Skating on Thin Ice: Professional Hockey, Rape Culture, and Violence against Women

by Walter DeKeseredy, Stu Cowan, Martin D. Schwartz

Skating on Thin Ice exposes the culture of toxic masculinity in professional hockey and suggests how sport and society can change the narrative on sexual assault and violence.

Why is it that professional sports, and notably hockey, remain a bastion for rape culture and violence against women? What are the conditions that allow a culture of toxic masculinity to persist despite awakenings elsewhere in society? What is the path forward, and how do we make officials, coaches, and athletes accountable?

Drawing on decades of award-winning sociological research and sports journalism, Walter S. DeKeseredy, Martin D. Schwartz, and veteran sportswriter Stu Cowan find answers to these questions in Skating on Thin Ice.

The book examines the abusive, misogynistic, racist, and homophobic behaviors found in professional hockey and explains the larger societal forces that perpetuate and legitimate these harms. Confirming a recent federal government inquiry into Hockey Canada’s handling of sexual assault allegations, the book reveals that young men enter the NHL and other revenue-generating hockey leagues already trained and primed to treat women as objects – and often to commit violent acts against them. Rooted in the authors’ work in the sports world as well as their work with activists and governments, Skating on Thin Ice doesn’t just highlight the problem of hockey and rape culture, it also provides collaborative solutions for fixing it.

Genres: Nonfiction, Hockey, Sports

340 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 2, 2023

Reviews

[Dasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Please don't be a bystander" (p. 248). This book surprised me. I picked it up on a whim and had low expectations. However the three co-authors do an excellent job deconstructing the culture of violence and rape that pervades, and in some ways, defines professional hockey. The authors take a nuanced approach (when discussing queer identities they even use the term men who have sex with men to account for the fact that not all men who have sex with men are necessarily gay) in understanding the culture. They primarily use the male peer support theory to understand how men in hockey often engage in violent acts. The authors touch on many aspects of patriarchal culture that contributes to this including pornography, gambling, and lack of infrastructure within the league to deal with player misconduct. The authors call out players including Austen Matthews, Patrick Roy, and even Sidney Crosby (for perpetuating the well-meaning man and passive bystander approach to league issues). I feel like this book is a must for all Canadians who wrap their national identity so much within hockey culture - and especially for all individuals who watch and play the sport.

[Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for anyone who is a fan of the sport yet struggles to reconcile the game of hockey with its toxic, violent culture.

The authors not only provide extensive examples and research into the violence that permeates the sport but also offers concrete steps to address these issues and make the necessary changes to ensure “hockey is for the everybody” is not just a slogan but an entrenched set of values and systems so that hockey is welcoming and safe regardless of gender, sexuality, race and ability.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

this work offers a really profound sociological perspective on the culture of sexual violence and complacency pervasive in the hockey world. the research is extremely thorough in terms of referencing other works on the subject. i do feel like sometimes, the amount of examples outside of hockey quickly mentioned got a bit overwhelming or felt random during explanations. i also wish chapter 5 went a little more in depth in terms of the possible solutions and covered more concrete examples instead of mentioning solutions from other authors briefly. nonetheless this work is really important and i urge every sports fan to read this book and educate themselves.

[Holly Gilmour · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written as more of an academic paper (which makes sense given 2/3 authors are professors), but a really insightful book that not only digs deep into the why, but also provides a concrete suggested path forward. A must read for anyone in the hockey sphere, players and fans alike.

[Matthew Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a well written book with lots of information and facts, but reads more like a study or letter penned for a newspaper. In saying that, it is very eye opening to the huge changes not only hockey, but a lot of society has to make.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

books like this are so important to help uncover and dismantle the systems in hockey that allow/encourage SA and violence against women.

i found that this book in particular focuses on connecting the broader societal factors (eg patriarchy, toxic masculinity, male peer support/pressure) to hockey. there is definitely value in this, and the book gives lots of insight into these factors and examples of how they manifest in a variety of ways.

personally, i think there would’ve been value in exploring more why hockey specifically has such a problem with SA, violence against women and rape culture. this is something that i think ‘we breed lions’ did very well.

overall a very smart book, and i appreciated the final chapter that made recommendations on how to ‘fix’ hockeys toxic culture.

[Zoe Strepek · Rating 2 out of 5]

honestly i was really disappointed in this book and i ended up skimming through the whole second half. it really bounced all over the place and often strayed far from the topic at hand, violence against women in the nhl. understanding that issue doesn’t exist in a vacuum, i expected some other systemic discussions to come up but a lot of them didn’t feel relevant, or they went on for too long with no connection to the nhl/pro sports. i also think the “solutions” chapter was very surface level and said a whole lot of nothing.
besides some interesting facts and banger one liners (as highlighted) i was pretty unimpressed by this book and do not feel it presented any new or ground breaking information

[Belle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so very passionate about the issues contained in this book and supportive of the voices for change. I am also pleasantly taken aback and eternally grateful this book was written by three men.

*Temporary access to e-copy received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Paula Kirman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and disturbing - as it should be. The conclusions for how to change the toxic culture did not come as a surprise.

[Aidan Borsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting view on sports crime and how it affects hockey. Dr. DeKeseredy offers great insights into an underrepresented field of sports violence/crime.

[readyfreddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very well written piece of academic writing. It uses accessible language so that a wider audience of people can read it. It is a hard read and recommend that people are in a good place mental and/or have the resources they need due to the content.