Racism and discrimination have been around for centuries, but the NHL is trying to make a difference by showing their support to those who feel they don’t belong.

The NHL is teaming up yet again with the help of the You Can Play Project which is a program that is meant to raise awareness to create more diverse athletic teams. Whether it be homosexuals, physically disabled, people from different races, and even people from the opposite sex.

To support this cause, one member on each of the NHL teams has an ambassador. And for the the Pittsburgh Penguins, Chris Kunitz is the spokesperson.

Not only does Kunitz want everyday people to be kind and supportive, but he also wants his teammates and other teams to support these people.

Kunitz said, “I think we as an NHL, as a locker room, as an organization, people are ready to make those steps to make people feel included.

“Just the awareness that when people decide to come out, there’s other people around them to support them, that respect what they’re about and we can all be one big family to help support You Can Play and make sure it’s a focus of everybody, trying to make better awareness.”

For the entire month of February, there will be certain days that are reserved to show support for people. And the way the NHL is showcasing their support, is with the use of ‘pride tape’ and lots of rainbow flags.

The pride tape is used by the NHL and is also being sold on pridetape.com and a portion of the proceeds goes to the You Can Play Project and the ‘Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services’ (ISMSS)