Harrison Browne thanks fans for voting him in to the NWHL All-Star Game

At the beginning of the NWHL season, Harrison Browne wrote a letter to The Ice Garden’s readers about his decision to come out as transgender. Now, Browne wanted a chance to write to you all again, after it was announced that he was one of four NWHL players voted into the All-Star Game by the fans.

Please excuse me…I’m dreaming of NWHL Skills Showdown shootout moves against my old college buddy, Brittany Ott!

Hello NWHL fans and dear readers of The Ice Garden. I wanted to reach out to express my gratitude to each and every one of you who voted for me to participate in the NWHL All-Star Game this season. You guys did it! I got word this morning that I’m officially heading to Pittsburgh to be one of the representatives of the Beauts at the second annual NWHL ASG.

I love traveling to different cities and seeing all the different rinks everyone plays hockey in, and I’ve heard the Penguins’ facility is simply first-class. I'm very excited to see just what Pittsburgh has in store for all of us and the different fans that will be in the crowd! Word has it that tickets sales for both the Skills Showdown and All-Star Game have been amazing, so thank you to the people of Pittsburgh and all of the incredible NWHL fans who are making the trip to Western PA.

I may also have a few tricks up my sleeve for a particular shootout move…really hope I get to shoot against Otter, who deserves a spot in this game as I’m sure you’d agree.

To put it mildly, I am overwhelmed by the immense support that I have received from the hockey community and beyond since my announcement in September. It shines through every tweet and message that I have read, every Browne jersey and shirsey that have been sold, and now recently landing one of the fans’ four choices in the All-Star Game – all due to your partnership and unwavering support!

You have helped send the message that living an authentic life and remaining true to oneself is the most valuable and rewarding way to co-exist in this world. We are showing that we are stronger together and no one is alone as they travel through their personal emotional journeys.

We have a significant story to tell and you have enabled me to create a platform to confidently and comfortably express mine with my NWHL and Beauts families.

These past few months have been meaningful beyond measure. I have interacted with national and major local media, engaged with a new fan base through various social media outlets, and continued to make history doing what I am most passionate about... playing hockey. I am humbled and honored to have an opportunity to represent the Beauts in such a candid and genuine manner, in my own skin, as Harrison Browne.

The Beauts and I have had a solid start to the season, but we are hungry for more wins. We are chasing after our rivals, the Boston Pride, for a chance to bring the Isobel Cup home to Buffalo. We are a strong team defensively with an amazing D core, and we are stacked with two skilled goalies. I believe the key for us for the second half of the season will be for the forwards (including myself) to truly dig deep and put those pucks in the net. I am hoping to light the lamp on a few more occasions during this season and see if I can get another highlight reel out there!

Throughout the season, I have encountered many people wanting to share their own stories with me as well as display their support while attending my games. I would like to send a special shout out to the Gay and Youth Services in Western New York, who brought a group of kids and their parents to watch me play. They were accompanied with signs, pride flags, and trans awareness name tags. It was an even greater treat to meet them all after the game, discuss their experiences, and snap a few pictures together.

I feel truly lucky and I hope to make you all proud and rock it on All Star Weekend. Thank you for helping me reach this stage of my professional career and for reminding me how monumental this chapter is to me and the trans community.