Tom Cavanaugh stars in gay hockey movie

Hockey may be a macho world, but the Toronto Star reports that isn't keeping Tom Cavanaugh (Ed) from starring in Breakfast with Scot, a movie about a gay hockey player. Based on a novel by Michael Downing, Breakfast tells the story of a gay couple who who end up adopting an 11 year old boy. Gay adoption isn't exactly unheard of these days, so what makes the movie really noteworthy is that the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs have given the go ahead for the filmmakers to use the Maple Leafs' name and logo. Said Cavanaugh about that decision: "I never in a million years thought when we finally went to shooting we'd be donning Leaf sweaters. I thought it'd be that thing where it's the Toronto Razorbacks or whatever." Remember, though, this is Canada where they do crazy things like let gays marry. Frankly, it's hard to imagine the Pittsburgh Penguins giving a go ahead to the movie. But the Maple Leafs didn't have the least bit of a problem with it. Leafs' general Scott Ferguson said that while they aren't trying to make a statement, it wasn't hard for them to give permission once they had permission from the NHL. I think it's absolutely fantastic the NHL and the Maple Leafs are doing this and without any big fuss. They're wrong about it not sending a message. It not only sends a message to the general public that being gay is not a big deal, but that they don't have any problem with there being gay hockey players. And maybe that message will finally encourage a hockey player (or basketball or football player) to come out before they retire. BTW, the premise of the movie is that Cavanaugh is rather closeted until he and his partner, played by Ben Shenkman (Angels in America) adopt a young boy who seems to be channeling an eleven year old Truman Capote. This forces the rather macho Cavanaugh to confront some of his own attitudes about what it means to be gay. Maybe this will finally help Peter Lefcourt's wonderful baseball book The Dreyfus Affair finally make it to the big screen. Among the many actors attached to that project over the years has been Ben Affleck, but for some reason the film never quite gets made. Hmmm, I wonder is keeping that from getting the greenlight? Breakfast with Scot hits theaters in December of next year.