Ranking the NHL’s 15 Best Goaltending Prospects, 2019, 4 #43 overall by Campbellton Tigers, 2019, 9 #145 overall by Drummondville Voltigeurs, Log in or go premium to post and read comments. It included social media messages from people in the hockey world, like former Montreal Canadiens player Guillaume Latendresse, and former NHL tough guy and current Quebec MNA Enrico Ciccone. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6. But this summer, the timing finally felt right. The first few seasons were disastrous for 2016's No. https://t.co/KYtl1EVuPd @JMaccarone. “You just bring whoever you want home: it should be like that,” he said. No one knew he was gay, but his body was practically crying out to tell someone. Is he very anxious?’ Obviously something is not right.”. Yanic Duplessis, an elite-level player who was drafted by the QMJHL's Drummondville Voltigeurs in 2019, revealed he is gay earlier this week. He knew he wasn’t an ordinary player. He was a charismatic leader who made friends easily and seemed to be good at everything. He says his sexuality "shouldn't be a big deal. He knew the moment was approaching in which he’d come out to his family, so he’d done a dry run with his close friend, Xavier Melanson, a few months earlier. But the support drastically outweighed the attacks. It was 2019, and Diane Dandurand couldn’t sleep. McGillis experienced dressing room homophobia first-hand, and half-jokes "even more so since I've become an advocate.". Submit changes (incorrect DOB, missing stats, incorrect stats, social media links etc) using a web form and we will review your update request within 24 hours and update accordingly. Yanic Duplessis (photo courtesy of Diane Dandurand). Once he decided to come out publicly, he didn't look back. Yanic Duplessis, an elite-level player who was drafted by the QMJHL's Drummondville Voltigeurs in 2019, revealed he is gay earlier this week. Yanic, however, isn’t ready to test the tolerance level of major junior just yet. Perhaps most touching: the reaction from his peers and teammates. I know you guys support me.’ But I just want them to make an effort. He caught whooping cough. But what Yanic was experiencing was so much more than draft-year jitters. He wondered how he’d be treated if he was out. He feels safe and welcome there. “He said, ‘Guess.’ ” “I said, ‘OK. He waited years before deciding to share his story, unsure of how hockey … Diane wasn’t the first person Yanic told. She couldn’t let go of the idea he had something significant weighing on him. He wasn’t himself. Because if you don’t change anything, we’ll never reach a point where (being gay) won’t even be a thing. He was eligible for the QMJHL draft. Young Yanic came out publicly earlier this month and, no, it didn’t qualify as news with an uppercase N because no one is talking about him as a … And it's already happening. "The things that were said," he said, pausing. The Red Wings stocked up on Swedish kids early in the 2020 draft, getting top talents to help their rebuild. He said though his dressing room experiences "haven't been that bad," he's heard hurtful — and occasionally hateful — words. ️‍ #HockeyIsForEveryone (Quote via Craig Eagles) Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Yanic Duplessis, 2003-03-03 Saint-Antoine, NB, CAN Canada. I would do something to help others who are going through the same thing as me, because it was a struggle,” Yanic said. CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices. The Duplessis family was staggered by the outpour of encouragement. "If they knew I was gay, I'm sure they wouldn't have said what they did.". It was never a guarantee that Yanic would be welcomed. Yep. She couldn’t stand to see him suffer any further and, since his father had sustained a heart attack months earlier, she didn’t want Yanic to think his behavior was the cause of anything. ‘Don’t feel bad. If he seemed slightly more stressed than normal that season, it wouldn’t have sounded alarm bells for his parents. It isn't always easy to be a role model at 17, but it's a job he embraces. He has inspired people in the same situation he was in. They were about as close as a parent and child could be. So when everything got out, I said, ‘Well, all my family and friends know, so the people that I know love and support me, so I'll try to make a difference.”. He has been in contact with Duplessis and his family for some time, and offered advice and support through the process. Is all the attention a lot for a 17-year-old at times? He said he's received messages from several people in the hockey world saying, in effect, "Yeah, me too.". He never sensed overt prejudice toward homosexuality in his teams’ dressing rooms, but he noticed a lot of casually homophobic language, like saying “This is gay” to express dislike for anything. In the hockey world, that qualifies as significant news. He insisted he was fine, but her heart told her otherwise. A rugged right winger, he was tough to muscle off the puck at a stout 5-foot-10 and 200 pounds by his mid-teens, and he started filling the net. Yanic Duplessis, a 17-year-old elite hockey player in Canada, has come out publicly as gay. His parents began to educate themselves on the LGBTQ community and searched for support groups on Facebook. The culture is among the most homophobic and conformist of any sport. They were happy tears, and we were (saying goodbye to) all the tears we cried of sadness, of seeing him and being powerless to helping him. He was good at a lot of things, but hockey was where he really stood out relative to his peers, especially as he got older. “It’s OK.”. By the time he starting playing hockey at the bantam level, he started to become nervous about it. © 2020 The Hockey News, Roustan Media Ltd. “It shouldn’t be a thing. He came out in 2016, and was the first openly-gay pro player. It went well. He was big and strong at a young age, and he was competing against older kids at the Acadian Games, placing first in javelin. He struggled to sleep. The Duplessis family worked with a writer and QMJHL scout named Craig Eagles, who’d caught wind of Yanic being outed and let them know he’d tell Yanic’s story whenever he was ready. The outpouring of public support was swift and considerable. 