Soul on Ice: Racism and an Opportunity Missed

*Co-authored by Brett Pardy & Courtney Szto As part of Hockey is for Everyone Month (HIFE), the NHL promoted screenings of Soul on Ice: Past, Present & Future in franchise cities. We attended a free screening (sponsored by the Vancouver Canucks) as part of the Vancouver International Film Festival (no Canucks seemed to be in…

Weekly Links: Cultural aspects of the “concussion crisis”; Women’s hockey in Mexico, South Korea, India; and more

Matt Ventresca, Hockey in Society contributor and postdoc researcher at Georgia Tech, has a great piece on how addressing sociocultural factors, in addition to employing technological advances, is needed to reduce concussions in hockey and other contact sports. [Engaging Sports] Ken Campbell on how hockey agents are recruiting clients at younger and younger ages, and…

Weekly Links: Remembering the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl crash; Hockey Canada’s new transgender policies; World Cup of Hockey anthem controversies; and more

September 7 marked the 5th anniversary of the tragic airplane crash that took the lives of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL) players and staff, as well as the airplane staff. R.I.P. [Sportsnet] It is 5 years since the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl crash killed 44 players/staff. 4 years ago we reflected on the tragedy. https://t.co/KLew23oIMB — Hockey in…

Book Review: “Indian Horse” by Richard Wagamese (2012)

Richard Wagamese’s Indian Horse (2012; Douglas & McIntyre) is a harrowing, yet ultimately uplifting, novel that explores the impact of Canadian residential schools on generations of Aboriginal Canadians.Why, then, is it being reviewed on a hockey blog? Although not necessarily a novel about hockey, Indian Horse centrally features hockey, and offers important insights about the…

Val James: The first African-American to play in the NHL

You might recognize the names Willie O’Ree and Herb Carnegie but what about Val James? Val(more) James became the first black American to skate in the NHL for the Buffalo Sabres in 1982, twenty-four years after Canadian, Willie O’Ree would officially break the “colour-barrier.” For the majority of his career he was an AHL enforcer…

A Presentation on Race at The Hockey Conference

Last week I attended The Hockey Conference in Fredericton, New Brunswick. This conference only takes place every other year and attempts to bring together hockey enthusiasts of all kinds. We had everything from academics to coaches, and former NHL players to a Canadian paralympian in attendance. As a critical academic, it is both exciting and…

Weekly Links: Shannon Miller speak about her firing; Rogers rues lack of Canadian teams in NHL playoffs; Unequal ice time for girls’ teams; and more

The Weekly Links post highlights important or interesting writing from the hockey blogosphere and media. Enjoy! Shannon Miller, who is being fired under contentious circumstances as the head coach of University of Minnesota-Duluth, speaks about her situation. [Curve] A good look at the NWHL and player salaries, and the conflicted feelings of athletes grateful for…