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Game Misconduct: Hockey's Toxic Culture and How to Fix It
A bracing call to arms for hockey fans, players, and coaches everywhere Those who have been lured by the the sound of skate blades slicing into fresh ice, by the incomparable speed, split-second decisions, and everything-or-nothing attitude of the game know that hockey can seem like its own world. It's all-consuming and exhilarating, boasting its own language and complex morality code. Yet in another light, that tight community can turn insular; the values of teamwork and humility can manifest as collective silence in the face of abuse and discrimination, issues which have been brought to the forefront of the sport as many share their stories for the first time. In Game Misconduct, reporters Evan Moore and Jashvina Shah reveal hockey's toxic undercurrent which has permeated the sport throughout the junior, college, and professional levels. They address the topic with a level of passion that comes from being rabid hockey fans themselves, and from experiencing its exclusivity first-hand. With a sensitive yet incisive approach, this necessary book lays bare the issues of racism, homophobia, xenophobia, bullying, sexism, and violence on and off the ice. Readers will learn about notable players and activists fighting for transformation as well as those beyond the spotlight who are nonetheless deeply affected by hockey's culture of inaction.Both a reckoning and a roadmap, Game Misconduct is an essential read for modern hockey fans, showing the truth of the sport's past and present while offering the tools to fight for a better future.
281 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
February 13, 2022
Solid insight into the structural problems existing within hockey culture. Could have been better with a clearer editing/structure for the book though, as the way things were told sometimes left me confused as to who was speaking and when things had happened. Also feel that it could have gone into more details/ analyzed things more, rather than simply state things the way it did a few times (especially in the chapter regarding homophobia). Still a very important read for any fan of North-American hockey overall.
October 18, 2021
An incredibly important read for everyone in the hockey community. This book is a great introduction into the various problems with hockey's culture, and hopefully it will help bring these conversations into mainstream hockey circles. So much of the content of Game Misconduct can be applied to the state of hockey culture and major hockey headlines right now, showing just how necessary this book is.
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January 1, 2022On one hand, this book is incredibly important. The problems the authors describe make hockey an unsafe place for many marginalized players and fans, and I believe this is the first book to bring together these issues in one document. The book draws on the authors' contacts from the hockey world, relying heavily on interviews with a range of figured from professional, semi-pro, college, youth, and recreational hockey. They are deeply rooted in the hockey community, thoughtful, and passionate about the issues in hockey culture.
On the other hand, this book needed a much stronger structural and content edit. Some sections felt like a long list of facts and anecdotes, without needed context, interpretation, and transitions. It was difficult to follow the thread of the argument most of the time, and sometimes specific incidents were recounted in a way that made it difficult to understand what actually happened in what order.
I have a good bit of knowledge of hockey myself, which was helpful in understanding the book - while some sections provided exhaustive context, others included multiple "in-group" asides.
All of these issues are things that a stronger edit could have resolved or ameliorated.
Overall, the book felt like a mosaic of perspectives rather than a coherent narrative. I wish the authors had embraced that, and perhaps structured the book entirely around the interviews rather than trying to use the interviews to make a case.
I share the authors' hope that the hockey culture can move toward inclusivity, and I hope that the insights from this book can be part of that change.
On the other hand, this book needed a much stronger structural and content edit. Some sections felt like a long list of facts and anecdotes, without needed context, interpretation, and transitions. It was difficult to follow the thread of the argument most of the time, and sometimes specific incidents were recounted in a way that made it difficult to understand what actually happened in what order.
I have a good bit of knowledge of hockey myself, which was helpful in understanding the book - while some sections provided exhaustive context, others included multiple "in-group" asides.
All of these issues are things that a stronger edit could have resolved or ameliorated.
Overall, the book felt like a mosaic of perspectives rather than a coherent narrative. I wish the authors had embraced that, and perhaps structured the book entirely around the interviews rather than trying to use the interviews to make a case.
I share the authors' hope that the hockey culture can move toward inclusivity, and I hope that the insights from this book can be part of that change.
