̽��ϵ��

The "culture"

From its beginning as a North American pro-sports league, the NHL has been associated with a culture of “toughness,” the prevalence of this perception best captured by Rodney Dangerfield’s classic joke,

I love hockey fights as much as any hockey fan, but the pervasiveness of violence and its perceived value to the NHL have undoubtedly contributed to the aggressive culture that persists in and around the league. Women adjacent to the league—be they league staff, social media personnel, broadcasters, commercial break “ice girls,” or female fans—are constantly underestimated, disrespected, and undermined based on their association with a sport so closely connected to aggressive masculinity. I don’t have enough fingers (or toes) to count the number of times men have expressed extreme surprise at my understanding of hockey based on their assumption that the sport would be “too rough” for my “delicate feminine sensibilities.” It is easy to look at these misogynistic sentiments and see them as a byproduct of the traditionally male fanbase rather than an issue with the league itself, but that is far from the reality.

A league of tradition

In 2022, it was revealed that Hockey Canada had for male players accused of sex-related crimes. Notably, this “sexual assault fund” was used to settle the cases against five members of Canada’s 2018 World Juniors team who were accused of assaulting an anonymous female claimant. Of these five players, the three with NHL contracts when the trial commenced were temporarily suspended pending the verdict. After being brought to the London, Ontario court, the cases were resolved in July 2024 with all five players acquitted. Following NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman’s decision to lift their suspensions , the previously contracted players were quickly considered by various teams.

Most prominently, the Vegas Golden Knights signed Carter Hart, a decision met with extreme public outcry, especially from female fans. In this circumstance, the question of Hart’s guilt is ultimately unimportant. , no matter if it can legally be considered sexual assault, was a product of the same toxic culture which has allowed him back into the league. Despite the outcry, Hart remains signed, just one of a number of acts central to the persistence of the NHL’s culture of misogyny.

Although I can point to specific events in both the NHL’s past and present that exemplify its issue of misogyny, this is not an “event” problem—it’s a systemic one. Misogyny is baked into the very foundations of the NHL—as some have argued, it is baked into the foundations of ; but while some leagues have implemented policies to attempt to change the culture of their sport, the NHL still clings to tradition, being the only major North American sports league without specified domestic violence or sexual assault policies. When interviewed on that decision in 2014, Bettman claimed that but it is that very sentiment that prevents change. If the extent of the problem is not acknowledged, how can we ever hope to fix it?

The Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics

This tradition of misogyny is even present in the highest echelons of the sport, as demonstrated in the wake of both the Team USA men’s and women’s ice hockey teams winning gold over Canada in the Milan Cortina Olympics. The men’s team, entirely composed of NHL players, celebrated their win by partying with FBI director Kash Patel and calling US President Donald Trump. After inviting the team to his February 24th State of the Union address, Trump joked that he would also The whole team laughed.

Following backlash voiced by fans, for their reaction, but the fact that no objections were raised at the time is the more significant issue. I doubt that the majority of the players hold deep-seated misogynistic views, but when expressions of those views are met with laughter, it is an acceptance if not an outright endorsement. Refusing to rock the boat is what perpetuates the toxic culture of male hockey spaces which allows players with histories of sexual assault or domestic violence allegations to return to the league more-or-less uncontested.

Of course, the kicker of the whole Olympics situation is that the women’s team in their respective tournament than did. As a woman in hockey, you can meet and even exceed the standards of your male counterparts, and they will still laugh at you and celebrate with a man who wants to take away your rights. That’s the status quo that is upheld when jokes at the expense of women’s achievements or humanity go unchallenged in male dominated environments.

Following the backlash over the Trump call, the NHL conveniently began promoting featuring the wives and daughters of players, though most were unconnected to the US team. This attempt by the NHL to dispel criticism of their players highlights the league’s performativity, women who were otherwise uninvolved becoming props used to uplift the image of the players and thus the NHL as a whole. The NHL’s inaction when confronted on acts which perpetuate misogyny—at times breaching into outright attempts to obscure the fault of players—demonstrates the league’s current unwillingness to confront the systemic structures which allow those feelings to persist.

Is change possible?

As a league that is so wrapped up in tradition both on and off the ice, the NHL has always been averse to change, be it in the form of improving player safety or taking steps to alter its toxic culture. But as hockey fans continue to highlight the systemic issues within male hockey spaces, who’s to say that we can’t force that change?

Ultimately, any change to the league’s culture—and thus the culture of all male hockey spaces—will both begin and end with the continued promotion of women’s hockey. In 2022, the first professional women’s hockey league, the PWHL, was created. Although it is almost unbelievable that a women’s pro-league didn’t exist prior, that only increases its importance for female players, fans, and everything in between. It is not until the PWHL is viewed not as a lesser alternative to the NHL, but rather an equally valid form of the sport that the culture will begin to change. So, get out there and watch some women’s hockey—it’s the best it’s ever been. Let’s go Goldeneyes!