4 overall pick. Are you tired of hockey?’ ”“Nope.” “Is it school? She called the vice-principal at his school, crying, explaining she was losing her son and asking if anyone there could talk with him, hoping he'd tell that person whatever he didn't want to tell his parents. This is not only a liberating step for you, as I’m sure it will be for others! He told her she had to pick him up immediately. There was some hate sent his way, and the initial shock of it hurt badly, Yanic said. They would read but not join any groups because Yanic feared being outed. But he thinks they mostly came from a place of ignorance. "I didn't think it was going to go this far," he said. "It was a struggle for me, and it shouldn't be," he said in an interview with CBC's Quebec AM, later adding "it shouldn't be a big deal. Diane and her husband, Andre, would marvel when he’d tell them he was taking up baseball, then volleyball, then…javelin? He has the support of his friends and family. Yanic Duplessis (photo courtesy of Diane Dandurand)It was 2019, and Diane Dandurand couldn’t sleep. As his mom remembers it, he was crawling with a mini stick in his hand before he walked. Get access to our unique free agency lists and many more premium features. They were about as close as a parent and child could be. “ ‘It is a habit,’ I say. “I wasn't really sure if I was going to be playing hockey because I got outed. He was ready for it well in advance. “It’s OK,” she said. So far, he’s happy with the feedback he’s received. He waited years before deciding to share his story, unsure of how hockey culture would receive it. You need to be Premium to access this feature. I’m coming out. Yanic Duplessis hopes to inspire the hockey community by coming out. "The biggest takeaway is: when we humanize issues for people they will more often than not step up. The reaction to his announcement suggests he needn't have worried. Once he walked, it didn’t take long before he was skating, then rollerblading, and he was blazingly fast. Sixteen years earlier, he was born six and a half weeks premature, and Diane always felt a bit more maternal or protective than your average mom. It was commonplace, even among his close friends. He knows it comes from a place of ignorance rather than malice in their case. The reactions were instant. Yanic Duplessis (photo courtesy of Diane Dandurand) It was 2019, and Diane Dandurand couldn’t sleep. "But I'm glad it did. You don’t see a straight guy say, ‘I’m straight. That’s what I’m trying to say. “In peewee, I was scoring a lot of goals per game, and once checking was involved and it started getting very physical, I'm a big guy, so that brought a lot to the game for me,” he said. But what about the hockey community? "I have kids all over North America, some come through their secret, fake Instagram accounts," he said. Former professional player Brock McGillis knows all about that. It only took about eight hours on top of yesterday’s three-or-so, but we finally, almost mercifully, rea... Post a scouting report/trivia/player comment in English (visible here). He was gay. The easy answer was that he was feeling overwhelmed with hockey in his draft year, that it was performance anxiety, but Diane didn’t really believe that. "I'm always a little hesitant when someone chooses to come out in men's hockey culture, and sports culture in general, especially at a young age … because I'm worried about how they're going to be treated in the game," McGillis said. The Duplessis family worked with a writer and QMJHL scout named Craig Eagles, who’d caught wind of Yanic being outed and let them know he’d tell Yanic’s story whenever he was ready. "You’re gay.”, Yanic held her hand and began to cry. Drafted 2019, 4 #43 overall by Campbellton Tigers in the MJAHL Draft, Drafted 2019, 9 #145 overall by Drummondville Voltigeurs in the QMJHL Entry Draft. He tells of anxiety attacks at school and calling his mother to pick him up; he speaks of his fear that he would be found out in what remains, in his words, "a very macho, manly sport.". Sign up today to get the best features and analysis from the NHL and beyond. Not a subscriber? You're going to have to help me out there.” “You said it.” Suddenly, Diane knew. Yanic Duplessis has arrived at Stage 3. McGillis said many gay hockey players are sometimes reticent to contact him directly. And it only makes sense.".

️‍Congratulations, Yanic! “I already tell my friends pretty much everyday,” he said. “The support… I cried from 9:15 in the morning until 11:00 at night. One of the reasons the native of Saint-Antoine, N.B., decided to step forward is to help make such announcements unremarkable. His life changed forever on the spot. He tells guest host Alison Brunette why he he hopes to become a positive influence for any athlete that might be going through personal hardship. Is he depressed? But he returns with renewed confidence and a new Edmonton regime that believes in him. “You kind of see the person in a whole different way, you know?” Yanic said. He tries not to get angry. He recognized the opportunity to use his story as something that could inspire. Yanic Duplessis, an elite-level player who was drafted by the QMJHL's Drummondville Voltigeurs in 2019, revealed he is gay earlier this week. They worked together and published a piece on Yanic’s terms Sept. 7, 2020. Sure, but he feels ready for it, even if he has to step away once in a while and put his phone away for a few hours. Moncton Flyers forward Yanic Duplessis's mission is to inspire courage in others. Sixteen years earlier, he was born six and a half weeks premature, and Diane always felt a bit … It is a priority for CBC to create a website that is accessible to all Canadians including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges.