a team," says Ward. ``You don't do anything to stand out. Does a homosexual player want to be a distraction? It's a tough decision to make."

Still, Farrell found the going a bit rough when he tried to get NHL teams and players involved. L.A. Kings Dustin Brown and Ben Scrivens are prominent in the series and not just because they're articulate and willing to speak out against homophobia. They were among the few who agreed to talk in front of the cameras.

``There was a lot of hesitation from NHL teams," says Farrell. ``The change is happening, but it's not completely there yet. It's in progress."