Canadian professional ice hockey forward Kurtis Gabriel is a player in the National Hockey League (NHL) currently signed to San Jose Sharks. He has also played for Minnesota Wild and New Jersey Devils. Gabriel made headlines when he became the first NHS player to use Pride Tape in a game broadcast nationally on television whilst playing as a forward for New Jersey Devils. Gabriel scored the winning goal against the Montreal Canadiens and was praised for sending a visible message of support to the LGBTQ community’s quest for acceptance and inclusion in society. He has also won several awards for his work with local communities.

Gabriel was born in Ontario, Canada and was playing Triple-A level hockey at the age of 10 until his father’s tragic death by suicide caused him to drop two divisions. Whilst at secondary school he was encouraged to still pursue hockey as a career, and after being initially passed over in the NHL Entry Draft he went on to make his debut in 2015 with the Wild. After almost five seasons he signed with the New Jersey Devils. His game-changing gesture whilst playing for the team blew up overnight as images of his goal spread across the internet, with thousands of people messaging Gabriel to let him know how much it meant to them.

Although Gabriel almost became an advocate for the LGBTQ community by accident, he is now passionate about his ongoing support. A player who overcame long odds as a non-prospect before his debut with the Wild, he has also recently educated himself on becoming an ally to the Black community. He continues with this work at the same time as training for whatever comes next in his hockey career, and hasn’t ruled out a move to Europe.