By E. Martin Nolan Do the NHL Playoffs Facilitate Catharsis? Shea Weber knew he’d be hit, even though the game was over. Henrik Zetterberg went after it like it was midway through the period, like he’d actually be able to make a play. So Weber slams his head into the glass, twice. But let’s not…
By E. Martin Nolan So the Toronto Maple Leafs have apologized to their fans for another awful season. How do you think that went over? Yeah, not so well. Based on the initial response, the fans have refused to accept the apology, instead taking this as another opportunity to bash the organization they feel has…
Sean Mitton is a Canadian living in the United States, and the founder of the ’72 Project. The ’72 Project aims to collect stories from Canadians about their experience of the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union, which gave Canadian hockey its most famous and mythologized moment in Paul Henderson’s game winner…
The Hockey Sweater by Roch Carrier is a classic and beloved piece of Canadian children’s literature. The book tells the tale of a young boy who idolizes Maurice “The Rocket” Richard and his Montreal Canadiens, and who faces extreme embarrassment and social discomfort when his mother accidentally orders him a Toronto Maple Leafs sweater instead…
There is no shortage of critiques of Brendan Shanahan and his oxymoronic Department of Player Safety. Speaking in his suit from his CNN like ‘war room’, Shanahan offers a very inhuman and sterilized account of some of the most atrocious hits in hockey. He stands, sans emotion, and delivers a verdict as a judge would…
By E. Martin Nolan A follow-up to “Are the Toronto Maple Leafs a Public Institution? No (but Also Yes)” A professional sports team may have a genuine public aspect to it, but it looks a lot less like a public institution when it’s failing. Witness this year’s sad Toronto Maple Leafs. You’d be hard-pressed to…
Welcome to Hockey in Society’s Weekly Links post. This feature highlights articles or blog entries that are related to Hockey in Society’s areas of interest and that may be of interest to the site’s readers. Hockey Links Adam Proteau criticizes the NHL’s weak supplemental discipline for failing to create deterrents to dangerous play, and calls…
Welcome to Hockey in Society’s Weekly Links post. This feature highlights articles or blog entries that are related to Hockey in Society’s areas of interest and that may be of interest to the site’s readers. Hockey Links The Montreal Stars of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League are this year’s Clarkson Cup champions, defeating Brampton HC…
Editor’s Note (Feb. 11, 2016) – This post was intended to be part of a three part series, however the remaining parts of the series were never written. However, for more writing about Aboriginal Peoples in hockey, please see Courtney Szto’s post “Things We Don’t Talk About: Residential Schools and hockey” (Feb. 7, 2016) and…
By E. Martin Nolan In the Moment Last month, Puck Daddy’s Greg Wyshynski defended the fan’s natural inclination to root for an opposing player’s injury. The occasion was an incident in Montreal, where some fans cheered when opposing super villain Zdeno Chara was hit in the face with the puck (Chara was not seriously injured,…
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