December 28, 2021
This is a passionate, disorganized book. It plunges in straightaway, without always making clear what it's plunging into. You'll get talk about how hockey culture connects to other elements without first getting a clear sense what hockey culture is. Example: there is plenty of talk of toxic masculinity, but the book doesn't tell us what that is until pages 202-202 (hardcover edition). The book launches into complaints about items and only later on rounds back to say why those things are worth complaining about. This feels like it's preaching to the choir - as long as you're on board with the overall mindset in the first place, you'll just nod your head along.
I nodded my head a bit, but the book really needs an overhaul and reorganization.
It would be interesting to see what the authors think about the recent Black Hawks sexual abuse scandal. That apparently hit after this book went to print.
I nodded my head a bit, but the book really needs an overhaul and reorganization.
It would be interesting to see what the authors think about the recent Black Hawks sexual abuse scandal. That apparently hit after this book went to print.
April 21, 2021
Amazing!
August 19, 2022
I got back into hockey in a big way this year, and I was in a bit of a book slump after finishing some fiction. This was the perfect non-Fic read to get me back in it. I hate how toxic this sport I love so much is, but the authors do a nice job of pointing out the problems and talking about solutions.
December 15, 2021
There’s a lot to love about this book. I admire the way it takes on hockey culture in such a well-researched way. It’s brilliantly reported (unsurprising, given its authors) and quite accessible to fans of the sport who may not be as familiar with social justice issues. I think the women’s hockey chapter was my favorite, in that it tackled the misogyny women athletes face while pointing to the ways the players themselves can propagate racism and homophobia (and misogyny).
I will say that I wish this had a stronger editor. The structure of some chapters was all over the place and I found it hard to follow several sections. There were points that really needed a “lampshade” sentence and then points that got repeated almost verbatim from chapter to chapter. I’m probably more sensitive to this because of my professional background, but I would hate for the editing to distract from an important book like this one.
Still, I’d recommend this to any hockey fan, especially those who have been disgusted with the behavior of so many players and leaders over the years.
I will say that I wish this had a stronger editor. The structure of some chapters was all over the place and I found it hard to follow several sections. There were points that really needed a “lampshade” sentence and then points that got repeated almost verbatim from chapter to chapter. I’m probably more sensitive to this because of my professional background, but I would hate for the editing to distract from an important book like this one.
Still, I’d recommend this to any hockey fan, especially those who have been disgusted with the behavior of so many players and leaders over the years.
February 10, 2022
*4.5 - some parts were a little confusing but i think that’s more to do with the editing. overall though this is such an important book and i think everyone, hockey fan or not, should read it!
November 3, 2023
Marking this as read although I skimmed about 50%. A valuable conversation starter but this book felt unstructured and unrefined. A lot of really solid and interesting points were made about the toxic culture surrounding hockey, but this was essentially an endless list of examples outlining that culture. The language bounced between being extremely casual and somewhat academic. A few of the chapters were WAY too long without adding any real additional value. Having recently read 'Beartown' by Fredrik Backman it was incredible to see how well he fictionalized all the toxic hockey culture aspects touched on in 'Game Misconduct'.
February 13, 2022
Everybody with any involvement in hockey needs to read this book. From administrators and coaches to players, parents and fans. Hockey is a fantastic game, but it has issues that need to be addressed and solved for the sport to truly grow. Great work by Moore and Shah!
October 28, 2021
#GameMisconduct is written by @icehockeystick and @evanfmoore_ and is #HockeyNonFiction talking about several negative aspects of hockey culture, including racism, sexism, sexual violence, abuse, homophobia, and others. There's quite a bit to unpack, and Jashvina and Evan do a fantastic job of explaining and educating all these facets. I have not been around hockey for that long of a time, but I've heard different issues at the professional level with these difficult topics and there is a lot that needs to change for the better in this sport. J & E put the ultimate effort into this book and it shows. It's well researched, has sources, and even has resources for survivors of different abuse and harassment. I personally have learned more about these uncomfortable topics and feel better about speaking up should I ever witness anything that shouldn't be happening. Game Misconduct is available across all ebook platforms and in hardcover. Check out your preferred retailer and see if you can get a copy. It's 100% worth reading. Thank you J & E!!
