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This team stood up against gender inequality in sports. Their fight hit home for one girl.

The future is female.

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When the U.S. Women's Hockey team takes the ice at the 2018 Winter Olympics, their goal may be to win gold, but there's another prize at hand.

They will help girls all over the country, like 14-year-old Nina Herceg, fall in love with their sport.

Herceg has been enamored with hockey players' athleticism and ability ever since her dad started taking her to games when she was little. It didn't take her long to want to lace up her own pair of skates.

"After a little bit of begging, my dad finally let me play hockey," Herceg says. "And I quickly fell in love with the sport."

Herceg on the ice. Photo courtesy of Nina Herceg.

Herceg has now played for six years and is a member of the Long Island Lady Islanders. Thanks to the experience, she's made many good friends and connected with her dad on a deeper level.

She's also learned an important lesson about herself.

"I found out I'm resilient," she says. "It's given me confidence in other areas of my life to try new things — just by learning how to play hockey."

Since the 2006-2007 season, girls and women who registered to play hockey under USA Hockey jumped 32%, from around 50,000 players to 75,832 players.

The uptick of girls playing may have a correlation to the U.S. Women's Hockey Team's recent gender equality advocacy.

It's definitely deeply affected Herceg.

"They're willing [...] to fight for what they knew was right," says Herceg. "It inspired me."

The women's hockey team's activism both on and off the ice has sparked Herceg to continue pushing women's hockey forward.

Last year in Herceg's English class, students were assigned to write a letter to any business or company on a topic they were passionate about. She wrote to NBC Sports about the lack of coverage of women's sports, particularly hockey.

"It would be great if we could get more coverage for the women because it would inspire little girls all over the world to see them on TV and to have them think, 'That could be me someday,'" she says.

While NBC responded to her letter stating they do whatever they can to air women's sports, Herceg has yet to see much change in coverage.

Still, this has only motivated her to continue playing hockey. After all, she's seen the members of the U.S. team persevere despite being treated unfairly and unequally.

Herceg with the rest of the Long Island Lady Islanders. Photo courtesy of Nina Herceg.

With the women's team getting ready to fight their way to the podium, Herceg often wonders what inspires them to keep pushing forward despite the challenges they face as women athletes?

"How do they not get discouraged?" she wonders.

While she may not have the chance to ask the players this question directly, one thing is for certain: With girls being inspired by their example, we will continue to see them breaking down barriers. Because for them, it's more than a sport; it's about carrying on a legacy of women reclaiming spaces that are rightfully theirs.

"They're proving that it's possible for us to chase our dreams," Herceg says.

This story was produced as part of a campaign called "17 Days" with DICK'S Sporting Goods. These stories aim to shine a light on real occurrences of sports bringing people together.

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This U.S. men's hockey star is set to make Olympic history.

He'll become the first black hockey player to take the ice for Team USA in Olympics history.

In the 98 years that hockey has been an Olympic sport, no black athlete has ever been named to a Team USA roster — until now.

20-year-old Jordan Greenway is poised to make history when he takes the ice at next month's Winter Olympics. The Boston University forward was officially named to the team's roster earlier this week, and since then, he has found himself the center of a glowing profile by Sporting News.

With NHL players absent from this year's games — the league opted not to put a break in the season schedule as they'd done in years past — Greenway is arguably the face of U.S. hockey thanks to his newfound fame. (At least for the next month or so.)

Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images.

Like many Winter Olympic sports, hockey is still very white, though its makeup is slowly changing.

Greenway understands that no matter what happens later in his promising career, this moment represents a unique opportunity to inspire a younger generation.

"I’ve been able to accomplish a lot of good things and just allowing a lot of African American kids who are younger than me who see kind of what I’m doing, I hope that can be an inspiration for them," he told Sporting News. "Go out and do something different against the typical stereotypes that most African-Americans play basketball, or whatever the case is."

Jordan Greenway scores against Connor Ingram of Team Canada during a preliminary round game in the 2017 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship in 2016 in Toronto. The USA defeated Canada 3-1. Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images

The profile notes that Greenway is just one of 13 African American athletes playing Division I men's hockey, making up less than one percent of the total. When it comes to the pros, black athletes are represented slightly better, though they still account for just 2.29% of all players.

