Confronting Canada's Complicated Hockey Culture

In this episode of Cynthia and Josie’s Unmentionables, we speak with award winning journalist and TSN reporter Rick Westhead about Canadian hockey culture and the systems that shape young boys in sport.

Rick Westhead is the journalist who broke the 2022 Hockey Canada World Junior sexual assault allegations story. His book, We Breed Lions Confronting Canada’s Troubled Hockey Culture, examines junior hockey in Canada, locker room dynamics, hazing rituals, and the lack of accountability that has allowed harmful behaviour to persist.

We discuss how hockey has become deeply tied to Canadian identity, particularly in Ontario, Toronto, and communities across Canada, and why questioning hockey culture can provoke such intense backlash. Rick also reflects on social media harassment, power, masculinity, and the personal cost of investigating sport at the highest levels.

The conversation explores how minor hockey and elite junior leagues operate, how secrecy and humiliation are normalized, and why real change has been so difficult. At the same time, Rick highlights programs in Hamilton Ontario and across Canada that are teaching consent, healthy masculinity, and leadership through sport.

Proceeds from We Breed Lions support organizations including the London Abused Women’s Centre, the Toronto Rape Crisis Centre, and Canadian Tire Jumpstart, helping combat gender based violence and improve access to sport.

This episode is essential listening for parents, coaches, athletes, and anyone invested in the future of hockey in Canada.