this post was submitted on 13 Nov 2025
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Nearly two years after complaining to Hockey Canada about bullying and sexual misconduct on a Hamilton youth hockey team, a family is relieved they don’t have to keep it secret anymore.

“The big win is we can now talk about it,” said the mother of one of the victims. “The public needs to know when maltreatment is taking place and what the sanctions are.”

It found the team had a "toxic" culture and that coaches breached dressing room policy by “failing to properly supervise the dressing rooms.”

The six players denied any involvement and the coaches denied any knowledge of the activities.

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[–] ShaggySnacks@lemmy.myserv.one 7 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Not shocked at all. Hockey has a terribly toxic culture to it.

https://www.brandonu.ca/research-connection/article/exposing-hockey-culture-from-within-a-reckoning/

Long before the recent highly publicized reports about sexual violence and silencing in hockey culture, journalists and academics were sounding the alarm (Gruneau & Whitson, 1993; Ingham & Dewar, 1999; Robinson, 1988). Informed by the research surrounding hypermasculinity and hockey culture (Allain, 2008; 2014; 2015), we conducted an interview-based study with elite-level male hockey players who were resistant to various elements of the culture.

https://news.westernu.ca/2022/07/expert-insight-hockey-trouble-can-the-sport-overcome-its-history-of-neglect-and-abuse/

On July 14, sports writer and activist Shireen Ahmed broke down Hockey Canada’s open letter on CBC News. “Abuse in hockey is not new,” insisted Ahmed. “Sexualized violence in hockey is not new.”

There is a discernible hockey subculture, rooted in violent performances of masculinity, that is undeniably helping fuel this pattern of abuse. And so far, organizations have been reluctant to do anything about it.

https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/ssj/40/4/article-p452.xml

The socialization process encourages young boys and men to embody certain traits of hegemonic masculinities that manifest in homophobia, misogyny, xenophobia, and heteronormativity (Allain, 2008; MacDonald, 2014). To promote and ensure athletes embrace certain masculine ideals, hockey players are frequently subjected to policing tactics that ensure the adoption and enactment of preferred masculine characteristics (Messner, 1990, 2000, 2007; Pringle & Hickey, 2011). As players progress in the game to elite-levels, these behaviors are expected, reinforced, and rewarded. However, attaining dominant masculine traits does not necessarily translate into fulfilling and satisfying experiences in life (Connell & Messerschmidt, 2005). Despite personifying these desired masculine ideals, many former competitive ice hockey players are now publicly revealing their struggles with addiction and with the impacts of injuries connected to a lifetime of embodying hyperaggressive and overly competitive qualities of masculinity (Messner, 1990; see Fraser, 2020; Hirsch, 2018; Wilson, 2020). Importantly, the calls for change are coming from inside the rink.

[–] SneakyWeasel@lemmy.ca 7 points 5 days ago

I quit playing hockey back 20 years ago. Thought i would try again a couple years ago with ball hockey. I played a game once and the ball wasent even dropped for the opening and a guy snapped my stick in half. Thats when i just said fuck this im done with this sport.

[–] cyborganism@lemmy.ca 5 points 4 days ago

When I was in elementary school, all the boys in my classes were in the local hockey league and they all had a pretty shitty attitude. They were all bullies who were aggressive all the time. Fighting and violence was normalized because they saw hockey players fight on TV. Because I didn't play, I was bullied a lot.

Meanwhile, at home I had a group of friends around the block and they didn't play except for one. I had no trouble from them and they were my best friends.