September 20, 2025
i wanted more out of it than i got but in general, a good reminder of what needs to be done. and chilling to think about what’s changed since it was released and how much more work we have to do
November 22, 2021
Great insight on today's current hockey culture, the good, the bad and the ugly. In light of the recent revelations regarding the Kyle Beach situation, this is a timely read. I commend the authors' research. I also like how they gave dozens of examples of how not dealing with issues of racism, sexism and other societal cancers are effecting the sport.
January 19, 2022
could use a better editor, but still a great and necessary book for hockey.
January 16, 2023
reads like the og copy of this was 800 pgs but got smushed into 230
March 12, 2022
3 stars, but "rounding up" to 4 stars for the simple fact that this book even exists.
* Every hockey parent needs to read this book. Most probably won't.
* (Face it: the reason that many hockey parents are all-in on their kids becoming millionaire hockey stars is their overwhelming desire to achieve personal comfort and wealth at the expense of anything and anyone else. The fact is, NHL dreams are fundamentally different from hoop or gridiron dreams, because they are most typically born and nurtured in middle-to-upper class suburbs.)
* Every hockey organization needs to read this book, and implement policies that actually acknowledge and address the rampant racism, homophobia, bullying, misogyny, sexual and physical violence against women, and other anti-social behaviors which remain endemic to the sport. Most probably won't.
* Every hockey "fan" needs to read this book, and demand change. Most probably won't, or they'll turtle (to use language familiar to them) and fall back on the usual - and maddeningly pathetic - excuses: it's a few bad apples, it's not a big deal, they were young and immature, off the ice has nothing to do with on the ice, the victims need to grow a pair, etc.
* The book itself is a 3-star read: considering the gravity of the subject matter, the writing feels overly conversational in tone, with evidence frequently expressed in anecdotal rather than quantifiable terms.
* That said, the key point - that hockey has a toxic culture that stakeholders at every level are unwilling to admit, much less rectify - is obvious to anyone who follows the sport in any detail and with any honesty.
* Hockey lovers should be glad this book exists. Rather than resorting to the standard denials and dismissals, they should hope that it provokes further discussion and actual changes, if they have any desire for the sport to earn a broader audience and greater recognition of its potential value.
* Every hockey parent needs to read this book. Most probably won't.
* (Face it: the reason that many hockey parents are all-in on their kids becoming millionaire hockey stars is their overwhelming desire to achieve personal comfort and wealth at the expense of anything and anyone else. The fact is, NHL dreams are fundamentally different from hoop or gridiron dreams, because they are most typically born and nurtured in middle-to-upper class suburbs.)
* Every hockey organization needs to read this book, and implement policies that actually acknowledge and address the rampant racism, homophobia, bullying, misogyny, sexual and physical violence against women, and other anti-social behaviors which remain endemic to the sport. Most probably won't.
* Every hockey "fan" needs to read this book, and demand change. Most probably won't, or they'll turtle (to use language familiar to them) and fall back on the usual - and maddeningly pathetic - excuses: it's a few bad apples, it's not a big deal, they were young and immature, off the ice has nothing to do with on the ice, the victims need to grow a pair, etc.
* The book itself is a 3-star read: considering the gravity of the subject matter, the writing feels overly conversational in tone, with evidence frequently expressed in anecdotal rather than quantifiable terms.
* That said, the key point - that hockey has a toxic culture that stakeholders at every level are unwilling to admit, much less rectify - is obvious to anyone who follows the sport in any detail and with any honesty.
* Hockey lovers should be glad this book exists. Rather than resorting to the standard denials and dismissals, they should hope that it provokes further discussion and actual changes, if they have any desire for the sport to earn a broader audience and greater recognition of its potential value.
