Movie featuring gay ex-Toronto Maple Leaf gets blessing of Leafs & NHL

Played by Michael Riley, who went to the same high school as me and took theatre arts in grade 10 as a joke --it was a mickey mouse course.

Got absolutely hooked and carved out a pretty good career. Also played the lawyer in that terrific CBC Series "This is Wonderland". His sister worked for me for about five years.

 

When that show aired on UPN, its first episode was the lowest rated prime time debut in American television history.

As for the story at the top of the thread, the cynic in me is tempted to believe the Maple Leafs and the NHL supported this not out of any kind of social conscience, but because they were afraid of backlash should they say no.

 

What's UPN?
And I'm not suprised.

 

NO he's not. He's just the guy everyone calls when there is a "homosexuality in sports" story. He just answers his phone.

 

It's a now-defunct television network. It merged this year with the equally hapless WB to form a new no-hope network called CW or something like that.

And you're right, it wasn't surprising that "Power Play" failed in the States. Why watch an intelligent dramedy about hockey when you can pick your ass/watch Survivor or Big Brother or American Idol?

 

I agree. I mean, let's face it, if you had a choice between interviewing Tewkesbury or Toller Cranston, who would YOU call?

He is also very high profile in the motivational speaking engagement circuit and his coming out hasn't hurt him at all.

 

I see Mark Tewksbury is a board member of something called the Gay and Lesbian Athletics Foundation. I don't know what that organization does other than support and advocacy, and I question whether Tewksbury's status as a gay athlete alone qualifies him to comment on how a gay hockey player should be portrayed in a work of fiction.

If he can offer a relevant perspective based on personal experience or research, that's great. If not, I'm not really interested in anything he has to say about the topic.

Having said that, I wouldn't throw Tewksbury in with the likes of Jesse Jackson, for whom the term "attention whore" was undoubtedly invented. Mark is one of our country's true sporting heroes and I can't see him being reduced to commenting by taking pages from the Rosie O'Donnell songbook. Her attack on Kelly Ripa last week was just plain sickening.

 

OK, maybe 'attention whore' is a little strong when you bring up Rosie O'Donnell's tirade last week. Which proves the woman is a nutbar and should not be given a soapbox.
But come on, Tewkesbury held a press conference to announce his homosexuality. And the entire country responded by saying, 'This is not news. We've known all along.'