The NHL wanted to be the first team sport with an openly gay player. Bettman and Brian Burke pushed it for years.
Their Hockey is for Everyone campaign fizzled out after the Soccer, Basketball and Football all had a player.
I think most people don't care. Almost everyone knows someone who is gay.
I had a goalie once who we all suspected was gay but it was never addressed in the locker room. He joked around with us like one of the guys, drank beers with us, etc. but as with the gays I have encountered they tend to behave a little differently. I just got that vibe from him.
It was never an issue in the locker room, and none of us ever felt uncomfortable around him. He was a teammate and a friend, and we defended him just like he defended us.
Fast forward 10 years and I ran across him and we caught up, and sure enough he now felt comfortable enough to let me know he was indeed gay. He asked me if the other guys knew, how we felt, etc. and I was honest and said to me it didn't matter, and from what I could tell it didn't bother them but then again we never talked about it either.
I asked him why he kept it under wraps and he said he didn't want to be judged, ridiculed or treated differently. This was in the late 1990s so being a gay athlete was almost unheard of, so I can understand his apprehension. It's a different time and space now in society, and personally I don't care who you are boinking - just be a good teammate and play for the jersey.