Cathy Dobson/Local Journalism Initiative

Journalist Rick Westhead says he loves the game of hockey but it has to do a much better job at every level to protect players from sexual assault and horrific hazing behaviours.

It also needs to address attitudes around misogyny and homophobia, says the award-winning senior correspondent at TSN.  

“There are a lot of great people in the game,” said Westhead, who was in Sarnia Wednesday to talk about his book, We Breed Lions, Confronting Canada’s Troubled Hockey Culture.  But there is overwhelming evidence that hockey culture in Canada is troubled by attitudes of misogyny, homophobia, and indifference when young players are forced to perform degrading acts.

“It’s an uncomfortable truth about our national sport,” he said.  “This was a really hard book to write, so heavy, but I think it’s very important.”

In 2022, Westhead began reporting on the E.M. case against Hockey Canada and five junior hockey players in London she accused of sexual assault.

The players were eventually found not guilty. However, Westhead’s reporting revealed that Hockey Canada has a “slush fund” to pay off sexual assault allegations before they become public.

“I remember feeling so conflicted because, as much as this story is so gross and taints a sport that Canadians love, the truth is I love hockey,” he said.  “I coached my son, Carter, I play hockey twice a week now…

“How can you have a sport that is so amazing but is so troubled with systemic issues?”

Westhead’s reporting of the junior hockey players’ trial in London, set off a flood of emails to him about assaults, shocking locker room behaviour and the response of league officials.  He still receives those emails daily, he said.

Westhead’s book opens with E.M. versus Hockey Canada and goes on to expose a game in crisis.  

On Wednesday, Westhead called for much more thorough screening of coaches before they are hired.  Most sports organizations, he said, do a criminal background check, will ask questions about whether an individual has been investigated for misconduct, and use a sanctioned registry maintained by Sport Integrity Canada of people who have been banned from sports. But not hockey.

“None of those names will include people in hockey because Hockey Canada won’t participate with that registry,” said Westhead.

“I think most teams will say they do a criminal background check,” he said.  “But that’s not nearly enough…I think it’s clear in 2026 that there are a lot of different reasons why people won’t go to the police after bad situations happen, so there are cases where people who have been accused of things don’t wind up with a criminal record.

“But, even though they aren’t convicted, they still shouldn’t be working with minors,” said Westhead.  

Hockey Canada keeps sanctions for misconduct to adults “secret,” he added. “Other organizations like Gymnastics Canada and Athletics Canada don’t. I believe a parent has the right to know who they are leaving their kid with at a hockey rink.”   

Westhead spoke at the Great Lakes auditorium in front of 200 people, many from local hockey organizations. 

About an hour into his talk, numerous members of the audience began to share their efforts to change hockey culture in Sarnia and address players’ mental health.

Tom Babcock from the Sarnia Hockey Association spoke about founding the Face Off for Mental Health program in 2018, along with Liz Page at St. Clair Child & Youth Services, to help minor coaches across Lambton County talk to young athletes about mental health. 

“We need to make sure we’re not going to hide from these conversations,” Babcock said. 

Westhead said he doesn’t understand why hockey teams in Canada are so reluctant to address what he called systemic issues.

One exception is the OHL’s Peterborough Petes team, he said. The Petes exceed the usual hour or two that’s spent annually by most clubs talking about consent.  Instead, they have an Onside advisor who is trained to speak to players about gender-based violence and consent. He works throughout the season, building connections with the players and talking about accountability, trust and respect. 

That prompted Chantel Butterfield, executive director of The Centre, which supports sexual assault survivors in Sarnia-Lambton, to talk about The Centre’s program Coaching Boys into Men.  It’s a program focused on healthy masculinity, healthy relationships and safe conversations.

“It sets coaches up for success so if someone comes to you with a problem, you know how to support them emotionally and find them resources,” said Butterfield.

Coaching Boys into Men started locally two years ago and participation has been disappointing. Fewer than five have had the training in Sarnia-Lambton.

“It feels like we are screaming into the abyss,” said Butterfield.  “People say I want to do this program, so we follow up…and it’s radio silence.”

Local hockey culture concerns Butterfield.  “It’s not just hockey. It’s other sports too.  The prejudice, the misogyny, the stereotypes, the racism, the jokes.

“It’s all here and it’s a problem.”