David Perron Named as St. Louis Blues’ You Can Play Ambassador

To commemorate Hockey Is For Everyone month, all NHL clubs have designated a You Can Play ambassador, and the St. Louis Blues picked forward David Perron.

The NHL and the You Can Play Project recently announced that February will be the first annual “Hockey Is For Everyone month”, with the league focusing on inclusion for the LGBTQ community, gender and ethnicity equality, socioeconomic status, and people with disabilities. In recognition of this month, every NHL club has selected an official You Can Play ambassador to serve as the spokesman for these initiatives and to help in encouraging progress among teammates and in the community.

The St. Louis Blues’ representative is forward David Perron. Perron has been an advocate for the Canadian “Bell Let’s Talk” initiative, David Backes‘s “Athletes for Animals” foundation, and other progressive causes, so he seems like a logical candidate to the face of the Blues’ inclusion efforts.

Interestingly, winger Andrew Shaw was named the Montréal Canadiens’ You Can Play representative. Shaw was suspended for a game after being caught on camera uttering a homophobic slur from the penalty box while playing for the Chicago Blackhawks in their first round playoff series against the Blues last year. Only time will tell whether Shaw has actually had a change of heart, but it’s interesting to see him publicly getting behind the cause.

Next: Most Outstanding Players in Blues History: 40-31

While the Blues won’t be holding a You Can Play night this month like some other teams are, they did hold their first Pride Night back on January 19, which helped to support the You Can Play Project.