February 27, 2024
here’s the thing: i agree with most all of the book. i get it, i’ve seen it, i want the things they want. i just don’t know that the delivery was as on point as i’d hoped. there was a long, well written (i thought) section on racism in hockey. i expected similarly well written and extensive analysis chapters for the remaining topics, and i was underwhelmed. the chapter on sexism and sexual violence focused essentially only on sexual violence and not the rampant sexism within the culture of hockey.
most of the book is quotes from people the author’s interviewed, but outside of a couple names, most of the claims the quoted people are making are coming from amateurs with no research to support it. i’m not saying they’re wrong, i’m saying that there are better ways to illustrate the point than an interview with someone who experienced something. i guess what i was hoping was that the book would be more academic analysis than a collection of anecdotes with analysis by the authors.
i also had issues with the way the authors presented the anecdotes (i can only keep track of so many people), the providence/bc slur event gets introduced three separate times as if the reader forgot it the last time. some of the authors comments were unnecessary (instead of “subtweeting” sidney crosby why don’t we talk about it a little more in depth, i also don’t know why one of the author’s moms being a teacher is relevant to how hockey culture can change) and while i completely agree and understand most of the points, i just feel like the book was a little all over the place and got into semantics while staying out of actually interesting topics. i was able to hang with it, but i don’t think i could hand this book to a friend or my parents and expect them to hang.
again, i didn’t dislike the book, i just think it could do with some restructuring, relabeling, and some rewriting.
most of the book is quotes from people the author’s interviewed, but outside of a couple names, most of the claims the quoted people are making are coming from amateurs with no research to support it. i’m not saying they’re wrong, i’m saying that there are better ways to illustrate the point than an interview with someone who experienced something. i guess what i was hoping was that the book would be more academic analysis than a collection of anecdotes with analysis by the authors.
i also had issues with the way the authors presented the anecdotes (i can only keep track of so many people), the providence/bc slur event gets introduced three separate times as if the reader forgot it the last time. some of the authors comments were unnecessary (instead of “subtweeting” sidney crosby why don’t we talk about it a little more in depth, i also don’t know why one of the author’s moms being a teacher is relevant to how hockey culture can change) and while i completely agree and understand most of the points, i just feel like the book was a little all over the place and got into semantics while staying out of actually interesting topics. i was able to hang with it, but i don’t think i could hand this book to a friend or my parents and expect them to hang.
again, i didn’t dislike the book, i just think it could do with some restructuring, relabeling, and some rewriting.
April 16, 2023
A really great and important read for any hockey player or fan. I loved how it dissected how hockey came to be this elitest, class separated sport. I really enjoyed how it hypothesized how the toxic locker room came to be. There are some sections that go on a little bit too long, there are substantial pieces that feel like Twitter call-out threads. Those parts were so undeveloped that it really devalued the entire experience for me.
No solution to the problem they were offering, no path forward. It followed the same recipe of “Here’s this person, here’s what they did, here’s how they reacted in the face of pushback, here’s how the alt right reacted. Isnt that messed up?”
Yeah, of course it’s messed up. That’s why I’m reading this book in the first place.
A really good book with really good roots. Could’ve been stronger with a better, honest editor.
No solution to the problem they were offering, no path forward. It followed the same recipe of “Here’s this person, here’s what they did, here’s how they reacted in the face of pushback, here’s how the alt right reacted. Isnt that messed up?”
Yeah, of course it’s messed up. That’s why I’m reading this book in the first place.
A really good book with really good roots. Could’ve been stronger with a better, honest editor.
August 1, 2022
A very insightful read into the experiences of many types of people in the hockey world, Game Misconduct sheds some much-needed light on some of the hockey world's biggest issues and even attempts to provide some real solutions to many of them. Unfortunately, the hockey world is large and its issues are pretty complex, making it hard to devote enough time and pages that each of these issues warrants. It felt like each major section of this book could have been its own book. Regardless, it was a great read that provides a lot of food for thought. Hopefully, this work does similarly for its readers as previous works had done for its authors (inspire them to dig deeper and work for positive change in some way).