For what it's worth, the NHL has been investing time, money, and energy into increasing league diversity in past years.

Individual teams like the Philadelphia Flyers, New York Rangers, Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, and San Jose Sharks, have launched inner-city outreach programs aimed at making hockey accessible to kids of all backgrounds and income levels.

"We want to get sticks in the hands of kids by taking the cost out of by [sic] letting them play. They learn about hockey, they learn about teamwork and they learn about the sport," Chicago Blackhawks senior director of Fan Development Annie Camins told Rolling Stone in 2016. More than 90,000 kids have participated in the team's program since its launch.

Children in Vancouver are seen playing street hockey during the 2010 Winter Olympics. Photo by Martin Bureau/AFP/Getty Images.

The 2018 Olympic Winter Games run from February 9-24 in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

This father-son hockey hug is going viral, and it's a great example of male affection.

Hockey player Bobby Butler never thought he'd have a shot at making the U.S. Olympic team.

Typically, those coveted spots are reserved for America's top NHL stars. But a surprising announcement from the league — this year, they've decided not to allow rostered players to compete in the Olympics — has opened the door to lesser-known players like Butler.

Butler during his time in the NHL with the Nashville Predators. Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

The 30-year-old Butler was, at one point, a journeyman NHL player, bouncing from team to team due to cuts and trades. Today, he plays for Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL (American Hockey League — sort of like the NHL's minor leagues). Butler represented America in the 2013 World Championship, where the U.S. team took bronze, but the Olympic team would be, without a doubt, the biggest stage of his career.

While the lack of NHL star-power meant more opportunity for greener players, competition was fierce: Team officials searched high and low for talent to join the squad — the college ranks, Americans in foreign hockey leagues, and players from the AHL — before putting their recruits through an intense trial period.

Butler made the cut. And while he was overjoyed, there was one person in his life he hoped would understand his intense flurry of emotions: his dad.

Team cameras were filming practice when Butler's dad stopped by, and the newest member of the U.S. men's hockey team got to give his old man some good news.

Butler's dad swelled with pride and wrapped his son in a bear hug as teammates cheer. The heartwarming video gives major feels:

Dads have a reputation for often being stingy with displays of physical affection. But that might all be changing.

That's not to say that fathers don't love their kids! They do. But it's been suggested that, generally, men prefer to show affection (particularly to other men and their sons) by bonding over shared activities or doing something nice. Hugs, kisses, and "I love you's" can be few and far between.

That kind of bonding has its place, but studies show that kids really benefit from a lot of warmth and physical affection from their parents. The good news is that some research suggests many men today might just be up to the task, and are driven to provide "better quality of fathering than they had experienced."

In any case, the viral response to Butler's embrace with his father shows that maybe we are ready for a world where a father can kiss his son, hold him when he's sad, and embrace him in moments of joy.

Even in the rough-and-tumble world of professional hockey.

Now even senators are rallying around the U.S. women's hockey team. Good.

You may not see Team USA on the ice at the women's hockey world championships, which begin on March 30, in Michigan.

Players on the U.S. women's national team are planning to boycott the tournament over what they consider pathetically low wages and a general lack of support from USA Hockey, the team's governing association.

The U.S. women's team went home with the silver medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Photo by Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Image.

The athletes are reportedly paid just $1,000 a month during the six-month Olympic residency period and "virtually nothing" the other 3.5 years between Olympic games — even though they continue to train and compete in other events. Astoundingly, many of the players hold second and third jobs to make ends meet.

Fortunately, it appears lots of other people — including a handful of powerful U.S. senators and stars on the U.S. men's team — are in the women's corner.

In response to the charges of unfair wages and benefits, Team USA players spread the word using the hashtag #BeBoldForChange.

Their many supporters followed suit.

Hannah Beckman, a New Jersey Rocket, wants to play on Team USA someday, but under much fairer circumstances.

