Ron MacLean dedicated an entire blog post to it; Tara Slone called it a career highlight.

The inspirational story of Chase Blodgett – first reported by the Star in December 2014 – earned a national audience Sunday, as the Rogers Hometown Hockey tour made its latest stop in Whitehorse.

Blodgett, 30, is a hockey-loving trans man living in the Yukon capital.

Three months after announcing his transition from female to male in 2014, the Whitehorse Women’s Hockey Association (WWHA) ruled it would allow transgender players to play in its league – a precedent-setting policy at the time.

Blodgett’s story was aired during the pre-game show of Sunday’s NHL game between the Calgary Flames and Carolina Hurricanes, with MacLean lauding the WWHA’s decision as a “pioneering movement.”

The Hometown Hockey host also likened the territory’s colourful Gold Rush history to Blodgett’s story, telling co-host Slone: “I feel kind of metaphorically as if our show today is chiselling away at foundations, eroding barriers.”

Recalling the story to Slone, Blodgett said the league’s decision to continue to include him was huge.

“They could have excluded me,” he said. “There was evidence for both, but they chose to include me. ... I was hoping for tolerance at best, and what they gave me was love.

“It’s a really special league,” Blodgett said of the WWHA. “There’s 100 women in it and we’re like a family. ... You know everybody and it’s just this great sense of community. It’s such an honour to be included in it.”

The airing of Blodgett’s story coincided with a groundbreaking recommendation on transgender athletes by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The IOC recommended a policy change that would allow transgender athletes compete in Olympics and other national events without undergoing sex reassignment surgery.

Previously, trans athletes required reassessment surgery, followed by multiple years of hormone therapy before being allowed to compete.

“I think it’s setting the stage for gender non-conforming people in sports at all levels,” Blodgett told MacLean of his response to the decision. “It’s just an exciting time to be alive.”

During the second intermission of the Flames-Hurricanes contest, Blodgett made another appearance on the broadcast due to a hilarious sequence that occurred during a ceremonial puck drop at a WWHA game Saturday night at the Canada Games Centre.

Upon dropping the puck, Slone was stunned to see gameplay commence, with Blodgett winning the draw forward and rushing up ice.

The joke was worth it for Slone, however, as moments later she was presented with a hockey stick pendant complete with a miniature gold nugget, created by local goldsmith and hockey player Cheryl Rivest.

Following Sunday’s interview with MacLean and Slone, Blodgett said the experience was a humbling one.

“I grew up watching Ron MacLean and I love Tara Slone,” he said. “It’s an honour to speak on behalf of the Whitehorse women’s hockey league, because for me, it’s about us, our community, and the beautiful gift that we are in each other’s lives.

“There’s still a lot of work to be done,” he said concerning transgender policy and legislation. “But it starts with having these people exposed to gender non-conforming individuals and to recognize that we’re just people. And in my case, I just wanted to play hockey with my friends, and my friends showed up for me in the biggest way possible.”

After spending last season between the pipes for championship-winning Burnt Toast, Blodgett has moved to centre for the same team, and currently has 20 points in 21 games, which ties him for 14th in league scoring.

Teammate Stephanie Hedley said “Blodge” is one of her best friends.

“I call him my hockey hubby,” she chuckled. “I’m so glad he’s getting this exposure. A lot of people will maybe more now understand what he’s going through and give him an open heart, not just judge him right off the bat.”

Meanwhile, fellow teammate Sue Hamilton said she felt fortunate just to play on the same team as Blodgett.

“Our dressing room is just hilarious all the time,” she said, noting Blodgett’s larger-than-life personality. “It’s just great.”

The trio spent last weekend together representing the territory at the Pacific Cup women’s tournament in Victoria, where they earned a division title.

In a blog post on Hometown Hockey’s website, MacLean said transgender issues “would not generally get space on a hockey telecast, but in Chase’s case, it’s a wonderful fit.”

The famed broadcaster went on to praise Blodgett for his class in communicating his story, including the catch phrase: “It’s not who you go to bed with ... it’s who you go to bed as.”

The Hometown Hockey festival saw hundreds enjoy the festivities on Front Street this weekend. A full review of the weekend will be published in Wednesday’s paper.