I worshipped at the alter of hockey. I perked up when Don Cherry said things like “listen up kids” when he described violence in hockey & what being a real man looks like...And I listened. When I was abused as a minor at the hands of coaches & teammates, I shut up & moved on...
2/ ...bc, well, that’s what a real man does. I also became the bully. I became a person in the hockey world that I can’t recognize today & I never want to be again. The hockey world is small & Jess Allen is right about it being a sport for privileged, predominantly white boys
3/ ...you are privileged if you can spend north of $10,000 to register for hockey. She is right about the type of men that are drawn to the sport. I was one of those men. She stated “in her own experience” before describing what she believes her experience with hockey to mean.
4/ ....I’ve said it before, in my experience, hockey culture is toxic. My kids will not being going near a hockey rink until there is some tangible proof that the culture is changing. The removal of Don Cherry & his subconscious messaging influencing children is a good start.
5/ Now let’s fix the fear based learning & negative talk that most coaches spew towards players to motivate them. We get so much more energy from positive thoughts & words, rather than the negative notions that are drilled into us from early ages
6/ The sport of hockey is an amazing game. It is not religion, nor should it be treated that way. Jess Allen’s & my views of hockey may not be 100% right & fit the perfect mold some of you have in your head of this sport/community, but they are honest takes, in our own experience