Olympic medalist Julie Chu of the Les Canadiennes knows that taking a stand takes guts, and she's committed to standing strong.

Johnny Laursen, who plays for the USA Warriors, a team made of wounded service members, said "silent is what [he] won't be."

Tennis champion Billie Jean King spoke out in support of equality too.

And Amanda Kessel, who plays on the women's team, said she's sitting this one out for all the younger players watching at home...

Players like Daria, a future hockey star.

And Annie, who knows she can hang with boys on the ice too.

And every other girl who deserves better than the status quo.

On March 27, the women's team gained a handful of other high profile supporters: 14 U.S. senators.

In a fiery letter to USA Hockey executive director Dave Ogrean, more than a dozen senators — including Elizabeth Warren, Dianne Feinstein, and Cory Booker — asked the organization hear out the players' demands and respond appropriately.

Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images.

"We are disturbed by reports from the U.S. Women's National Hockey Team suggesting that USA Hockey is not providing 'equitable support' to female athletes," the senators wrote, noting the inequality goes far beyond a paycheck. "While USA Hockey provides its male athletes with a 'seemingly endless' supply of hockey equipment, for example, female players are often expected to 'buy their own.'"

Here is an excerpt from the full letter:

It appears as though USA Hockey hasn't taken the team's demands all that seriously thus far.

Last week, after players began announcing plans to sit out, the organization started reaching out to second- and third-tier players to fill the roster. In an act of solidarity, many of those athletes — including goalie Brittany Ott, whose tweet is below — have refused to step in and play.

News of the boycott has been rumbling online in recent weeks, as more and more groups — including athlete unions representing the NHL, NBA, NFL, and MLB — have spoken out in support of the women's team.

On March 26, athlete agent Allan Walsh reported the U.S. men's team might even boycott their world championship games in solidarity with the women's team.

They're scheduled to play in France and Germany in May.

It's important to note that while athletes on the men's and women's teams are paid equally by USA Hockey, all of the men are NHL players — their paychecks from being on the national team is a drop in the bucket. It's a different story for the women.

As writer Jessica Luther pointed out online, if the men's team follows through with their own boycott, it's a great example of turning allyship into real action.

The women's boycott, however, may be avoidable if all goes well at a USA Hockey emergency board meeting being held on March 27.

Board members are expected to vote on a deal that reportedly includes significant wage increases and improved benefits for players.

"[Reaching a deal with better wages and benefits] is our chance to make history for every woman on the ice today and every little girl who's just lacing up her skates for the first time," women's team forward Hilary Knight explained to USA Today. "We're hopeful for them and for us that we'll get the change that is long overdue."

This article may be updated with information on the board meeting vote.

What happens when vision loss changes the way we enjoy our favorite sport?

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As any sports fan knows, love of the game can run pretty deep.

There are player names to memorize, stats to learn, jerseys to collect, and of course, games to watch. For many families, loving a sport or a team brings them together. Parents and kids pile onto the couch or into the arena to watch games as a group.

Gerry Nelson has always enjoyed watching hockey. But things got a little trickier when blindness made it so he couldn't watch the game he loves.

Gerry wasn't always blind. But after years of ignoring his childhood diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes, he lost his sight at age 25. "I lost my parents when I was very young, and I didn’t look after myself in my late-teens and 20s," Gerry said. "I didn't get the education I needed around how important health is when you're diabetic. But now I’ve turned it all around."

Losing his sight hasn't kept Gerry from living a full life. He's become an accomplished golfer. He also is an active father to his son, Wyatt, who is now 12 years old. "In reality," Gerry said, "he's more 12 going on 30."

Two things are forever true about Gerry and Wyatt Nelson's relationship. They've always been close, and they've always loved hockey.

Gerry Nelson and Wyatt Nelson-Zook in 2009. Image courtesy of Gerry Nelson, used with permission.

When Wyatt was 5 years old, they started attending hockey games together, mostly the local WHL team the Saskatoon Blades. Wyatt would watch the action on the ice, and Gerry would follow along listening to the live play-by-play broadcast on a local radio station.

