The NHL Draft and the Molding of Prospects

Today’s the NHL Entry Draft – even more than the Men’s World Juniors, it’s the event on the hockey calendar that makes me most uncomfortable with the ethos of the NHL. The NHL draft, since it’s played on paper and not on the ice, is pure ideology for NHL general managers. Skill seems to become…

Weekly Links: Steve Montador’s family sues the NHL; Patrick O’Sullivan talks about his abusive father; the NWHL get its first corporate sponsor; and more.

The Weekly Links post highlights important or interesting writing from the hockey blogosphere and media. Enjoy! If you haven’t read Patrick O’Sullivan’s piece for [The Player’s Tribune] about his experiences as a victim of child abuse, stop what you are doing and read it RIGHT NOW. It is extremely poignant, reflective, and a necessary conversation.…

Playing the White Way: Whiteness and hockey

Don Cherry has stated outright that “Racism is not in the NHL. Of all the sports in the world, it’s the one that doesn’t have racism.”  Whether true or false his statement is worthy of examination.  If it is true then we have to figure out what it is about hockey that naturally eliminates racism.…