Is Conformity the Hidden Cause of Harm in Hockey Culture?
By Blake Holtsbaum
This is part one in a blog series on hockey culture. Stay tuned for future pieces!
Where Do You Draw the Line Between Conformity and Unity?
In 2002, the Canadian men’s hockey team broke a 50-year Olympic gold medal drought on the back of a Joe Sakic hat-trick.
That was the beginning of my love affair with hockey.
The following season I asked my parents if I could play. Learning how to skate at 10 put me behind but I quickly rose through the ranks. Four years later I was playing Bantam (13-14 years old) A tournaments in Arizona and Florida.
The next year I tried out for Midget (15-17 years old) quadrant but my heart wasn’t in it. The culture within hockey had been killing my love for the game. That season I started to dread going to the rink, and I never played competitively again following it.
A few months ago I was interviewed for a piece in The Globe and Mail about this experience—and I have more to say.
In light of the sexual abuse cover-ups at Hockey Canada, a lot of overdue attention has been paid to hockey culture and how it glorifies violence and protects abusers.
In The Globe and Mail article, an associate professor from Brandon University, Tim Skuce, laments how many former players regret actions on the ice that have caused injury to opponents.
But ultimately, is it that they could not live up to expectations without guilt that causes them the most distress? Or do they regret that their actions were encouraged by hockey culture in the first place? Skuce suggests it’s the former. From my experiences, I’m inclined to agree.
Because hockey does encourage violence: ‘doing what it takes to win,’ ‘sticking up for your teammates,’ being a ‘warrior’—these are all euphemisms that mean, at least in part, contributing to or enduring violence that is outside of what is allowed without penalty in the rulebook. There are some limitations but these are policed by an unspecified ‘code’ that all players come to understand intuitively.
So let's unpack that.
I have seen the argument made that this is not a hockey problem, it is a sports problem.
I don’t personally believe that to be true.
But even if it were, why can’t hockey be the one to lead? To carve out a new culture that other sports can emulate? Doing that means reckoning with the problems present in hockey, not just their results.
I want to make clear that I’m writing this because I love the game of hockey. I want it to be a safer and more inclusive space so others can discover the speed, skill and yes, even the physicality that makes it such a fun and entertaining sport.
Making hockey safer means understanding its culture. I would argue that hockey culture is uniquely conformist—which presents specific challenges.
Don’t Outshine Them or They’ll Knock Your Lights Out
In April of 2022, Jay Beagle, a fourth-line veteran forward for the Arizona Coyotes, cross-checked the highly entertaining Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras to the ice, ostensibly to protect his goalie. He followed it up by repeatedly punching Troy Terry in the scrum that followed. Normally, fighting someone who hasn’t removed their own gloves is seen as gutless in hockey but that’s not how commentator and former pro Tyson Nash saw it: “You better be prepared to be punched in the mouth.”
In other words, you must suppress your own talent level to conform or else you invite violence upon yourself.
This opinion is held by others closest to the game.
John Tortorella, the current coach of the Philadelphia Flyers—known for his fiery tirades during post-game press conferences—lamented another Zegras wonder-play while commentating for ESPN. “It’s fun to watch, it’s really cool but I think our game has gone so far away from what it should be, a hard game, an honest game.”
Just prior to this he pointed out that flipping the puck over the net to be batted in would have resulted in your “head being taken off” just a decade or two prior.
Somehow the intent to injure is more honest than the intent to score.
The Dissonance of Disrespect
This is because hockey is hyper anti-individualistic: You should not stand-out even if it’s harmless and fun.
Ten years ago the Montreal Canadiens banned PK Subban and Carey Price from performing their triple low-five post-game celebration as it did not involve the whole team and was somehow disrespectful to “the game, other team and the fans.”
Notably the same management group (though different coaching staff) did not feel that drafting Logan Mailloux in the first round of the 2021 NHL entry draft was disrespectful or a distraction. Mailloux was charged in Sweden earlier that year for disseminating private sexual photos without consent and had renounced himself from the draft.
Why is celebrating ‘disrespectful,’ but actually harmful behaviour is swept aside?
In 2009 Rick Tocchet, the Tampa Bay Lightning coach (now with the Vancouver Canucks) was asked to comment on an incident that happened during their game against the Washington Capitals. He expressed disappointment, stating that it was “hard for me to see that in our building,” while insinuating it could have led to a bench clearing brawl during the 80s or 90s.
Surely it must have been quite serious. What was the incident?
The then 23-year old Alexander Ovechkin had scored his 50th goal of the season and celebrated by pretending his stick was too hot to touch. That’s it. A celebration that barely would have made the highlight pack of an NFL game dominated the media cycle for days for its perceived selfishness and disrespect.
What is Changing?
Things are thankfully improving.
What gives me the most hope is the increased push-back coming from the younger generation of these conformist norms. Whereas in 2009 even Ovechkin’s coach agreed he should be talked to about his celebration, nowadays the criticism of Nash and Tortorella’s comments has been widespread and mainstream.
Boston Bruins goalies Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman marked each of their victories this year with a post-game bear hug that has been loved by fans and media alike. Evgeny Kuznetsov has patented a ‘bird-celly’ to limited criticism. But change is slow.
With the exception of Jay Beagle, all of the names mentioned here are still working in the game. The New York Islanders under general manager Lou Lamoriello continue to restrict player’s hair length, facial hair, and use of high jersey numbers in the name of respect and unity.
Why does this matter? Why should we push back against the hyper-conformity in hockey culture?
I’d argue that it’s about so much more than beards and bear hugs. Hyper-conformity is linked to allowing harmful behaviours to continue. Conformity in hockey is about more than just perceived individualism and unity. There's a very specific image of what kind of person plays hockey—next week we'll look at how it relates to certain masculine ideals and how some players are "othered" for being different.
Interested in access to free mental health support? Check out MEN& to access free counseling if you’re a man in Alberta.
Resources
Boys and Sports (Modern Manhood)
I Want to Make a Name for Myself: Boys and Competition (Breaking the Boy Code)
Blake Holtsbaum is a volunteer with Next Gen Men and a recent graduate of Mount Royal University with a degree in public policy. He has been all over the world, most recently living in South East Asia. He is passionate about maps and mountains and is an advocate for refugee rights.