Their system worked perfectly — until the night they attended a preseason game the radio station wasn't covering. Gerry was happy to sit in the arena alongside his son, but Wyatt wanted to give him a better experience. So, he started narrating the action on the ice, emulating the play-by-play announcers hockey fans know so well. Through Wyatt's words, Gerry was able to see the action as well as he could have with sight.

From that night onward, Gerry hasn't needed his radio when he and Wyatt go to games together. Wyatt's play-by-play is enough.

“Sometimes when he is doing something with me I feel like I am taking him away from his time with his friends,” Gerry told an interviewer late last year. “But he says, ‘No, Dad, I love doing it and I want to do it.’”

Gerry and Wyatt's story started making waves in Canadian media last December. As it turned out, some folks in the NHL were following along.

Over the last year, they've had some incredible experiences thanks to hockey fans who've been inspired by their story. They've attended a Stanley Cup final game, gone to the NHL Player Awards in Las Vegas and met some of their heroes on and off the ice.

Wyatt even did play-by-play announcing for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals on a local radio station in St Louis. "He did 17 minutes of the first 20-minute period," Gerry said proudly. "The more and more he does, the better he gets at it."

By far the most emotional moment for the two came last spring when a news crew visiting Saskatoon brought a special surprise to the local arena for the Nelson boys.

Hidden in a distant room at the rink was hockey's greatest trophy: the Stanley Cup. It's a huge piece of hardware, standing nearly three-feet-high and weighing 34.5 pounds. For fans, it's especially magnificent.

Wyatt Nelson-Zook with the Stanley Cup. Image by Gerry Nelson, used with permission.

Gerry and Wyatt got to experience the cup in a way few people do — just the two of them.

"Growing up on the streets of North Battleford, our Stanley Cup was an aluminum garbage can," said Gerry. "All of a sudden, I was realizing that it was my son and I, alone — no one else in the room with the Stanley Cup. It was one of the most amazing feelings. I was able to put my hands on it, without 200 other people in the room at the same time. That’s when it really started to hit home and got pretty emotional for me."

All of these incredible moments, shared with the sport they love, haven't changed Gerry or Wyatt one bit.

Wyatt and Gerry hold the Stanley Cup. Image by Gerry Nelson, used with permission.

When the big moments are over and the Stanley Cup has been put back in its case, Gerry and Wyatt Nelson still have their remarkable connection — and the game that brought it to light.

"The perfect thing is the quality and type of relationship that Wyatt and I have," said Nelson. "It wouldn’t matter if it was a peewee game on the local outdoor rinks or the Saskatoon Blades or an NHL game in the big city. Nothing could make it better because I’m already spending this wonderful time hanging out with Wyatt, sharing our love of hockey. For him and me, the blindness doesn’t figure into it. Wyatt does what he does because Dad’s Dad and Dad can’t see."

As for all the kudos Wyatt has received for his play-by-play announcing skills, Gerry says he'll leave it up to his son to decide if that's something he wants to do. "So far Wyatt's [wanted to be] a baseball player and a hockey player and a firefighter. I know for me it took a lot of trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life, and he's got a lot of time to figure things out," said Nelson. "I’ll support Wyatt in anything and everything he wants to do. If he opted to go that route, I would support him. After all, I'd get to go to a lot more NHL games!"

He has proven himself to be a leader off the ice as well as on.

In hockey, backup goalies don't often get much credit — especially from the president.

But that's exactly what happened when the Stanley-Cup-winning Chicago Blackhawks made their way to the White House on Thursday for an awards reception.

Among the people President Obama wanted to give credit to: backup goalie Scott Darling — who played in just 14 regular-season and five playoff games last year.

GIFs from the White House/YouTube.

Why? Well, it was actually something that Darling was involved with off the ice.

Obama wouldn’t have known to praise Darling without a serendipitous exchange between an Uber driver and a Beer League Hockey Player.

Here's a story an Uber driver told beer league hockey player Kane Van Gate, who posted it to Twitter:

Now, you're probably thinking, "That's an oddly specific story, but how do you know the Uber driver wasn't just making it up or missing a few facts?" Well, Darling confirmed the story via his own Twitter account, though he hasn't said anything else about it since.

