They Like It Rough

in Instinct, May 2003

WAYNE KNAUB
DEFENSE, N.Y. ROCKETS; ALTERNATE, N.Y. HURRICANES; NEW YORK CITY GAY HOCKEY ASSOCIATION SECRETARY
Age: 26 Height: 5'7" Weight: 140 lbs. Single? Technically.

What's the biggest misconception gay men have about gay sports leagues? That the locker room is a sexual place. [Laughs] It stinks. The first time I walked into it I almost gagged because guys store their gear there and they will skate for an entire season without washing it.

So, you must be pretty aggressive person to play hockey, right? [Chuckles] When I'm off the ice, I'm not the butchest thing you'd ever see, but when my skates are on I can get nasty. I can play dirty. It always surprises my friends.

Have you gotten any shit from the straight teams in your league? We have in the past. I think when the Lions, our Division Six team, won the championship last year, it made people think. But there was one second-place [hetero] team that walked off the ice because they were getting beaten really bad by one of our gay teams. They did not want to lose to a gay team, they were so pissed off. —PR

photo BRIAN ORTER; Check out www.nycgayhockey.org for info on how to high stick boys in New York City.