February 20, 2024
A great book that explains very clearly how hockey is hurt by racism, bullying, toxic gender issues for homophobia and misogyny, and what can be done to fix it. As someone who has some idea of sports current events when they crossover to the GP, all of the controversies featured in the book were new to me, but most I was able to understand (Special shout out to the ridiculous I vs we controversy). I was surprised to learn that hockey has different 'enrollment' methods for new athletes compared to sports like football or basketball (Again, I know next to nothing about sports). I liked the explanation for why the billet system is bad. The biggest issue I have with the book about it is not having a more specific review a month later, but I guess I'm not the right demographic for the book.
August 14, 2025
A useful survey of some issues in hockey culture and how they might be addressed. Still not entirely sure how we convince some elements within the culture to care, though, especially when a disadvantage to queer or radicalized athletes might give them an edge. Maybe that’s cynical of me, but I’ve observed enough of the subculture that I think it’s relevant.
The book was published in 2021; I would be very interested in the authors’ take on the intensified “trans women in sports” debate happening in our culture right now and in gendered assumptions about the physical body, but that’s perhaps an entirely different book.
The book was published in 2021; I would be very interested in the authors’ take on the intensified “trans women in sports” debate happening in our culture right now and in gendered assumptions about the physical body, but that’s perhaps an entirely different book.
June 29, 2025
i think the apple's rotten right to the core from all the things passed down from all the apples coming before
reading this as several of the 2018 world jr hockey canada players are on trial in 2025 has me preparing to be disappointed by hockey and the canadian justice system once again. my thoughts are with em and i cannot wait until the nhl is no longer run by gary bettman, george parros, colin campbell and those who tolerate the abhorrent off-ice behaviors and culture that trickles down to youth hockey
reading this as several of the 2018 world jr hockey canada players are on trial in 2025 has me preparing to be disappointed by hockey and the canadian justice system once again. my thoughts are with em and i cannot wait until the nhl is no longer run by gary bettman, george parros, colin campbell and those who tolerate the abhorrent off-ice behaviors and culture that trickles down to youth hockey
September 19, 2025
i follow hockey not for long, but the disappointment came quickly. almost immediately i started noticing how every other player is maga, listens to country (predominantly republican music genre), has a blue-eyed blonde wag, and in general is hiding behind hockey obsessed/no personality facade bringing nothing of importance to his community or society.
this book just put it in words more eloquently than i ever could, providing examples and statistics. hopefully the conversation and the fight for equality and inclusivity continues!
this book just put it in words more eloquently than i ever could, providing examples and statistics. hopefully the conversation and the fight for equality and inclusivity continues!
February 9, 2023
Wow wow wow. Such an important book! Anybody associated with hockey should have to read this book. I agree with a couple of the other reviewers that the pace was a bit off at times. Another reviewer pointed out that maybe dividing the book by interview would’ve been a better choice. But still, the content is so important. I especially enjoyed the final chapter which focused on where to go from here. There is still lots of work to be done, but people like Jashvina and Evan give me hope!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 20, 2025
3.5 stars - it was fine. definitely an important book, and i felt that some of the interviews were really impactful, but it read more like a listing of events than any lucid argument. i think i just expected it to be a different book than it was; i appreciated the aspects of personal narrative that the authors included though!
April 7, 2022
As others have noted, the subpar editing really did this book a disservice. This is such an important topic and a great survey of various issues in hockey, but the organization was poor and made it hard to follow at times.
March 13, 2024
Excellent topic for players, parents, teams, fans and so on … great summation of the concern from several equity deserving groups and the dominant voice (players, historic culture, etc) to enact change.
June 14, 2025
2.5 stars. Discusses a lot of important topics without going very in depth. I found the book more conversational than academic. In addition, a lot of it just rehashes a bunch of stuff that has happened on Twitter — Moore’s Twitter more specifically. I was expecting more.
November 13, 2021
3.5 stars. Good book on a very important topic!
December 14, 2021
So well done!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews