The N.H.L. said it had formed a partnership with the You Can Play Project — an advocacy group pledged to fighting homophobia in sports — to plan training and counseling on gay issues for its teams and players.

Other leagues — the N.F.L., Major League Soccer, the National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball — have policies that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, and various officials have spoken in support of gay athletes. The N.B.A. recently sent a memo to teams reminding them that interviews with players entering the N.B.A. draft should not include questions about religion, race and sexual orientation.

“This has been our policy for years, and we strongly support the N.H.L.’s approach to it, and it’s our fervent hope that this draws less attention, not more, when a player eventually comes out,” David Stern, the N.B.A.’s commissioner, said. “We’ve included training in our rookie program, worked with” the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, “and Grant Hill and Steve Nash have done television spots. We’ve made our views known to players who have expressed inappropriate views.”