Page 98 of The Husband Game

Dustin took a deep breath, a little surprised they’d tackled that topic so head-on.

He took a moment to think, carefully wording what he was going to say.

“I have the utmost respect for who Noah is as a player and a person. He’s been an ambassador to the sport for years and his coming out was a watershed moment for LGBTQ+ people in hockey. Does that mean it was always perfectly smooth sailing between us? Of course not. It’s normal for there to be a few clashes from time to time within a team. Did I always handle it perfectly? No. I’m human. I make mistakes. I simply try to learn from them and do better as a leader.”

Liz nodded. “What do you have to say to fans who feel your behavior in Las Vegas following the NHL awards was out of line?”

Dustin blinked, struggling to keep a pleasant expression on his face. “Ahh, well, I don’t feel like I have anything to feel guilty about. Yes, I had quite a few drinks with friends but I don’t think that’s something I need to apologize for.”

“No?” She arched an eyebrow, challenging him.

“The group I was with was celebrating the awards and Zane Murphy and Ryan Hartinger’s engagement. Everyone there was legal to drink. There were no fights or altercations. No public indecency charges. It’s the off-season. I absolutely do try to be a role model and I’m aware of the responsibilities that come with it but I also think most people can understand that sometimes it’s healthy to let loose a little. The pressure coming off the playoffs is intense and I think most people can agree being able to have a few drinks with the boys is a perfectly reasonable response. I’m sure you had plenty of experience with that, Tad,” Dustin replied with a smile.

“I certainly did, but I think what Liz is referring to is your wild Vegas marriage,” Tad said, leaning forward.

“It was spontaneous,” Dustin said, trying to keep the irritation from his voice. “I’ve never denied that. Neither Charlie nor I went to Las Vegas with the intention of getting married, but when the moment feels right you have to go for it. I can tell you this, when I woke up to see my ring on Charlie’s finger the following morning, I felt very happy.”

“No regrets?”

“I regretted I hadn’t hydrated more before falling asleep but no, no regrets about marrying Charlie.”

Liz and Tad chuckled.

At the time, Dustin had been overwhelmed and a little panicked worrying about the repercussions of his marriage but damn it, he hadn’t regretted it. Not even after it was clear Charlie did. He’d worried he’d put Charlie in a terrible position but he’d never regretted it.

And now that things were only getting better between them? Dustin was convinced getting drunkenly married was the best decision he’d ever made in his life.

Tad gave him an assessing look. “What about the players saying it was hypocritical of you to push for the code of conduct to be agreed upon by the NHLPA when you’re out tearing it up in Vegas? Dallas Sutton has been particularly vocal about that to the media.”

Dustin took a deep breath to keep his tone neutral. “I would hardly call having a few drinks with friends, then marrying someone I care about tearing it up. That being said, I am glad you asked because I think there are a lot of misconceptions about this code of conduct. It isn’t curtailing players’ social lives. There isn’t a morality clause that forbids drinking. I mean, come on, if there was, you know damn well the entire league would riot. I’d riot.”

He got a few chuckles from the hosts.

“The Code of Conduct isn’t even remotely close to that,” Dustin continued. “It focuses on very specific situations such as spousal abuse, and harassment or abuse of staff and fellow players. Abuses of power by coaches or upper management. Things like that. We’re not looking to create the fun police who ruin players’ lives. We’re looking for a way to ensure that severe breaches in behavior can be properly investigated and punished. That is all. I would be happy to sit down and discuss it in further detail with guys like Dallas who have concerns.”

Liz smiled. “Thank you for clearing that up, Dustin. What do you have to say to the many fans who have written in saying they feel like your wedding in Vegas was a reckless decision and very unlike you?”

Dustin shrugged, wondering why on earth people felt like that was any of their business to comment on. “It’s true that in the past, I’ve been private about my personal life but this felt like the right time to share a little more with the public.”

“What about the people speculating it’s an attempt to cash in on the success the Evanston River Otters have had due to their players coming out?” Tad asked, never dropping his gaze from Dustin’s.

Challenging.

An incredulous laugh left Dustin’s mouth before he could stop it. “First of all, I absolutely did not get married for that reason. Secondly, I think that’s conflating multiple issues.”

“Would you like to elaborate?” he asked.

Dustin blinked, his voice rising with his frustration. “The idea of ever using sexual identity to somehow … advance the team is … absurd. It’s just so far from the truth it’s almost laughable.”

Both hosts looked taken aback and Dustin took a moment to gather his thoughts.

“No, I haven’t spoken about my sexuality until now. It hasn’t been relevant. My focus has been on the team and playing hockey and while I did date previously—both men and women—nothing was ever serious enough to warrant a public discussion about it.” He leaned forward, staring at Tad intently. “That being said, I have always been bisexual. Whether or not I publicly came out about it doesn’t change that. From the beginning, I’ve been a member of the You Can Play Initiative, I supported my teammate Noah Boucher when he became the first out player in the league, and I supported all of the members of the River Otters who’ve come out in the past few seasons.”

He could feel the agitation lurking under the surface of his skin, bleeding through into his tone. He knew they were only asking what the fans wanted to know but it was frustrating as hell.

“I have done everything I can as team captain to take part in the Hockey is for Everyone campaigns. I marched in the Toronto Pride event last season with some of my teammates. But I made a choice to personally come out when it was relevant and meaningful to me and not a minute before. And I don’t feel it’s necessary to justify my decision to anyone.”

He cleared his throat, trying to buy himself some time. If he wasn’t careful, he was going to say something he regretted.

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