Darling warms up before a game last season. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images.

Now, it really should be noted that Darling is nowhere near one of the National Hockey League's top-paid players (he's making $575,000 this year — which is obviously a lot for those of us who aren't professional athletes, but you get the idea).

Pretty cool, right?

Darling lifts the Stanley Cup trophy during the Blackhawks Championship Rally last June. Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images.

And while Darling has remained hush-hush on the whole thing, Obama felt such a selfless act was worth highlighting.

Ever the modest one, here's how Darling reacted to the presidential kudos:

You can watch Obama's remarks below (go to about 5:30 for his shout-out to Darling).

Pride Tape is so cool — and important.

Being a young gay athlete can be rough. I know because I was one.

I had fun playing basketball in high school, but it was exhausting — on and off the court. Hearing homophobic language tossed around the locker room like one of the basketballs was part of the daily grind. And it was painful thinking,would any of my teammates accept me for who I am?

Clearly, I'm not the only one who felt that way.

Persisting homophobic attitudes in the sports world are a very real thing. But, at the same time, plenty of young athletes (I'd guess the silent majority even) would welcome an LGBTQ teammate — no questions asked.

That's why these rainbow-wrapped hockey sticks are so freaking cool.

Hockey players will soon be able to show their support for their LGBTQ teammates simply by wrapping Pride Tape (seen below) on their sticks. In doing so, they're showing those on and off the ice that they support and promote inclusion of LGBTQ players.

Photo via Pride Tape, used with permission.

Pride Tape — which is currently being funded through a Kickstarter campaign — was launched by the Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services at the University of Alberta in Canada, as well as the You Can Play Project, which promotes LGBTQ inclusion in sports.

The tape addresses a widespread problem. Fear of being bullied by teammates prevents many young queer athletes — an estimated 81% of gay males and 76% of lesbians — from coming out of the closet, according to an international report on homophobia released last year.

Dr. Kris Wells, who's heading the Pride Tape campaign, said homophobia in sports certainly exists in Canada too: "[Pride Tape is] a simple way to show your support for LGBTQ youth without actually even having to say any words," Wells told Upworthy. "It can become a powerful statement."

Pride Tape has been a hit since it launched about a month ago, thanks in part to support from a star athlete.

Since the campaign for Pride Tape officially launched in December, the response has been "phenomenal," according to Wells. Every major Canadian TV network has agreed to air a commercial for the tape that features NHL player Andrew Ference free of charge. Ads spreading the word about the project have launched across Canada too.

"Some kids stop playing the game they love just because they’re gay," Ference says in the commercial. "Let’s show every player they’re welcome on the ice."

The Pride Tape campaign shot a commercial for their efforts with a little star power from Andrew Ference, a player on the NHL's Edmonton Oilers. Photo via Pride Tape, used with permission.

"People just said, 'Whatever we can do to support, count on us,'" Wells explained of the campaign's success thus far.

The campaign's aiming to raise a bit more than $39,000, which would allow it to provide 10,000 rolls of tape for free "to local teams across Canada and beyond," according to a press release. As of Friday afternoon, it's raised over $24,000.

Right now, the tape isn't quite ready to be sold on the market. But its creators hope that will change soon.

Once the initial Kickstarter campaign wraps (get it?), the hope is that interest in the tape will allow more to be manufactured and sold, with profits directly benefitting LGBTQ youth initiatives at the institute and the You Can Play Project.

Photo via Pride Tape, used with permission.

"The more that we're talking about [LGBTQ inclusion] in the locker room, in the stands, in our community rinks, and in our schools, the better," Wells says. "Because that's what's going to lead to a change in attitudes."

As far as long-term plans, the goal is to expand Pride Tape products for athlete use in other sports as well.

Pride Tape is a simple, colorful concept that could make a big difference to many young people.

I know high school me would have loved to see any sign that one of my teammates had my back. So I'm guessing plenty of kids will be thrilled to spot a rainbow-striped hockey stick out in the ice rink soon.

Support the Pride Tape Kickstarter here.

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