MPLS Queer Hockey Provides a Safe Space for Sporty Queers

The pickup hockey club welcomes queer people of all stripes to take part in Minnesota’s official state sport and gain new skills and confidence

It may be surprising to learn that MPLS Queer Hockey founder and lead organizer Erin Melzer didn’t grow up playing hockey. They did skate a little bit growing up, but it wasn’t until after seeing a University of Minnesota women’s hockey game in 2019 that they asked themself, “Why don’t I play hockey?”

“‘These women are kicking so much ass, like, I want to do that, too,’” Melzer remembers thinking. “I woke up the next day, and I’m like, ‘I should do something about it.’”

In that sense, they say founding a queer pickup hockey club was a bit “self-serving,” since they could learn the sport alongside others who were interested. They also say they were inspired by New York City-based pickup soccer group Dyke Soccer, which they had been following for years.

While Queer Hockey didn’t take off right away, Melzer says that after their first season in 2021, someone reached out to let them know how much having a space to play meant to them. That gave Melzer the encouragement to hold a second season, and before long, about 50 people a week were coming to MPLS Queer Hockey pick-up games.

“We were just coming out of the deep end of COVID, and everyone was super desperate for social interaction, and it absolutely popped off,” Melzer recalls. “To be a part of organizing something that got people outside and socializing and active has been really a gift.”

Today, now in its seventh season, MPLS Queer Hockey draws between 20 and 35 players — still plenty for a hockey game — each Sunday at 11 a.m. to Lake Hiawatha Park or McRae Park. Melzer says spectators come to watch the action, sip coffee and cheer on their friends, too.

Accessibility is the core tenet of MPLS Queer Hockey. The best professional players often have been playing since they were toddlers, not to mention that the cost of gear quickly adds up. Pickup games only require a stick and skates (or just a stick, in the case of boot hockey), which can be bought used at resale shops like Play It Again Sports.

Still, Melzer says just showing up at a random rink can be intimidating.

“You’re kind of going into this unknown situation,” they say. “You’re probably going to end up on the rink with a bunch of hockey bros who have no interest in teaching you or slowing down to help you learn.”

It’s for this reason that MPLS Queer Hockey welcomes people of all skill levels, even those who have never had skates on their feet. Melzer says they would run skating drills so folks could get the hang of it, and that there are always enough people each week who are ready to help the uninitiated.

“We had a couple people (recently) who were brand new to skates. One of them was born and raised in Alabama, where there’s no outdoor ice,” they share. “She had skated, like, a couple times in her life and she just got out there and she was hitting the puck and getting in there with the best of them. It was super fun to watch.”

Accessibility also comes in the form of a safe space for hockey-loving queers. Melzer says many people who have found MPLS Queer Hockey had previously left the sport because of its homophobic culture, and that Queer Hockey gave them their outlet back.

“There’s always a group of people who say, ‘I skated when I was growing up, and I haven’t found an outlet to play hockey with queer people, and I finally found one, and I can’t wait to play hockey again,’” Melzer says. “Regardless of abilities or sexuality or any other factors, people should have a place to learn and practice and play just like anyone else.”

The spirit of creating safe spaces for queer people in sports has inspired the creation of several spinoff groups, including MPLS Queer Basketball, Volleyball and Softball, the latter of which is organized by Melzer’s fiancée, Claire Mathews-Lingen.

Melzer and Mathews-Lingen actually met during season three of MPLS Queer Hockey and recently got engaged at a Sunday morning skate.

“Season 3 I met Claire at Sunday morning hockey and season 7 we are engaged !!!!!” Melzer writes in an Instagram post announcing their engagement. “If you show up here you just might meet the love of your life!”

Melzer, of course, has seen “Heated Rivalry” and says they “Can’t get enough.”

With the recent increased interest in hockey from queer folks, Melzer says it’s never too late to join in the fun.

“It’s really special to see people discover something that they had inside them the whole time and they didn’t ever have an outlet for it, and now they do,” Melzer says. “It might have taken them until they were 20 or 30 years old, but they’re finally getting the chance.”

Keep up with MPLS Queer Hockey via their Instagram (@mplsqueerhockey), where skate times and locations are posted.