Player agent Pettinger comes out as gay, gets support from NHL superstars like McDavid and Crosby

Bayne Pettinger wasn't exactly sure what his friends would think.

What if his superstar friends Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid turned their backs on him?

In the end, it didn't matter. Pettinger had to be true to himself. To that end, Pettinger officially announced to friends and family members that he was coming out as gay. “I can’t imagine now sitting back and not having come out,’’ Pettinger says. “Because I would have been a shell of myself. I was starting to see that.’’

One by one Pettinger reached out to friends and family members to give them the news. When replies started flowing in from some pretty high profile NHLers all Pettinger could do was smile.

“Doesn’t change a thing dude honestly. Just happy ur happy!’’ McDavid texted Pettinger when he found out.

“We are happy for you and I am sure it feels good to get that off your shoulders and to be able to be you,’’ Crosby texted Pettinger.

NHL insider Pierre LeBrun covers Pettinger's story in great detail in his latest article for The Athletic.

Check it out: